Results 1,301-1,320 of 4,869 for speaker:Seán Haughey

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (28 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: I am taking this adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. I am pleased to clarify the position on the matter. The child development centres referred to by the Senator are health facilities managed by the Brothers of Charity Services, which provides a range of services in these centres for pre-school children aged between...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (29 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: As the Deputy is aware, the Fuel Duty Rebate Scheme (Provisions of Section 99 (1) Finance Act 1999) allowed for a rebate in respect of the excise duty paid on fuel used by private contractors on delivering school transport services. This scheme, which was processed by the Revenue Commissioners, ceased on 31st October 2008 in accordance with the EU Energy Tax Directive. I indicated in my...

Written Answers — Post-Leaving Certificate Courses: Post-Leaving Certificate Courses (29 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: The 1,500 additional Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) places announced in the 7 April 2009 budget will be allocated to PLC providers for the 2009/2010 academic year which begins in September 2009.

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (29 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) the action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standarised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated School Support Programme (SSP). DEIS brings together and builds upon a number of existing interventions in schools with concentrated levels of disadvantage. The process of identifying schools for...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (29 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: School transport has been requested for the pupil referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied under the terms of my Department Post-Primary School Transport Scheme and also under the terms of the Transport Scheme for Children with Special Needs. The Transport Liaison Officer for Co. Galway has advised my Department that this pupil is not eligible for transport under the terms of the...

Seanad: Charities Regulation. (30 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan. The regulation and auditing of charities is the responsibility of the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Section 50 of the Charities Act 2009 stipulates the accounts of a charitable organisation should be audited within nine months of the end of the appropriate financial year...

Seanad: State Examinations. (30 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. I am pleased that Senator Fitzgerald has given me an opportunity to clarify the position on the matter she raised. The leaving certificate is a terminal and externally examined examination. Individual subjects are examined under a number of modes of assessment...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (6 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: Vocational Education Committees (VECs) employ full-time and part-time staff basis to deliver various adult education courses and programmes. As the employer, it is the VECs which are responsible for the terms and conditions and other pay related issues of the staff they employ. Under Section 2 of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 a person is liable to pay the...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (6 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: The teaching of computer literacy to those over 50 years of age is delivered through a number of current initiatives. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) courses feature prominently under the Back to Education Initiative (BTEI). Older people are specifically prioritised within BTEI, as one of a number of target groups. In 2008, 12.5% of BTEI participants were aged between 55...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (6 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: In 2006, my Department published a Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy. The Strategy recommended that Senior Traveller Training Centres (STTCs) be reviewed and their future role clarified. The Strategy also recommended that people under 18 years of age should not be enrolled in STTCs. Subsequently, my Department published a Value for Money (VFM) Review of the...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (6 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: I wish to advise the Deputy that the charge increases effective from the commencement of the 2009/10 school year apply to about 55,000 eligible post primary children and children availing of concessionary transport. Charges will continue to be waived in the case of eligible post-primary children where the family is in possession of a valid medical card. Eligible children attending primary...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (6 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: The School Transport Section of my Department, has requested Bus Éireann which operates the school transport scheme, to examine the background to the case referred to by the Deputy, in the details supplied and to liaise directly with the Deputy and the family concerned.

Written Answers — School Discipline: School Discipline (6 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: The Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) as the statutory body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the Board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (12 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme, a pupil is eligible for transport if s/he resides 4.8 kilometres or more from her/his local post primary education centre, that is, the centre serving the catchment area in which s/he lives. While parents may choose to send their children to a post-primary centre outside of the catchment area, the scheme is not...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (13 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: From September 2009, an additional 1,500 Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) places will be made available nationwide. This will bring the total number of approved PLC places to 31,688. No decision has been made yet with regard to the allocation of these additional 1,500 places.

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (13 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: I wish to point out that, despite the escalating costs of the service from €109.8 million in 2004 to €192 million in 2009 or 75%, charges for school transport had not been increased from 1998 until the third school term in the 2007/08 school year. A further increase was put in place at the start of the 2008/09 school year and the new charges come into effect from September 2009. In the...

School Absenteeism. (14 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: The National Educational Welfare Board, NEWB, is the statutory body with responsibility for school attendance. A key function of the board is to compile statistics on attendance. Schools are required to submit reports on levels of attendance at the end of the school year. This data is analysed and the findings published by the board. The findings will help identify trends and measure the...

School Absenteeism. (14 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: A vast amount of information is involved. The data for 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years are currently being prepared by the NEWB for analysis. The statistics show that figures for non-attendance are stable. Presumably that is why the Deputy wants the information.

School Absenteeism. (14 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: The NEWB does a very good job. It is a relatively new statutory organisation.

School Absenteeism. (14 May 2009)

Seán Haughey: This involves the processing of a vast amount of information. School attendance is, first and foremost, the responsibility of parents. The school also has a role to play. The educational welfare officers provide a service, particularly to schools participating in DEIS. School attendance is a complex issue and the National Educational Welfare Board is dealing with it. In the first instance...