Results 14,021-14,040 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department recently received the Supplementary Tender Report for the school to which the Deputy refers. However, my Department is still awaiting receipt of some outstanding documentation from the preferred bidder. When this documentation has been received and assuming that there are no issues arising, the contract can be awarded and the project will progress to construction.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the project to which he refers is currently out to tender. The closing date for receipt of tenders is 2nd July. Once the project goes on site, the expected duration of the construction phase is 12 months.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department recently received the Supplementary Tender Report for the school to which the Deputy refers. However, my Department is still awaiting receipt of some outstanding documentation from the preferred bidder. When this documentation has been received and assuming that there are no issues arising, the contract can be awarded and the project will progress to construction.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. I have arranged for the details...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: FÁS are responsible for managing and overseeing the Work Placement Programme and they have a number of measures designed to prevent exploitation and the displacement of existing or prospective employment. All potential providers must complete and sign a from that confirms the following: The placement will not be provided to fill an existing vacancy. The placement will not be provided to...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: On 15th April 2010, the Government announced its proposal to utilise the cash element of the Congregations' current offers of contributions, which will amount to some €110m over the next few years, to establish a Statutory Fund, in keeping with the all party Motion passed by Dáil Éireann, supporting the proposal for a Trust for the support of victims and to other education and welfare...

Written Answers — Third Level Staff: Third Level Staff (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department does not collect statistics in respect of the number of staff employed in each grade by the higher education institutions. Accordingly, the breakdown of numbers employed as requested by the Deputy is not available. However, data that is available on the numbers of academics and non academics employed at the end of 2008 and 2009 and the latest data for March, 2010 are being...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I understand from FÁS that work is ongoing to collate the information requested by the Deputy. I will reply substantively to him when this task has been completed.

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I understand from FÁS that work is ongoing to collate the information requested by the Deputy. I will reply substantively to him when this task has been completed.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: A project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The project has been assigned a priority band rating of 2.4 under the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. This project was included in my predecessor's announcement on 16 February 2010 of projects to proceed to the preparation of tender documents. A...

Written Answers — Corporate Governance: Corporate Governance (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: As requested by the Deputy, a list of those State agencies under the aegis of my Department to which the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies applies in the following table. Non-commercial bodies under the Aegis of the Department of Education & Skills – June 2010 An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) Commission into Child Abuse (CICA) Education...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The person referred to by the Deputy will receive their redundancy payment on 08th July.

Written Answers — School Patronage: School Patronage (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 566 and 567 together. During discussions with representatives of the Catholic Church in November 2009 it was agreed that my Department would look at identifying a sample number of areas of relatively stable demographics where a requirement for the establishment of new primary schools is unlikely to emerge in the foreseeable future and where the provision is...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: There is no annual grant payable to primary or post-primary schools specifically to purchase library books. In framing the Estimates 2009, the Government faced very difficult choices. Until the end of 2008, funding was provided by my Department to local authority librarians to enable them to provide library services for pupils enrolled in primary schools in individual local authority areas....

Written Answers — Literacy Levels: Literacy Levels (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: A report on the results of the national assessment of English reading and Mathematics undertaken in 2009 in Primary schools is currently being finalised. It is planned to publish the results in September 2010. The study was undertaken by the Educational Research Centre of some 4000 students in second class and 4000 students in 6th class.

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The Leaving Certificate in Ireland is a centrally organised final examination which is examined by external examiners. This situation is in stark contrast to the position in other countries where the suite of assessment methodology includes a significant element of school-based assessment of students undertaken by the class teachers, and in doing so provides a template where there is capacity...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department funds a number of early intervention special classes for younger children with autism. Parents seeking enrolment should apply to the Board of Management of schools with such early intervention classes. My Department has no role in the enrolment of children in specific schools. Where a child with autism, aged 3 years or older, cannot access such a placement, my Department...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers has applied to my Department for major capital funding for an extension. The application has been assessed and assigned a Band 2 rating, in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for major capital projects operated by my Department. The school currently has a staffing level of 3 mainstream teachers and also has the...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department recently launched an on-line inventory of school accommodation which is available to schools on the Department's Esinet portal. The system went live for all schools on Friday 28th of May, 2010 and schools have commenced inputting the relevant data since then.Information such as that sought by the Deputy will be available when all the data has been received from schools. The...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (29 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: Under the terms of my Department's Free Fee Initiative the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees in respect of eligible students who are pursuing full-time undergraduate courses of study which are a minimum of two years duration in an approved institution. The main conditions are that students must be first-time undergraduates, hold EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right and have been...