Results 1,401-1,420 of 4,869 for speaker:Seán Haughey

School Closures. (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: As the Minister indicated to the Deputy on 23 June 2009, the patrons of the school in question have informed my Department that they will be closing the existing school in 2012. When trustees or a patron body decide to close a school, the Department's main concern is to ensure that the best interests of the pupils are looked after and that there will be sufficient student places in existing...

School Closures. (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: I thank the Deputy for his interest in this issue. I acknowledge his role in finding a solution. Consultation on the lease is continuing and I hope this leasing arrangement can be put in place by 1 September, provided we can get agreement following consultation with all the stakeholders. Consultation is also taking place regarding the trustees and until we finalise the discussions on the...

School Closures. (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: The Department is hopeful that the lease issue will be finalised in time for the coming academic year, commencing on 1 September. While the Deputy did not raise the following issue in his question, the commission on school accommodation has recommended a new school building and that issue and others such as whether it will be a coeducational school, patronage and the number of possible...

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: The leaving certificate vocational programme, LCVP, has been in existence since 1994 and its introduction was designed to enhance the vocational dimension of the leaving certificate. This two-year programme combines the traditional academic strengths of the leaving certificate with a focus on self-directed learning, enterprise, work and the community which are included in the link modules....

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: A number of schools involved have been visited by the relevant professional development support service to discuss their proposed participation in the programme. Some schools have expressed an interest in providing the programme from within their existing staffing levels. Given that during the years approval was given regularly to schools wishing to introduce the leaving certificate...

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: The programme will continue to be provided by 508 second level schools.

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: We are dealing with ten applicant schools. In the current difficult financial position the priority is to maintain existing services, that is fair to say across the Department, rather than to expand. I do not have responsibility for the area in the Department; it was a decision made by the Minister in consultation with departmental officials. It was one that was necessary, however, given...

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: It was clear from the budget in October 2008 and the supplementary budget in April that a ceiling would apply to the overall number of teachers. That was the background to the decision and I have nothing further to add. I do not believe the Department is dysfunctional; I fully support the views reiterated by the Minister: the Department is trying in difficult circumstances to maintain...

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: I take on board the point that we should concentrate on disadvantage in education. For that reason the commitments given on the junior certificate schools programme are being honoured under the DEIS programme, as well as commitments given in the programme for Government and elsewhere. We are trying to target our resources; that is why the commitment to expand the junior certificate schools...

Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: The schools have been contacted and we have had discussions with the professional development support service to see what its intentions are. We will see what arises from that process.

School Staffing. (2 Jul 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 thank the Deputy for raising this matter on the Adjournment this evening. The Minister is committed to providing information on the allocation of teachers to schools and this is a new feature on the Department's website. The process has begun with the provision...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application to my Department for large scale capital funding for a new school. Following an assessment, the proposed project was assigned a Band Rating of 1.1 in accordance with the Department's published prioritisation criteria and it was determined that a 24 classroom school would be required to meet the short to medium term needs of the...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: The majority of schools include among their pupils children with disadvantaged backgrounds. In general, most schools address the individual needs of these children without recourse to additional targeted resources. Evidence has shown that disadvantage associated with poverty and social exclusion assumes a multiplier effect where the levels are highly concentrated in schools. DEIS...

Written Answers — Departmental Reviews: Departmental Reviews (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: By way of general background information, catchment boundaries have their origins in the establishment of free post primary education in the late 1960s. For planning purposes, the country was divided into about 300 geographic districts, each with several primary schools feeding into a post primary education centre with one or more post primary schools. The intention was that these defined...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: Bus Éireann is responsible for the operation of the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department. Approximately 135,000 children avail of school transport services on a daily basis using some 3,300 private contractors' vehicles and over 600 Bus Éireann vehicles. Negotiations with school bus operators regarding bus contracts are a matter between Bus Éireann and the individual...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (2 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: The Deputy will be aware that the planning and timetabling of routes is an operational matter for Bus Éireann. In the last school year the service referred to by the Deputy, in the details supplied, was operating to capacity. If, for operational reasons, a larger bus is introduced for this route, in the 2009/10 school year, additional spare seats may become available. However, I should...

Institutional Child Abuse Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: With the agreement of the House I will take an extra minute in addition to the five minutes available to me.

Institutional Child Abuse Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: There are a few other outstanding issues I want to deal with. The Bill seeks to remove section 28(6) of the current legislation. Deputy Quinn, in a statement issued on Thursday, 18 June, and again tonight, suggested that this section effectively prohibited applicants from recounting the stories of their childhood. That is simply not the case. This provision was originally included in the...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (7 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of my Department's School Transport scheme, a pupil with special needs is eligible for school transport if s/he is attending the nearest recognised: mainstream school, special class / special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet the child's special educational needs under Department of Education and Science criteria. Only children who meet the full Department...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (7 Jul 2009)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme pupils are eligible for transport if they reside 4.8 kilometres or more from and are attending their appropriate post primary centre. My Department has requested the Transport Liaison Officer for County Mayo to provide a report on the pupil referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied. The Deputy should be aware that only...