Results 1,441-1,460 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware the July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism who choose to extend their education services through the month of July. My Department also provides for a July Programme for pupils with a severe/profound general learning disability. My Department encourages all...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm to the Deputy that an application for additional accommodation for the school in question has been received. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme....

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (20 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 446 to 448, inclusive, together. The compulsory school starting age in a National School is 6 years of age. Enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and my Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: 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 also has a research function and part of this remit is to advise my Department on policy matters upon...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (20 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The number of civil servants who have worked in the Constituency Offices of Ministers for Education and Science and Ministers of State at my Department are as follows: Minister for Education 1997-2002: 4 civil servants Minister for Education 2002 to date: 3.5 civil servants Minister of State 1997-1998: 2.5 civil servants Minister of State 1998 to date: 3 civil servants The number of civil...

Information and Communications Technology. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Since the introduction of the programme of investment in information and communications technology in 1998, almost €200 million has been invested in information and communications technology in schools. Some €80 million was provided to schools in equipment grants under the Schools ICT 2000 and Blueprint for the Future of ICT schemes. A further €23 million has been provided since 2004...

Information and Communications Technology. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I thought I had made it plain that I am discussing the exact financial position with my officials. It has not been easy to examine all the funding issues in the Department of Education and Science. I am not in a position today to say "Yes, something will happen". I have provided for expenditure in the schools sector of approximately €20 million, on the current side. I will continue to...

Information and Communications Technology. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I do not want the Deputy to misinterpret what I am saying. I am in discussions with my officials about the overall package of funding within the Department. I am not saying that I do not intend to put funding in place for information and communications technology. It is in the national development plan. It is obvious that it is my aspiration——

Information and Communications Technology. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: ——to meet the demands of that part of the national development plan.

Information and Communications Technology. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I certainly do not intend to give Deputy Hayes an absolute commitment, in the Dáil, that I have the funding to roll out the whole of this.

Information and Communications Technology. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy has had his say. I ask him to let me finish. I have been in this job for almost two weeks. I am in discussions with my officials on the funding that is available. I have pointed out that €20 million has been put in place for current spending. I am looking at the capital programme. Under no circumstances can Deputy Hayes indicate to anybody at this stage that funding will...

School Accommodation. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Officials in the Department of Education and Science discuss the overall allocation of current and capital expenditure with their counterparts in the Department of Finance in the context of the preparation of the annual Estimates. General discussions are normally held on the amount of funding allocated to the subhead from which payment for the rental of temporary accommodation for schools is...

School Accommodation. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I thank Deputy Quinn.

School Accommodation. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I will find it very helpful.

School Accommodation. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Obviously I do not accept that because I find there is a wealth of talent in the Department, which I am delighted to have available to me. I will write to the Deputy to give him a detailed outline of the number of purchased prefabs and the number that are rented. We have done a survey and are compiling the results. In deference to the Deputy, all that information will be sent to him.

School Accommodation. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I take the Deputy's point about doing our business better. I have been reviewing this area since my appointment. We have made significant improvements in getting much more permanent accommodation over three years. We have been reviewing the cost-effectiveness of what we are doing. The capital programme has been improved dramatically over the years. I am considering other ways of doing...

School Accommodation. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that I had charge of developing areas in my role as Minister of State with responsibility for housing. There has been considerable interaction between the Departments of Education and Science and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and planning sections in local authorities. We have made great strides in co-ordination and joined-up thinking and action....

Pupil-Teacher Ratio. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The programme for Government sets out the overarching policy position on the provision of additional teachers and on reductions in class size over the life of the Government. The programme contains a commitment to increase the number of primary teachers by at least 4,000 and on that basis to make further progress in reducing class sizes. Budget 2008 provided my Department with €4.6...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I do not have that information today, but I can obtain it for the Deputy. It was proposed to recruit 4,000 extra teachers over the period of the plan. Two years into that five-year plan we now have in excess of 2,000 additional teachers. Any fair-minded observer can see that the commitment to appoint additional teachers is being honoured. The Deputy is aware of the pressures on the...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy seems to forget that all commitments in the plan were predicated on the basis of the economic well-being and resources that were available. There is a commitment to have 4,000 teachers and it is my intention that we will honour that. There is a commitment to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio. The former Minister indicated as part of the budget for 2008 that this was being set aside...