Results 14,581-14,600 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including making arrangements for the marking of work presented for examinations and issuing the results of examinations. A range of accommodations are provided to enable students with disabilities to access the Certificate examinations. For example enlarged print,...

Written Answers — School Numbers: School Numbers (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: There are currently 3,286 primary schools (3160 ordinary schools and 126 special schools) and 730 post primary schools (389 secondary schools, 250 vocational schools and 91 Community & Comprehensive schools).

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department does not maintain a database of primary and post-primary schools with records of the age of school buildings; accordingly the information requested by the Deputy is not readily available.

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Green-Schools is an international environmental education programme, designed to promote and acknowledge whole-school action to care for the environment. It is both a programme and an award scheme. Green-Schools in Ireland is operated and co-ordinated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce. The programme complements the formal curricula in Social, Environmental and Scientific...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I can assure the Deputy that supports are in place to enable schools both to prevent bullying and to deal with cases that may arise. There is no requirement for schools to report incidents of bullying to my Department, nor do I believe that this should be the case. Responsibility for tackling bullying falls to the level of the individual school as it is at local level that an effective...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a Design Team has now been appointed and the process of architectural planning has commenced.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: An application for capital funding towards the provision of a new school building has been received from the school authority referred to by the Deputy. The long term projected staffing assessment and the further progression of the proposed building project will be considered on an ongoing basis in the context of my Department's multi annual School Building and Modernisation programme. In...

Written Answers — In-service Training: In-service Training (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Teacher Education Section of my Department has not received a request from the Health Service Executive to provide inservice training to support Together We Play, Learn and Understand, their resource pack on integration.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the Programme for Government, a Developing Areas Unit was set up recently in my Department to focus on the school accommodation needs of rapidly developing areas, including Naas. The main emphasis in 2008 is on providing sufficient school places in these developing areas, as well as delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary school accommodation...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Athlone element of the decentralisation of my Department will be completed in the summer of this year. The completion of this element of the programme will result in the relocation of 92 posts to Athlone. The Mullingar element of the decentralisation of my Department will take place when new permanent accommodation is ready for occupation. This is likely to be sometime in 2010 and will...

Seanad: School Accommodation (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Seanadóir O'Reilly and Senator Wilson for raising this issue. I am very conscious of the story in regard to St. Mary's national school in Virginia because of the enormous expansion in the numbers in the school and the development of the area around Virginia. It is for that reason we indicated last year that we would appoint a design team. The...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (24 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I thank Senator Cannon for raising the issue of the need for a second level school in Kinvara which has been ongoing for the past year. In light of increases in population in the south Galway area and the decision of the Sisters of Mercy to close Seamount College, Kinvara, on a phased basis, the Department determined that a new post-primary school would be required in the south Galway area....

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The need for a new school building for school in question is acknowledged by my Department. The project required to deliver the new school building will be considered on an ongoing basis in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. It is my intention to make a further announcement shortly on the school building programme and to provide an update...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has received an application for a new building from the school referred to by the Deputy. Schedules of Accommodation for the proposed new school have now been agreed with the school authorities and progress on this building project will be considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation programme. The school has received approval for additional...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, Section 2 of the Official Languages Act 2003 states that "the official languages" of the State are (a) the Irish language (being the national language and the first official language) and (b) the English language (being a second official language) as specified in Article 8 of the Constitution. I wish to advise the Deputy that Irish sign language (ISL) has formal...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The administration of medicines in the school is the subject of an agreement between the Irish National Teachers Organisation and the organisations representing school management at primary level. While this agreement specifies that no teacher can be required to administer medicine or drugs to pupils, it also sets out procedures that must be followed where a teacher or teachers agree to do...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of my Department's Free Fees Initiative the exchequer meets the tuition fees of eligible students. The main conditions are that students must: a) be first-time undergraduates; b) hold E.U. nationality or official refugee status; and c) have been ordinarily resident in an E.U. Member State for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 332 to 334, inclusive, together. In relation to SSIA income, I want to assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to ensure that SSIA savers are treated fairly in the calculation of reckonable income under my Department's maintenance grant schemes. This is being achieved in two ways. Firstly, income from SSIAs is being treated exactly the same as...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The main emphasis in 2008 is on providing sufficient school places in rapidly developing areas as well as delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary school accommodation throughout the country. On the 1st February last I announced the first phase of projects that will commence construction during 2008 and 2009. My announcement included details of the 18...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to establish a Developing Areas Unit in the Department of Education and Science, dedicated solely to progressing school planning in rapidly developing areas, building on improvements that have already been made in recent years. This recently established Developing Areas Unit, in conjunction with Fingal County Council has been working to...