Results 1,701-1,720 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The demand for water in schools can be minimised through push type spray taps, low flushing toilets, urinal controls, fixing easily identifiable leaks etc. Guidance was recently issued to schools on the most appropriate measures to minimise excess consumption of water and to reduce wastage where it exists. In addition, water conservation issues will continue to be addressed by my Department...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The OJEU notice offering the 2nd Bundle of PPP Schools to the market was dispatched to eTenders on the 20th May 2008 and advertisements were also placed in the national print media. The Department is currently examining the feasibility of including the school referred to by the Deputy in the 3rd Bundle of Public-Private Partnership projects which I intend announcing later this year. The...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENO) for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. SENOs also make recommendations where assistive technology is required. I can confirm that an application for a...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work, Act 1989, it is the responsibility of school management authorities, including the authorities of the school in question, to have a safety statement in place in their schools. Schools are obliged to identify possible hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and to put appropriate safeguards in place. In practical terms,...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work, Act 1989, it is the responsibility of school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools. Schools are obliged to identify possible hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and to put appropriate safeguards in place. In practical terms, individual school authorities are best placed to assess the...
- Written Answers — School Supervision: School Supervision (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: As indicated to the Deputy previously, the application from the school referred to is currently under consideration at present and it is expected that Department officials will be back in contact with the school authorities with a decision on this application very shortly. With regard to the question of who is legally responsible and liable if a child or a teacher has an accident, it is the...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Schedules of overall accommodation for the school to which the Deputy refers have been agreed with Co. Cork Vocational Education Committee to cater for a long term enrolment of 325 pupils. The progression of this project as with all large scale building projects, from initial design stage through to construction phase, will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of my Department's...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 to 120, inclusive, together. An application for capital funding towards the provision of a new school building has recently been received from the school authority referred to by the Deputy. The Department is currently considering all appropriate accommodation options for the school and when a final decision is made the school authority will be notified...
- Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department's main interventions in the area of Early Years education are in the areas of disadvantage or special needs and there isn't funding available from the Department or from its agencies to support play therapy centres. Support for childcare is provided by the Office of the Minister for Children under the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 and the Deputy may wish to...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The development of a building project for the school in question is at an early stage. A feasibility study has been carried out to assist in establishing an exact accommodation brief for the school, which would include the provision of an ASD unit. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be...
- Written Answers — Bullying in the Workplace: Bullying in the Workplace (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Institutes of Technology are statutory bodies established under the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006. Under the terms of these Acts, the governance and day-to-day activities of the Institutes, including procedures for dealing with allegations of bullying and harassment, are matters for which the Governing Bodies and the Management of the Institutes are responsible. It is my...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The progression of all large scale building projects, including the 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. However, in light of...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 May 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may 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. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO...
- Hospital Accommodation. (4 Jun 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I will take this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. The development of the national paediatric hospital is a priority project for the Government. The objective is to provide a world-class specialist paediatric service for children in this country. The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, which was established in...
- Schools Building Projects. (4 Jun 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and to outline the current position in respect of the Department's long-term plan for Portlaoise in general.
- Schools Building Projects. (4 Jun 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Funding to address the capital investment requirements of approximately 3,200 primary and 730 post-primary schools is ongoing. The Government has dramatically increased investment in the school building programme from just over â¬90 million in 1997 to â¬586.2 million this year. During the lifetime of the national development plan, almost â¬4.5 billion will be invested in schools, an...
- Schools Building Projects. (4 Jun 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: That is not correct.
- Schools Building Projects. (4 Jun 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I thank both Deputies for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the position with regard to the proposed building project for Kilfinane â I had understood the name to be pronounced as spelled though others call it "Kilfennan"ââ
- Schools Building Projects. (4 Jun 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Kilfinane national school in County Limerick has a current enrolment of 126 pupils. It has a staffing of a principal, four mainstream assistants, one permanent resource teacher and one permanent learning support teacher, the latter post shared with another school. Originally, the school board of management applied for capital funding to the Department for an extension project. A feasibility...
- Schools Building Projects. (4 Jun 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: However, the Deputies will appreciate that I am not â and I indicated this when I visited the school â in a position to give the go-ahead for any more projects to proceed to construction at this time, including that for Kilfinane. I do not want to mislead this school or indeed any other school in the same situation by making any suggestions to the contrary. I indicated quite clearly to...