Results 1,781-1,800 of 4,869 for speaker:Seán Haughey

School Absenteeism (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: The National Educational Welfare Board, NEWB, is the statutory body with responsibility for school attendance. The board compiles statistics based on attendance returns at the end of each school year. The findings from these reports help to identify trends in school attendance. The most recent statistics on national levels of school attendance are contained in the report, Analysis of...

School Absenteeism (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: The Deputy will be aware of a certain amount of unhappiness on the part of teachers regarding the bureaucracy associated with this matter. Under the Act, schools are required to report on school attendance for the year. This can only occur at the end of the year. Each year, the board receives the schools' reports and conducts a process to correct some of the information provided. For...

School Absenteeism (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: Schools are also required to report absences exceeding 20 days or where there is a concern about the absence profile of a child. The published figures relate to the 2007-08 period. I do not agree that they are significantly out of date, having regard to the information I have supplied to the House. Nevertheless, I could take the Deputy's comments on board and endeavour to have the figures...

School Absenteeism (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: It should be said that, under the Education (Welfare) Act, responsibility in this regard rests primarily with parents and schools. We would all accept this, yet there is still a need for intervention by the NEWB. If a child has been absent for more than 60 days, the educational welfare officers become engaged in his or her situation, but only after all other efforts have failed. As I...

Health Service Staff (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving me an opportunity to clarify the position regarding the operation of the general public sector moratorium in the health services. The Government has made clear that a critical part of its strategy to restore the public finances is the...

Health Service Staff (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: I, too, wish to raise a point of order. The issue I have been asked to address reads as follows: "The continued embargo on recruitment in the HSE which is putting people's lives at risk."

Health Service Staff (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children and no indication was given to me of the issues the Deputy raised. I do not know what is the problem.

Health Service Staff (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: I will do so and I will endeavour to obtain the information the Deputy seeks as there appears to be a misunderstanding, certainly as far as I am concerned.

Health Service Staff (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: I sympathise with the sentiments expressed by the Deputy. The position is not satisfactory from my point of view either. The framework provides for a number of grades and posts that are exempt from the moratorium on recruitment and promotion. In addition, the HSE also has the capacity under the framework to fill some exceptions from the general moratorium provided it achieves the overall...

Health Services (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: I am not sure I will be able to help the Deputy because the Minister for Health and Children has asked me to respond to the following motion which was raised on the Adjournment: "To call on the Minister for Health and Children to make a statement on the need to provide and maintain respite care services for families in need of respite." I have not been asked to respond on any issue related...

Health Services (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: That is not my problem. I have been asked to respond to a-----

Health Services (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: It is not my responsibility to select Adjournment matters or decide what matters may or may not be raised. I can only respond on behalf of a Minister to the Adjournment matter which has been selected.

Health Services (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: That is not well known to me.

Health Services (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: The overarching policy of the Government is to support older people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. Where this is not possible, the Health Service Executive supports access to quality long-term residential care where this is appropriate. In line with this overall approach, a priority of Government in recent years has been to...

Prison Accommodation (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Law Reform, Deputy Dermot Ahern. At the outset I reject the accusation that the Minister is without moral compass. Unfortunately prison overcrowding is not unique to this country. It is happening in many countries. The Minister is on record as saying before that there is no instant or quick fix solution. Rather the approach must be...

Demonstration Library Programme (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: I welcome the opportunity, on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Coughlan, to outline the up-to-date position regarding the demonstration library project that forms part of the junior certificate school programme, JCSP, literacy strategy. The JCSP has operated in schools nationally since 1996, as an intervention at junior cycle for students who, for a...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: The arrangements currently in place for school transport annual charges, namely €300 per eligible and concessionary post primary pupil, €200 for concessionary primary pupil and a maximum family charge of €650 will remain in place for the 2010/2011 school year. As the Deputy will be aware eligible primary children and children with special educational needs are currently transported...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: The Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, established the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) with statutory responsibility to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The remit of the Board was expanded in 2009 to include responsibility for the Visiting Teacher Service for Travellers (VTST), the Home School Community Liaison...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: I wish to advise the Deputy that the arrangements currently in place for school transport annual charges, namely €300 per eligible and concessionary post primary pupil, €200 for concessionary primary pupil, or a maximum family charge of €650 will remain in place for the 2010/2011 school year. Discussions on the 2011 estimates have begun and the recommendations in the McCarthy...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (3 Jun 2010)

Seán Haughey: I wish to advise the Deputy that the exceptional school transport arrangements, which heretofore have been made available to Traveller children only, have been reviewed in line with the Report and Recommendations contained in the Traveller Education Strategy published in 2006. This Strategy was finalised following a comprehensive consultative process and was overseen by a group which...