Results 2,241-2,260 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

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

Mary Coughlan: Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a mandatory programme for junior cycle since September 2003. In addition, all schools are required to have an RSE programme at senior cycle. Schools are currently supported in the implementation of RSE by the SPHE and RSE Support Services which are provided in collaboration with the health sector. The supports available to schools include...

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

Mary Coughlan: When the moratorium was introduced the Government exempted Principal and Deputy Principal appointments in all primary and post-primary schools and these continue to be replaced in the normal manner. The impact of the moratorium is therefore limited to the Assistant Principal and Special Duties allowances payable to teachers on promotion. I am conscious that the impact of the moratorium on...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I understand that there are 151 persons currently in line to take up training courses delivered through FÁS in North Tipperary. Training courses held in North Tipperary are delivered by contracted trainers and are operated subject to demand. Waiting times for courses vary depending on the nature of the training provided. The Live Register figures for the North Tipperary area since November...

Written Answers — Equal Opportunities Employment: Equal Opportunities Employment (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: Under the Government's mainstreaming policy a range of schemes and grants are provided by FÁS to assist people with disabilities, including graduates, to promote their employment prospects in the open labour market. In this regard the recently launched FÁS Work Placement Programme is open to all unemployed people, including graduates with disabilities. The programme provides the...

Written Answers — Equal Opportunities Employment: Equal Opportunities Employment (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: Responsibility for FÁS and all of its functions in regard to employment services, community programmes, skills and training programmes have recently been transferred to my Department under the transfer of functions between Government Departments announced by an Taoiseach in March, 2010. Subject to the enactment of legislation, it is intended that responsibility for employment services and...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: In November 2004 the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment announced a policy change to the Job Initiative Programme that provided for contracts to be renewed for participants who wished to remain on the scheme thus removing the requirement for participants to leave. This policy change brought about an amendment to the rules regarding redundancy payments and allowed for the payment...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The Taoiseach and relevant Ministers, including myself, met with representatives of the religious Congregations that were party to the 2002 Indemnity Agreement, on 15th April. The context of the meeting was their responses to the call for further substantial contributions following the publication of the Ryan Report and the Report of the Independent Panel appointed by the Government to...

Written Answers — Labour Market Activation Fund: Labour Market Activation Fund (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: Following an open tender competition in which 370 tenders were received, I announced on Tuesday details of Activation Fund support for 26 different organisations across the private, not-for-profit and public sectors for 6,500 additional training and education places in programmes for priority groups of the unemployed. These programmes will be coming on stream from this month onwards.

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I am aware of the case referred to by the Deputy. It has clearly been a very tragic and difficult period for the family in question. Section 23 of the Education Welfare Act 2000 requires all schools to have in place a Code of Behaviour. The Act further requires that such a code be prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the National Education Welfare Board (NEWB). These guidelines...

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

Mary Coughlan: The Forward Planning Section of my Department is in the process of carrying out a detailed analysis of over 40 locations of highest population growth in order to identify the school accommodation requirements up to and including the school year 2014/2015. When the required reports have been completed for these initial areas selected the Forward Planning Section will continue to work on...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department is mindful of the need to keep all costs in respect of the change in title of my Department to a minimum. Many of the changes required have already been effected and a table of costings is currently being compiled. Information in relation to all relevant costs will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band 2.4 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the project to which the Deputy refers was included in the announcement on 16 February of projects progressing to tender and construction. The project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. A Stage 2b submission was received in my Department in May 2010 and comments issued to the VEC earlier this week requiring some revisions to the tender...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 169 and 168 together. I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band 2.1 rating. Information in respect of the current...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band 3.1 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed...

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

Mary Coughlan: My Department publishes extensive statistical information on its website in relation to schools. This includes information relating to teacher allocations at primary and post-primary level published for the 2009/10 school year. The Deputy will be aware that teacher allocations to schools typically increase or decrease depending on pupil enrolment. In terms of the position at individual...

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

Mary Coughlan: 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 operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. I have arranged for the details...

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

Mary Coughlan: It is open to any Board of Management to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeal Board. Details of the criteria for appeal are contained in the staffing schedule, Circular 0021/2010 which is available on my Department's website. I understand that the school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeal Board. The school will be...

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

Mary Coughlan: Advice on prescribed material for the Junior and Leaving Cert exams is submitted to my Department by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. No texts are prescribed for study by students preparing for Junior Certificate English. The syllabus allows for an open course, in which teachers are free to choose a range of texts which they consider appropriate for their students....

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 175, 177, 183, 185, 188 and 191 together. I can confirm that the schools to which the Deputy refers have made applications to my Department for large scale funding. The applications have been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale capital projects and assigned an appropriate band rating. Information in respect of...