Results 3,101-3,120 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan
- Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: The pension awarded to the person in question is payable under the Colleges of Education Pension Scheme which is administered by the College in question. Under that particular scheme there is provision for abatement of pension where a person following retirement takes up certain public service employment. Under the abatement rules pension is reduced where the aggregate of the new pay...
- Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 896, 913 and 917 together. I indicated my own view of the desirability of sending a clear signal to our second level students about the introduction of CAO bonus points for achievement in Leaving Certificate mathematics at higher level. The Report of the Task Force on Innovation recommends that bonus points be announced now for implementation in 2012 so...
- Written Answers — Taskforce on Innovation: Taskforce on Innovation (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy is aware, the Report of the Innovation Taskforce was launched in the Science Gallery, Trinity College on 11 March. The Report which provides a roadmap for one of the five Action Areas in the Smart Economy Framework and complements the progress which has already been made on other aspects of the strategy. Specifically, it endorses the Government's vision for Ireland as a...
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: Under the terms of my Department's higher education grants schemes, an approved course means, inter alia, a full-time undergraduate course of not less that two years duration pursued in an approved third level institution. Access/foundation courses are not approved courses under the terms and conditions of the maintenance grant schemes or the free fees initiative. Therefore, students...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (20 Apr 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 (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. All...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers recently applied to my Department for an additional classroom. This application is currently being assessed and the school will be notified of the outcome of this process in due course. As the Deputy will be aware, on 16 February my predecessor announced details of 51 major school building projects that will appoint design teams...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has published its Report on the Review of special needs assistant (SNA) Allocation to Schools April 2009 â March 2010 on its website www.ncse.ie. A copy is set out below for the Deputy's information. A small number of schools remain to be reviewed and the NCSE has indicated that these will be reviewed...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy is aware, the school to which he refers has made an application to my Department for Major Capital funding for an extension including ancillary accommodation. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a Band 2 rating. Information in respect of the current school building...
- Written Answers — School Management: School Management (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: I am pleased to be able to confirm to the Deputy that the current trustees of the school to which he refers have agreed in principle to lease the existing premises to the Department. The terms of this lease are currently being discussed. A new patron has also been identified for the school and the process of appointing the new patron is under way at present. I understand that the current...
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: The eligibility requirements for student grants, including those relating to nationality, are set out annually in the relevant grant schemes drawn up by my Department. Under the terms of the Higher Education Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those which relate to nationality, residency, means and previous academic...
- Written Answers — Departmental Equipment: Departmental Equipment (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: The number of personal computers and laptops currently deployed within my Department is as follows: Personal computers : 1627 Laptops : 384 With regard to the agencies under the aegis of my Department, each agency is responsible for its own Information Technology services and the number of personal computers and laptops deployed in each agency is therefore a matter for the individual...
- Written Answers — Departmental Equipment: Departmental Equipment (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: The information requested by the Deputy in relation to my Department is set out in the following table. The number of photocopier, laser printers, inkjet printers and multifunctional devices currently deployed within the Department of Education & Science are set out below. Photocopiers, laser printers, inkjet printers and multifunctional devices currently deployed by the Department of...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: The following is the total spend by my Department on printer related consumables for the years mentioned: 2006 â¬160,024.48 2007 â¬126,772.09 2008 â¬116,594.85 2009 â¬124,207.84 2010 â¬21,932.25 With regard to the agencies under the aegis of my Department, each agency is responsible for its own Information Technology services and the expenditure on printer consumables in each agency...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: The number of reams of photocopying paper purchased by my Department for the years 2006 to 2009 and to date in 2010 is set out in the following table. As the Department's records do not provide for the precise breakdown of information as requested by the Deputy, the figures represent the overall totals for A4 and A3 paper and for both recycled and non-recycled paper. The number of reams of...
- Written Answers — School Services Staff: School Services Staff (20 Apr 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 (SENO) for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The allocation for...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: From 1 January 2010, all new building projects, including those for schools, must obtain a Disability Access Certificate from the relevant Local Authority. The Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 351 of 2009) prescribe the procedures to be followed in respect of these new certification measures. The basis for developing the Disability Access Certificate documentation is...
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 915 and 916 together. While the Forward Planning Section of the Department has detailed information on projected school going population, in order to inform decisions on what accommodation will be required in future years, it is necessary to know what capacity is available in the existing school accommodation stock. In this regard, work on the development of...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: The key factor for determining the level of resources provided by my Department at individual school level for any school year is the pupil enrolment at the previous 30 September. The enrolment is applied to a staffing schedule which issues annually from my Department. The information requested by the Deputy is provided in the annual census of primary schools. The census for the current...
- Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: The Government approved the scheme of the Education (Patronage) Bill 2009 on 23rd June 2009. Drafting of the legislation has now been completed and it is expected that the Bill will be published during the current session. Pending enactment of the necessary legislation to provide for VEC patronage at primary level, I as Minister for Education and Science, am acting as patron of the pilot...
- Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (20 Apr 2010)
Mary Coughlan: The Deputy will be aware that a number of amendments to the Student Support Bill in relation to legal and policy issues which have arisen since Second Stage are being advanced by my Department in close consultation with the Office of the Attorney General. In light of the commitment to put the grants on a statutory footing, I am anxious to provide a statutory basis for all student grants,...