Results 3,141-3,160 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (26 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Following a joint initiative of my Department and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, three draft syllabuses in Physical Education (PE) were submitted to my Department by the Council for consideration in 2002. These consisted of revised syllabuses for PE in junior and senior cycle and a syllabus for Leaving Certificate PE as an examination subject. The revised syllabus in...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (26 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am committed to providing information in relation to the allocation of teachers to schools and as a new feature on my Department's website. The process has begun with the provision earlier this year of initial information on the allocation of mainstream classroom teachers to primary schools under the revised schedule for 2009/10. In terms of the position at individual primary school level...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: 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 both primary and post primary schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: A building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an early stage of architectural planning. A stage 2A submission for this project was recently received by my Department and is currently under consideration. My Department will revert to the school in due course when the submission has been reviewed.

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The National Educational Psychological Service currently has a staffing complement of 34 administrative and 159 psychologist staff distributed over some 22 regional and local offices nationwide. As I have previously informed the House I was pleased to announce, following the recent Budget, that I have provided an increase in the financial allocation to NEPS with a view to increasing the...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As I indicated to the Deputy in my response to Dáil Question No. 447 answered on 12th May last, I introduced a further innovation, in July of 2008 which allows those schools with an urgent and pressing need for additional accommodation which is likely to last for more than 3 years, and who are being given approval for grant aid, to avail of the option of using their grants either to purchase...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. Following a survey of over 900 schools across the country my Department has set up a database giving details regarding their use of prefabricated accommodation. The information gathered does not specify whether the accommodation in individual schools is entirely made up of temporary buildings. Separately, arrangements are being...

Written Answers — School Building Projects: School Building Projects (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the project at the school to which he refers was included in my recent announcement of 43 projects to proceed to tender and construction in 2009. A building contractor has not yet been appointed as the project is still progressing towards tender stage. The contract notice seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified contractors has been...

Written Answers — School Building Projects: School Building Projects (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has recently received the revised Stage 2B submission from the Design Team which is being examined by my Officials. Stage 2B which includes the detailed design and bill of quantities for the project is the precursor to tender stage. My Department will inform the school authorities of further progress once the Stage 2B submission has been approved.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Forward Planning Section of my Department is in the process of identifying the areas where significant additional accommodation will be required at primary and post-primary level over the coming years. Factors under consideration include population growth, demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and capacity of existing schools and the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The person in question gave intermittent substitute service which was non-pensionable up until recently. However, arising from recently introduced improvements in superannuation, it will be possible for the person to reckon the service for superannuation purposes subject to meeting certain criteria and to payment of appropriate contributions. Pending the finalisation of the detailed...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I take it that the Deputy is referring to my Department's decision to suppress a special class for pupils with a mild general learning disability (MGLD) in the school in question. I wish to assure the Deputy that there will be no pupil with a special educational need who will be without access to a special needs teacher as a result of the decision to apply the normal rules which govern the...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Combined classes are a feature of the majority of schools in the country and this arrangement has no adverse implications for the quality of the education children receive. While the staffing schedule allocates on the basis of an average number of pupils each individual school decides on how to arrange its classes. In terms of class sizes almost 80% of primary pupils were in classes of less...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the post primary school to which he refers was included in my recent announcement of 43 projects to proceed to tender and construction in 2009. A building contractor has not yet been appointed as the project is still progressing towards tender stage. The contract notice seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified contractors has been...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department received an appeal from the candidates referred to by the Deputy. The appeal was made on the grounds of a change in circumstances. My Department examined the appeal and it was determined that there was not satisfactory evidence to prove a change in circumstance which is likely to be permanent therefore the decision of the assessing authority was upheld.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: A new 16 classroom school building with a 2 classroom ASD Unit was opened in 2007 for the school referred to by the Deputy. My Department is not currently paying any rent in relation to prefabs for this school.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that the outstanding document referred to has been received from the preferred bidder and is in order. The Letter of Acceptance will issue as soon as legal title to the site has been confirmed.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: A review of payments made by my Department during the first four months of 2009, to bodies classified as being outside of the public sector, showed that approximately 84.5% of payments were made within 15 days from the date of receipt of a valid invoice from a supplier, 12.5% of payments were made between 15 and 30 days while just under 3.0% of payments were made after 30 days. My Department...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers to is at an early stage of architectural planning. The school's application for Major Capital Grant Aid has been assessed in accordance with the prioritisation criteria agreed by the education partners, and has been assigned a Band rating of 2.1. My Department received a Stage 1/2 submission (Site Suitability, Site Report and Initial Sketch Scheme) last...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (21 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Under the terms of the maintenance grant schemes, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, means and previous academic attainment. The decision on eligibility for a higher education grant is a matter for the relevant local authority or VEC as appropriate. The Nationality requirement as...