Results 3,141-3,160 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I can confirm the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for major capital funding. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and has been assigned a Band 1 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for major...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department is currently assessing applications from schools for additional accommodation including an application from the school in question. The Board of Management will be notified when a decision has been taken in this matter.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: It is envisaged that the project to which the Deputy refers will be completed towards the end of 2010.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: A proposal has been submitted to the Department by the authority of the school to which the Deputy refers to meet its long term accommodation needs. Further to a meeting with the then Minister for Education and Science, additional details were subsequently submitted by the school to the Department and these are now under consideration. The Department will be in contact with the school...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) assumed responsibility for the operation of the State Certificate Examinations from the Department of Education and Science from 2003 onwards. The Commission is responsible for the operation of all aspects of the Established Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, Leaving Certificate Applied and Junior Certificate Examinations...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The information requested by the Deputy is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to him shortly.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department approves the annual intake of students to the initial teacher education programmes in the Colleges of Education. The numbers approved for the intake to the Bachelor of Education course commencing in 2009 was 1000. In addition, 200 places were approved on the 18 month post-graduate course commencing in February 2010. Depending on the College of Education there are various...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received an application from the school to which he refers for large scale capital funding. 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 programme along with all assessed...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the relevant assessing authority, i.e. the applicant's local authority or VEC. An applicant may appeal the decision to the relevant local authority or VEC. Where the assessing authority decides to reject the appeal, the applicant may appeal this decision to my Department by submitting an appeal form...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (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 schools...

Written Answers — School Patronage: School Patronage (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department had discussions on this matter with senior representatives of the Catholic Church. The Catholic School Patrons and my Department agreed that it was essential to engage in planning for change. In order to advance the matter, my Department agreed that it would explore the range of issues involved by identifying specific geographical areas where a change of patronage might be...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The Higher Education Grants Scheme operates under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992. Under the scheme, an approved course is defined as a full-time undergraduate course of at least two years duration or a full-time postgraduate course of not less than one year duration pursued in an approved institution. There are no plans at present to extend the scope of...

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 — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students. These are the Higher Education Grants Scheme, the Vocational Education Committees' Scholarships Scheme, the Third Level Maintenance Grants Scheme for Trainees and the Maintenance Grants Scheme for Students attending Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) Courses. The Higher Education Grant Scheme is...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The Deputy will be aware that the current difficult economic circumstances have necessitated tough choices to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In these circumstances, from September 2010, as announced in the Budget, all new applicants who are in receipt of the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA), and the VTOS allowances for those pursuing PLC courses,...

Written Answers — Fuel Charges: Fuel Charges (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department has sought clarification from the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in relation to the issue in question and has been informed that the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is the independent body responsible for the regulation of Bord Gáis BG) Energy's tariffs and pricing structures from small domestic customers to large industrial sites. Under the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: In connection with Saint Patrick's Day, 2010, my predecessor as Minister for Education and Science, Minister O'Keeffe travelled to Japan/Korea on a working visit from the 10th to 18th March accompanied by three persons in the party to promote bilateral and trade relations. A new element of this year's traditional overseas visits for St Patrick's Day was the Government's focus on strengthening...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an early stage of architectural planning. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction is dependent on the prioritisation of competing demands on the funding available under my Department's capital budget. The proposed building project will...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The process of assessing eligibility for third level or further education grants is a matter for the relevant local authority or VEC. The average waiting time for the processing of grant applications varies between the 66 awarding bodies depending on a number of variables including the volume of applications received, staffing resources and whether or not properly completed application forms...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Apr 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The information requested by the Deputy is set out below and provides the number of new applications which are awaiting decisions as at 5th March 2010. This information has been supplied to my Department by the local authorities. As at the 5th March 2010 there were 1,879 new applications awaiting decisions of which 1,865 had documentation outstanding and 14 had yet to be processed. It is...