Results 3,221-3,240 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The OECD PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2006 survey of 15 years olds across 57 countries showed that Ireland's mean score in mathematics was not significantly different from the OECD average. We ranked 16th of 30 OECD countries and 22nd of 57 countries. There were fewer lower achievers and higher achievers than the OECD average, with the majority of pupils scoring...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Central Statistics Office is one of the key bodies that my Department liaises with in relation to demographic trends in order to establish future enrolments. The Forward Planning Section of my Department is currently in the process of identifying the areas where significant additional accommodation will be required at primary and post-primary level for future school years. Factors...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I was pleased to announce on 7th May last my Summer Works Scheme for this year. €80m has been allocated to the Scheme which will enable 967 schools, primary and post-primary, to carry out much needed works to their school buildings on a devolved basis. A key principle behind the devolution of this Scheme is that responsibility for the management of the project is devolved to the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to clarify for the Deputy that no special classes for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder have closed as a result of the 2005 Evaluation of Special Classes for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder (SSLD) report. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I have arranged for the information sought to be forwarded directly to the Deputy by my Department.

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The new community national schools acknowledge and respect the diversity of values, beliefs, languages and traditions in Irish society and operate in a spirit of partnership between patron, teachers, students, parents and the wider community served by the school. They aim at all times to provide a caring, happy and secure atmosphere where the intellectual, spiritual, physical, moral and...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The current position in relation to the Student Support Bill is that a number of amendments are currently being considered arising from a review of the Student Support Bill following the Second Stage debate and further consultations since publication. A number of legal issues have arisen in the course of preparation of the legislation which requires further advice and clarification. A...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for a new school building under the Small Schools Scheme 2007. The application was unsuccessful at that time. The main emphasis of the School Building and Modernisation programme for the foreseeable future will be on the delivery of large scale projects to provide additionality, particularly in rapidly developing areas, where...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department provides funding to primary and post-primary schools by way of per capita grants, which affords schools considerable flexibility in the use of these resources to cater for the needs of their pupils. The standard rate of capitation grant at primary level increased by €21 in the October budget to €200 per pupil, backdated to 1 September, 2008. This represents an increase...

Written Answers — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that, in relation to my Department, the only such body currently sitting is the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, which was formally established in May 2000, under the terms of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Act, 2000. Under the terms of this legislation, the Commission is entirely independent in the performance of its functions. In terms of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The new post primary school project for Gorey, County Wexford is included in the list of seven schools which I approved for inclusion in the 3rd Bundle of schools to be procured via Public Private Partnership in December 2008. This Bundle is in the pre procurement stage. Detailed output specifications and Public Sector Benchmark are being prepared and outline local authority planning...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As an exceptional measure, my Department allowed particular pupils outside the catchment area of the post primary school to which the Deputy refers to enrol in the school over recent years because these pupils had a reasonable expectation that they would be enrolling in the school and did not have sufficient notice to secure an alternative placement within their own catchment area. The...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Following a fire at the school to which the Deputy refers, the insurance proceeds were used by the management authority for the installation and rental of a significant amount of temporary accommodation, re-instatement works and for the upgrading of external areas. The temporary accommodation in question is of a very high quality and has a long life span. Consequently the Department purchased...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for co-ordinating special needs education provision at local and national level and arranging for the delivery of special education services. I understand that the school referred to by the Deputy has been in contact with my Department...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The number of permanent teaching posts available in VEC schemes at any one time is determined in accordance with the agreed criteria relating to the application of the pupil teacher ratio. It is a matter for the individual VEC scheme, as employer, to determine whether any particular post when vacated may be filled on a permanent basis. The number of permanent wholetime appointments in each...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information recorded on the database for secondary and community / comprehensive schools indicates that there were 14,870 appointments to permanent posts in the 2000/2001 school year in Secondary and Community/ Comprehensive schools. In recent years the school managerial authorities have awarded contracts of indefinite duration to whole time and regular part-time teachers employed in...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the allocation to each individual VEC and non-VEC secondary school over the past ten years is not readily available within my Department and would involve an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. However, I am committed to providing information in relation to the allocation of teachers to schools as a new feature on my...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations including organising the holding of examinations and determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted including the supervision of examinations. I can inform the Deputy that the Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In light of the recent economic downturn the Government has had to make a number of difficult and challenging decisions in Budget 2009, which have seen a number of spending cuts across the Education sector. Regrettably, it is not possible for my Department to consider supporting any new projects at this time.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In order to be assessed as an independent mature candidate, the candidate must provide the relevant assessing authority with adequate proof of independent residence from 1st October preceding their entry to an approved course. In the case of the candidate referred to by the Deputy this is 1st October 2006. The new documentation referred to by the Deputy has been considered in this case. As...