Results 3,361-3,380 of 4,869 for speaker:Seán Haughey

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (12 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme, a pupil is eligible for transport if s/he resides 4.8 kilometres or more from her/his local post primary education centre. As the pupil referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied resides less than 4.8 kilometres from the Post Primary centre in his own catchment area, he is not eligible for school transport....

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (12 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: FÁS, in addition to their own delivery of courses, already contract with other education and training providers for the provision of relevant courses. It is open to Vocational Education Committees (VECs) and the Institutes of Technology to bid for the provision of appropriate courses. VECs already provide courses on behalf of FÁS under the One Step Up initiative. Examples include the...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (12 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: My Department understands that the case referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied is being appealed to the School Transport Appeals Board. The Board is independent of my Department and it would not be appropriate for me to intervene at this stage.

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (11 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: The Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme, including catchment boundaries, is currently underway and is due to be completed before the end of this year. The Steering Committee is looking at the original objectives of the scheme, whether these objectives remain valid today, the extent to which the objectives are being achieved and whether there are possibilities for economies...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (11 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of the Section 1.4 of the primary school transport scheme a service may be continued for as long as there are four eligible children and a minimum of six fare-paying children availing of the service. Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme, on behalf of my Department, advised that the number of children availing of the service to the school referred to by the...

Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (11 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: Has the Deputy a ticket?

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (10 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme, a pupil with special needs is eligible for transport if s/he is attending the nearest recognised: mainstream school, special class / special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet the child's special educational needs under the Department's criteria. The National Council for Special Education has responsibility,...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (10 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: A vital element of the DEIS initiative is the commitment to develop and implement an in-depth programme of research and evaluation to inform policy formation and to facilitate a better understanding of the role which interventions have to play in the achievement of better outcomes for children targeted by the DEIS action plan. DEIS provides for evaluation which is formative, that is...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (10 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the action plan for educational inclusion was launched by Minister for Education and Science in 2005. The Action Plan brings together and builds upon the full range of schemes and programmes already in place in my Department to combat educational disadvantage. DEIS includes a commitment to add an additional €40million and some 300 posts...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (10 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme, a pupil with special needs is eligible for transport if s/he is attending the nearest recognised: mainstream school, special class / special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet the child's special educational needs under the Department's criteria. In this case, my Department has been advised that the pupil in...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (10 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme, a pupil with special needs will be eligible for school transport if s/he is attending the nearest recognised special class / special school or a recognised unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet the child's special educational needs under Department of Education and Science criteria. The purpose of the School Transport Scheme for...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (10 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: The school transport scheme, which is operated by Bus Éireann on my Department's behalf, is a major logistical operation that facilitates the transportation of over 125,000 children to primary and post-primary schools each day; it involves about 42 million journeys and over 82 million kilometres on 6,000 routes every school year. Given the numbers being transported, and the fact that...

Seanad: Education and Training Responses to the Economic Downturn: Statements (5 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: I very much welcome this opportunity to address the House and discuss education and training responses to the economic downturn. It is very clear to us all that as a result of global economic upheaval we are facing immense challenges not just as an economy, but as a society and a country. This is because we are not just experiencing a deep economic recession, we are also contending with a...

Seanad: Education and Training Responses to the Economic Downturn: Statements (5 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: We have had a constructive debate. I am always impressed by how constructive and co-operative Seanad debates are. They are less combative than they are in the Lower House and I thank Senators for their contributions. A number of questions were raised and I will endeavour to answer as many of them as possible. Many Senators referred to the need for co-operation between various Departments...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (5 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: The centre mentioned by the Deputy is a Senior Traveller Training Centre (STTC). The Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes recommended that STTC provision be phased out over a period of 2 - 3 years. This proposal, like other proposals made by the Special Group, is currently being considered in the context of the estimates and budget process. The...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (5 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of my Department's School Transport scheme, a pupil with special needs is eligible for school transport if s/he is attending the nearest recognised: mainstream school, special class/special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet the child's special educational needs under Department of Education and Science criteria. The National Council for Special Education...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (5 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 240 to 242, inclusive, together. Bus Éireann informed my Department that the number of tickets issued for travel on school transport services for the years 2005 to 2009 was as follows: 2005 - 135,000 2006 - 134,000 2007 - 135,000 2008 - 135,000 2009 - 125,000 The number of eligible primary and post-primary children availing of the school transport scheme on a...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (4 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: The Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) programme provides an integrated general education, vocational training and work experience programme for young people who have completed their Leaving Certificate and adults returning to education. The college referred to by the Deputy is an approved PLC centre. As an approved centre, it applies on an annual basis for approval of PLC courses it intends to...

Mortgage Arrears: Motion (Resumed) (4 Nov 2009)

Seán Haughey: The Minister for Finance may share some of my time. On behalf of the Government, I thank all the Deputies for their contributions to this debate. The provisions contained in the code of conduct on mortgage arrears still seem to be confusing to some Deputies nine months after the statutory code was introduced. The code requires a lender to wait at least six months from the time arrears first...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (21 Oct 2009)

Seán Haughey: I have outlined in previous replies to the Deputy's Parliamentary Questions that children availing of concessionary transport must make their own way to the catchment boundary. The position in this case is that a child with special needs is picked up at home in accordance with the terms of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Needs. The bus then proceeds to the next pick up...