Results 3,381-3,400 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 588 to 590, inclusive, together. Applications for teachers who wish to job share are made to their employer who is normally the Board of Management of the School in which they work or the Vocational Educational Committee. The decision to approve job-sharing applications is a matter for the authorities of the employing school and there are no additional costs...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The EU Commission proposal for a Council Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation in the supply of and access to goods and services, social benefits including social security and healthcare, social advantages and education has been examined by officials of my Department in relation to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has not withdrawn funding from the centre in question. The centre continues to be funded in line with my Department's policy for such centres. The level of funding may change from year to year depending on a number of issues including the rate of staff turnover, experience of the staff and training courses to be funded.

Written Answers — Education Programmes: Education Programmes (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: A range of flexible learning initiatives aimed at up-skilling people who are unemployed were announced as part of the Supplementary Budget in April. These include: • 1,500 new places to enable unemployed people to pursue a third level certificate of degree programme on a part-time basis. Arrangements for the operation of the programme are being developed with a view to implementation from...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Major reform in Mathematics at junior and senior cycle has begun under the Project Maths Initiative. The objective is to teach Mathematics in a way which promotes real understanding, where students can appreciate the relevance of what they are learning and its application to everyday life, and how mathematics can be used to solve problems. In addition, Technology as a new subject in senior...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Institutes of Technology are autonomous statutory bodies. Under the terms of the relevant legislation, the governance and day-to-day management of the institutions, including procedures for dealing with allegations of bullying and harassment, are matters for which the Governing Bodies and the management of the relevant institutions are responsible. As employers all of the institutes of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 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. In April the Board of Management and their design team met with officials from my School Building Unit in Tullamore to discuss Stage 2b of the project (Detailed design stage). At that meeting, my officials...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In relation to item 1, the problem being experienced with the telephone connection for the school referred to by the Deputy, the Architect for the project is currently in discussion with the various bodies and it is envisaged that the problem will resolved in the near future. With regard to Item 2, the land adjacent to the new school, this land has been levelled and seeded as agreed with the...

Written Answers — Education Centres: Education Centres (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The data that the Deputy requested is available in the following table. The funding listed is for the main budget of each of the centres as well as for local/summer courses for teachers. The budgets for 2009 are currently being finalised and are not yet available. Education Centre 2007 2008 local course budget 2007 local course budget 2008 Full Time Athlone 131,500 170,758...

Written Answers — Education Centres: Education Centres (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 600 and 601 together. All Education Support Centres are bodies corporate with perpetual succession and have a management committee to manage the business and staff of the centre. Apart from the 21 Directors who are secondees all other staff are non public servants. Their employment, pay and conditions is managed by the management committee. Apart from the 21...

Written Answers — Education Centres: Education Centres (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Internal Audit Unit of my Department is authorised by its Charter to carry out a comprehensive programme of audits in all areas of the Department and in certain bodies/organisations under its aegis including Education Centres. The audit of Education Centres is an integral part of the annual audit work programme which is approved by the Audit Committee and the Accounting Officer....

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware the Primary Professional Development Service (PPDS) is an amalgamation of the Primary Curriculum Support Programme (PCSP) and the School Development Planning Service (SDPS). This amalgamation took place in September 2008. For the purpose of comparing figures, the numbers for both the PCSP and SDPS are shown in the following table for the years 2006/2007 and 2007/2008....

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take questions 604 and 615 together. The information requested is set out in the following document. Higher Education Authority Grade Salary Band Number of Staff Assistant Secretary 158,644 1 Principal Officer (H) 97,611 – 120,385 0.8 Principal Officer 90,703 – 112,193 7.4 Assistant Principal (H) 76,506 – 95,667 3 Assistant Principal 69,659 – 86,865 12.6 HEO (H)...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In addition to the announcement of the amalgamation of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) and the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC), the Budget statement also signalled that the new organisation would take responsibility for the external quality assurance review of the universities, a function...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Within the terms of the staffing arrangements for primary schools there is provision for additional posts, referred to as developing school posts, to be assigned to schools on the basis of projected enrolments for the next school year. Under these arrangements, a developing school post may be sanctioned provisionally where the projected enrolment at 30th September of the school year in...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The correspondence submitted by the school in support of its appeal is currently being considered by my Department. This process is well advanced and it is expected that a decision will be conveyed to the school shortly.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 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 (SENO) for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. SENOs also make recommendations to my Department where assistive technology is required. My Department has no...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 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 schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. Applications for SNAs may...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available and would take an inordinate amount of time to compile. However, I can confirm that the amount spent on renting temporary accommodation including – but not limited to - prefabricated accommodation for each of the years 2004 to 2008 is as follows: 2008: €53m 2007 :€35.5m 2006: €24.5m 2005: €15.7m 2004: €11.3m It...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that an application for a resource teacher for travellers in the school referred to by the Deputy has been received in my Department. The application will be considered and the school authority will be advised of the outcome as soon as this process has been completed.