Results 3,721-3,740 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The budget measures will impact on individual schools in different ways depending on whether enrolment is rising or declining and the degree to which any one school has more teachers than it is entitled to under the allocation processes. In terms of the position at individual school level the key factor for determining the level of resources provided by my Department is the pupil enrolment...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Teacher allocations to all second-level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. In accordance with these rules each school is required to organise its subject options within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The employment and deployment of teaching staff, the range of subjects offered and ultimately...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 435 and 524 together. At the outset I wish to clarify for the Deputies 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 appointment and retention of teachers of special classes for pupils with a mild general learning...

Written Answers — Home Tuition: Home Tuition (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Home Tuition support may be provided, on application, as a temporary interim measure, for pupils who do not have a school placement or are unable to secure a school place. Nine hours per week of Home Tuition support has been sanctioned and is currently being provided in respect of the child concerned. The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is the statutory agency which can assist...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The process of reviewing the criteria for the 2009 maintenance grant schemes is a priority for my Department at present. Decisions on the 2009 schemes will be announced as soon as the process is completed.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The stages of architectural planning referred to by the Deputy arise from my Department's design team procedures for the procurement of major capital projects. These are necessary to comply with Department of Finance guidelines which require that capital projects be fully designed prior to going to tender. They also ensure proper cost management of capital projects and facilitate compliance...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the school to which he refers was included in my announcement on 12 February of forty three major school building projects which are to progress to tender and construction this year. Representatives from the board of management and the school's design team attended a briefing in my Department's offices in Tullamore on 26 March at which they were appraised of the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received an application for a resource room, a learning support room, a general purpose room and a storage area from the school to which he refers. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved to open with temporary recognition in September 2007. My Department understands, however, that the school authority has not been able to secure appropriate accommodation for the proposed school and accordingly no date has been confirmed for its opening.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Applications submitted for the Summer Works Scheme in 2008, including one from the school in question, are currently being assessed for summer 2009 and the school authority will be notified of the outcome of this assessment in due course.

Written Answers — Legal Proceedings: Legal Proceedings (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department, in consultation with the Department of Finance, is currently considering the implementation of the Labour Court determination in this case, including any wider implications of the determination. I hope to be in a position to finalise this consideration shortly.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. Decisions were made in order to control expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long term. In this respect my Department, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be entirely spared, and I acknowledge the impact of funding restrictions in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers was originally tendered in 2007. This project was one of 43 projects I announced on 12 February to go to tender and construction in 2009. For this project to go to construction it now needs to be re-tendered under the new Department of Finance form of contract for public capital projects. The total expenditure on this project to date for fees and other...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 447 to 521, inclusive, together. I have asked my Department to compile details of the information sought by the Deputy in relation to the schools in question. I will forward this information to the Deputy in due course.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The proposed building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is currently awaiting the appointment of a Design Team. The Deputy will be aware that on 12th February, I announced details of 25 high priority projects to commence architectural planning. The project for the school in question was not included in this announcement. Therefore, it is not anticipated that it will be...

Written Answers — School Management: School Management (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Due to diary commitments, I will not be in a position to meet with delegations at the moment but I will consider the request on hands in the coming months.

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: It is a matter for each school's Board of Management to have an enrolment policy and to then operate that policy in a fair and consistent manner having regard to the overall physical capacity of a school. Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, provides parents with an appeal process where a Board of Management of a school or a person acting on behalf of the Board refuses enrolment to a...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Department is in receipt of an application for major capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. Officials from my Department recently met with a representative of the school to discuss its accommodation needs and is aware that the school has secured a four acre site for the provision of a new school. The school were advised that the Forward Planning Section of my...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school's application for Major Capital Grant Aid has been assessed in accordance with the prioritisation criteria, and has been assigned a Band rating of 2.1. The Department approved funding for the purchase of an 80 sq m classroom for the school on its existing site in 2007. Emergency funding was granted to the school in December 2008 for ceiling repairs. The Department is aware of the...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school's application for Major Capital Grant Aid has been assessed in accordance with the prioritisation criteria, and has been assigned a Band rating of 2.4. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and...