Results 3,741-3,760 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The major capital project for the School to which the Deputy refers has been assigned the highest priority band rating of 1. A design team has been appointed and the project is currently at Stage 1 — preliminary design and sketch scheme. The project will be allowed to proceed up to Stage 2a i.e. developed sketch scheme. The progression of all large scale building projects from initial...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has been aware of a need for further post primary provision in the Dublin 15 area and in that context, I sanctioned the establishment of a new post primary school for the area last year. The new school will be called Luttrellstown Community College and the Patron is County Dublin VEC. My Department is working closely with Co. Dublin VEC to open the new school in September 2009...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Mar 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. Applications for SNAs may be considered by the NCSE where a pupil has a significant medical need for...

Written Answers — Multi-Denominational Schools: Multi-Denominational Schools (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: A Notification of Intention to apply for recognition of a new primary school in the Tallaght/Firhouse area has been received from the Patron Body for Educate Together. I have recently announced a review of the procedures for the establishment of new primary schools under the Commission on School Accommodation. It is expected that the review of procedures for recognising primary schools will...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: I met with representatives of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland on 10 March. This was a historic meeting and was the first time that members of the Orange Order had sent a delegation to discuss an educational issue within this state. I briefed the representatives on funding arrangements for Protestant schools and the background to the decision in the October budget to remove ancillary grants...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, individual Ministers do not borrow funds for projects. My Department operates within the funding voted to it by the Oireachtas. The borrowing of exchequer funds is managed by the Minister for Finance and the National Treasury Management Agency.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The statutory framework for the maintenance grants scheme, as set out in the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1969 to 1992, provides for means-tested higher education grants in order to assist students to attend full-time third level education. Clause 1, 1.1 of the Higher Education Grants Scheme defines an approved course as a full-time undergraduate course of not less than...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: Applications submitted for the deferred 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 — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is of the view that it is necessary to transfer a portion of land from the Community School to the neighbouring gaelscoil for a school building project. To this end my officials have liaised with the CSSO on the matter. My Department will be formally seeking the views of the Community School Trustees to the proposal before formally instructing the CSSO to execute the transfer.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am pleased to confirm that my Department has recently provided funds to the Galway City Vocational Education Committee to enable them to close the sale on the site for the school mentioned by the Deputy. This school is included in my Department's PPP school building programme and the make up and timing of further school bundles from this programme will be determined by my Department in...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 68 together. My Department is responsible for the operation of the largest and probably the most complex payrolls in the country. There are approximately 84,000 personnel being paid on a fortnightly basis on these payrolls. These include teachers and special needs assistants employed in primary, secondary and Community/Comprehensive schools. The...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I would like to reassure the Deputy 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 disability (MGLD). Teacher allocations to schools typically increase or...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: There has been ongoing engagement and discussion with the relevant education partners involving me and/or my senior officials concerning general education matters and specific budgetary matters, since the budget announcements last October. To be clear there is no doubt that the budget measures concerning staffing will have an impact. There is simply no easy way to control or reduce public...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware, I am currently finalising a review of policy options relating to the introduction of a form of student contribution for third level fees. There are many complex and competing considerations including costs, affordability and means testing arrangements that will fall to be taken into account by the Government in considering the available options. It is my intention to...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: A total of 25 new primary schools and two new post-primary schools were recognised by my Department in 2008, and it is proposed to recognise a further two schools at post-primary level in 2009. I should explain that a full review of the criteria and procedures for the recognition and establishment of new primary schools is currently being undertaken by the Commission on School Accommodation....

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As indicated in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 524 on 10 March 2009, my Department provides grant aid towards the provision of temporary school accommodation to the management authorities of education providers where it is established that a need for such temporary accommodation exists. School authorities are not barred from taking out mortgages to build accommodation. However,...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 230 together. The demand for additional accommodation in schools has risen significantly over the last number of years, with the appointment of 6,000 extra teachers in the primary sector alone since 2002. In considering the need to provide extra resource and other teachers to schools in recent years, the Government could have decided to make children...

Written Answers — Student Councils: Student Councils (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Education Act, 1998 provides for the establishment of student councils, intending them to play an integral and important role in the post-primary school community. Student councils provide a representative structure through which students can debate issues of concern and undertake initiatives of benefit to the school and the wider community. Section 27 of the Education Act, 1998 provides...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54, 55 and 78 together. As the Deputies are aware, I am currently finalising a review of policy options relating to the introduction of a form of student contribution. To assist in its examination of the available options, my Department's review group met with an Australian expert who was involved in the implementation of the Australian income contingent loan...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (25 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...