Results 4,001-4,020 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: To date, 17 of the schools referred to by the Deputy have gone to tender and construction. A further 10 schools have recently been approved to proceed to tender and construction. The remaining 9 schools are all at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Details in respect of the schools are included in the schedule set out below. County Roll No. Name and Address of School Project...

Written Answers — Legal Proceedings: Legal Proceedings (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that, in relation to cases taken against my Department by persons who were abused whilst pupils in day schools, the State's position is that it should not have been sued because the Minister for Education & Science has no direct involvement in the daily running of a school. The manager of a school is directly responsible for the day-to-day operation and...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 531 and 532 together. My Department has a strong record in developing low energy educational buildings. For the past eight years my Department has been using a process called the DART approach to develop sustainable and energy efficiency in educational buildings. This acronym focuses on four key areas, namely; Design, Awareness, Research, and Technology. The...

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I have received a request to meet a delegation from the school referred to by the Deputy. That request is currently receiving consideration and officials from my office will be in contact with the school in due course.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Forward Planning Section of my Department is in the process of identifying the areas where significant additional accommodation will be needed at primary and post-primary level for 2009 and onwards. Factors under consideration include population growth, demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 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 to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. Parents may also...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: 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. In this case, it is of concern that school authorities enrolled pupils with a severe/profound general...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In accordance with existing arrangements, where a school management authority is unable to meet its curricular commitments within its approved allocation, my Department considers applications for additional short term support i.e. curricular concessions. This concession is available as a short term support to enable essential curricular provision to continue. The allocation processes also...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can inform the Deputy that my Department is due to decentralise in full to Mullingar. Post decentralisation, the Department's presence in Dublin will consist of support staff for the Ministers' and senior officials when they are required to be in Dublin, members of the Inspectorate and NEPS assigned to work with Dublin schools along with a small element of administrative support and the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 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 teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special educational needs. The responsibility also includes identifying appropriate educational placements for individual children with...

Written Answers — School Ownership: School Ownership (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 544 to 546, inclusive, together. There are in excess of 3,200 primary schools in the country, most of which are not owned by the State. As the Deputy will be aware, I recently forwarded to him a list of those primary school properties which are owned by the State. The balance of such properties are owned by diocesan trustees of various religions or by...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to clarify, for the Deputy's information, that my Department has not made any announcement in relation to cutbacks in the number of SNAs. There has been no change in the criteria governing the appointment of SNAs. 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...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In January I announced 10 major school building projects which are to re-tender and to proceed to construction in 2009. The school referred to by the Deputy was part of this announcement. The project is to be re-tendered under the new form of contracts for public capital projects to get better value for money. The school authorities have been advised to start the re-tendering process so...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Consultants in question were appointed following a competitive tendering process to carry out an independent review of my Department's rental policy. An overall fee for the review has been set but no payment has been made to-date. The Consultants accepted the commission by letter dated 8th October 2008. Officials from my Department met with the consultants in November 2008 and again in...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 552 to 554, inclusive, together. The information sought by the Deputy in relation to the years 1998 to 2007 is not readily available; however, I can say that the total amount spent on renting temporary classrooms for primary schools in Co. Tipperary for 2008 was €655,909.86. There were no rental costs in 2008 in relation to post-primary schools. The Deputy...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is currently compiling the information and it will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested is not readily available at this point in time. However, I will arrange for the information to be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: There are currently three fully qualified accountants employed by my Department, two chartered accountants and one chartered management accountant. Specialist accounting support is provided to assist the Department in areas such as the Finance Unit, financial returns from schools and third level institutions and adhering to Government Accounting Procedures.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for a building project. I met with a deputation from the school in December when they outlined proposals to overcome the difficulties which had arisen in obtaining planning permission for the extension and refurbishment of the existing school. My Department will consider how best to address...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (10 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Dublin Institute of Technology is an autonomous statutory body established under the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006. Under the terms of these Acts, the governance and day-to-day management of the Institute, including its organisational structures, are matters for which the Governing Body and the management authorities of the Institute are responsible. I understand that over the...