Results 4,041-4,060 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 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 — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The development of a building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an early stage. A technical inspection will be arranged in due course and consistent with the priority attaching to the project. Thereafter, the further progression of the project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will, as with all large scale capital projects, be considered in the...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (4 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The members of the Appeal Board are: Dr. Tom McCarthy, Chairperson, Mr. Frank Davis, Ms. Monica Healy, Ms. Mairead McGowan and Mr. Sean Nolan. The information which the Deputy requested in relation to the number of appeals considered by the Appeal Board over the past five years is as follows. It is open to the Board of Management to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The tendering process for the awarding of building contracts is under way for the school building projects to which the Deputy refers. No contracts have yet been signed so it would not be appropriate for me to comment further with regard to companies involved. I can say that, subject to the necessary technical and financial approvals, contracts will be placed with the preferred bidders as...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The development of a building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an early stage. 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 Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing...

Written Answers — Third Level Institutions: Third Level Institutions (4 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In answer to the Deputy's previous Parliamentary Question of 24 February I replied that my Department was reviewing the position with TCD to ensure that the remuneration levels of the relevant staff were regularised and in full compliance with the recommendations outlined in Report No 42 of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration.

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The decision on eligibility for student maintenance grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority, either the local authority or VEC, as appropriate. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department, except in exceptional circumstances. In order to establish the candidate's status as an independent mature student, documentary evidence is required as proof of a...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that County Dublin VEC has agreed to dispose of a site to my Department under the terms of a 99 year lease. The Department is waiting the legal documents in relation to same from the VEC. In light of current competing demands on the capital budget of my Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that a new Community College is under construction in Adamstown, which will cater for 1,000 pupils. This school building is planned to come on stream in 2009 and will operate under the patronage of County Dublin VEC. Based on current demographic trends, my Department anticipates that there will be a need for a further post-primary school in Lucan in the medium...

Written Answers — National Lottery Funding: National Lottery Funding (3 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 424 and 430 together. My Department provides a grant to the school referred to by the Deputy from National Lottery Funding allocated to support cultural organisations. This grant contributes to general expenses rather than for specific costs, such as staff costs. Details of funding provided to the School over the past five years are as follows: â'¬...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy has been previously advised, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has confirmed that the pupil in question has access to a full-time shared special needs assistant (SNA). The NCSE considers that this level of SNA support is sufficient to meet the pupil's care needs. The management and deployment of this support is a matter for the school authorities. All schools...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (3 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 426 and 466 together. The Department wrote to South Dublin County Council attaching correspondence it had received from the OPW regarding one of the sites in question. The Local Authority has responded indicating its views in relation to a proposed location and this is now under consideration. Due to the commercial sensitivities attaching to site...

Written Answers — Schools Delegation: Schools Delegation (3 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I have already received a request from Deputy Dooley to meet the school referred to by the Deputy. Due to other diary commitments, I will not be in a position to meet with delegations for several weeks but I will consider the request on hand in the coming months.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (3 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school referred to by the Deputy and the adjacent boys' school applied to my Department for funding under the emergency works scheme in relation to the works in question. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department approved a grant for these works last January and the schools were informed accordingly.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (3 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to inform the Deputy that the closing date for receipt of tenders for the construction of a school at Kill, Co Kildare, is 9 March, 2009. It is expected that, subject to the necessary technical and financial approvals, this project will proceed to construction in the second quarter of 2009.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (3 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The average annual rental cost of a temporary-prefabricated classroom works out at €15,428. As the Deputy will appreciate, the cost per unit will vary significantly depending on the size, type and age of each unit. The amount spent on the rental of temporary accommodation for 2008 was almost €53m. My Department provides grant aid towards the provision of temporary school accommodation...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (3 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect education while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure could not be totally spared. The various impacts at school level were included in...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (3 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can inform the Deputy that the decentralisation of 88 posts in my Department to Athlone was completed in Summer 2008.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (3 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 436 and 450 together. I have consistently said that the 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect education while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure...