Results 4,121-4,140 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — International Education Programmes: International Education Programmes (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Officials from my Department are engaged in discussions with the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) to put in place arrangements for the Authority to assume responsibility in this area. It is intended that maintenance of the Internationalisation Register, a function currently undertaken by my Department, will be handed over before the end of 2009. In doing this, the NQAI...

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy refers to the new regime for admission to medicine in the universities which came into operation this year. To be eligible to study medicine one must now attain a minimum of 480 points in the Leaving Certificate and sit a special admissions test. A combination of the Leaving Certificate CAO points and the marks in the admission test determine one's placing in the competition....

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54, 60 and 61 together. The issue of the re-introduction of third level fees, to which the Deputies refer, should be viewed in the context of the wider funding of higher education. The Government is investing unprecedented levels of public funding in higher education. In 2009 some €2 billion is being invested in our third level sector. In contributing to the...

Written Answers — Scéimeanna Tógála Scoile: Scéimeanna Tógála Scoile (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Cuireann mo Roinn i bhfeidhm critéir foilsithe tosaíochta do leithdháileadh maoinithe caipitil chun freastal ar na héilimh iomadúla éagsúla ar a buiséad caipitil. Cuirtear ar aghaidh tionscadail caipitil do na scoileanna uile, Gaelscoileanna san áireamh, de réir na gcritéar tosaíochta seo. Tá infheistíocht shuntasach déanta i bhfoirgnimh nua agus agus i dtionscadail sínte ar...

Written Answers — Transition Year Programme: Transition Year Programme (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Every year my Department invites all second level schools to participate in the Transition Year Programme. Circular 0064/2008 invited applications from schools for the 2008/2009 school year. Transition Year is optional for each school and a minority of schools do not offer Transition Year at all. In others it may be available as an optional programme for some pupils. Some schools, in...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The management bodies of post-primary and primary schools made proposals to me in December regarding aspects of the arrangements for supervision and substitution and related matters where savings and efficiencies could be made. These included the identification by the post-primary management bodies of annual savings of €16 million on substitution costs and how these savings can be made...

Written Answers — Aitheantais Scoile: Aitheantais Scoile (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Mar is eol gan dabht don Teachta, bhunaigh mé le déanaí Meitheal Oibre Teicniúil faoin gCoimisiún um Chóiríocht Scoileanna chun tabhairt faoi athbhreithniú iomlán ar na critéir agus na nósanna imeachta i gcomhair aithint bunscoileanna nua, ina measc Gaelscoileanna. Tá an Meitheal Oibre tar éis tosú ar a chuid oibre agus táthar ag súil go mbeidh an t-athbhreithniú ar na...

Written Answers — Student Support Schemes: Student Support Schemes (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Under the terms of my Department's Third Level Maintenance Grant Schemes (which are administered on behalf of the Department by the Local Authorities and the Vocational Education Committees) the position is that students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible to be considered for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to residence, means, nationality...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Forward Planning Section of my Department is currently identifying the areas throughout the country where significant additional accommodation will be needed at primary and post-primary level in the medium to long term. This process will include an examination of the area where the school to which the Deputy refers is located. Factors under consideration include population growth,...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware, my Department has taken a decision in principle to replace a number of prefabs at the school to which he refers. The school has been given approval to tender for the prefabs in question. Formal approval, including details on funding, will be given to the school authority when the outcome of the tendering process is known.

Written Answers — Summer Works Scheme: Summer Works Scheme (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I intend to have a Summer Works Scheme this year. The level of funding to be made available for the 2009 scheme is being considered. In the meantime, applications submitted for the Summer Works Scheme in 2008 are currently being assessed and the schools will be notified of the outcome of this assessment in due course. A decision on the timing of a further call for proposals will be made in...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that there are now over 19,000 staff in our schools working solely with children with special needs. This includes over 10,000 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) — compared with just 300 in 1997. As the Deputy will be aware, applications for SNA support may be considered by the National Council for Special Education where a pupil has a significant medical need for...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: Under the terms of the Higher Education Grants Scheme administered by the Local Authorities on behalf of my Department, the position is that, students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for grants provided they satisfy the relevant conditions as to residence, means, nationality and previous academic attainment. Students continue to be assessed under the terms...

Written Answers — Student Support Schemes: Student Support Schemes (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The intention to change the focus of the Millennium Partnership Fund for the 2009/2010 academic year was signalled to partnership companies and community partnerships in 2007. Following a comprehensive consultation process in the interim, it is intended that in 2009 eligible partnership companies and community partnerships will be invited to make applications for funding through the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (26 Feb 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 the...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The Higher Education Grants Scheme provides that where grant holders, as part of their approved course, are required to attend foreign university courses for a period of up to one year, a maintenance grant may continue to be paid where the period abroad does not affect the normal duration of the approved course. In these situations, the higher non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant is...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The staffing schedule for the 2009/2010 school year, Primary Circular 0002/2009, has been published on my Department's website at www.education.ie and my officials have written to all schools to notify them in this regard. The number of mainstream class teachers appropriate to a school for 2009/10 school year is determined by reference to the school's valid enrolment on 30 September, 2008....

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (26 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for works including a PE Hall. 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...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (26 Feb 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 the...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: County Kildare Vocational Education Committee as client/contracting authority for the project referred to by the Deputy, is currently re-locating the school and extending capacity to 1,000 pupils. The project is currently in construction and is due to reach completion later this year.