Results 4,741-4,760 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school referred to by the Deputy applied for funding for temporary accommodation in February of this year and was given approval for the accommodation in April. An application from the school for drawdown of the first tranche of the funding was received in my Department on 15th of December and will be processed in accordance with the normal procedures.
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Modernisation and Policy Unit of my Department has no record of a current application from the school referred to by the Deputy. Should an application be received it will be assessed and the school authorities notified of the outcome without delay.
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school referred to by the Deputy was given approval in July 2008 for a grant of â¬100,000 to secure additional accommodation.
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The final account for a large-scale extension project at the school referred to by the Deputy was approved in October 2004. The school applied for additional classroom accommodation in January 2006. Progress on the project will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the...
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school referred to by the Deputy applied for funding for temporary accommodation in October of this year on the basis of the appointment of an additional teacher. The application was not successful on this occasion and the school was advised to continue to utilise the existing room currently housing the additional teacher.
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school referred to by the Deputy was recently sanctioned funding for the provision of additional accommodation. A subsequent application for additional costs associated with the project has also been approved. The project has gone to construction.
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school referred to by the Deputy applied for funding under the 2007 Small School Scheme but was unsuccessful. The Planning and Building Unit of my Department has no record of a current application from the school. Should an application be received it will be assessed and the school authorities notified of the outcome without delay.
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension project. The project is currently awaiting the appointment of a Design Team. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction will be considered in the context of the school building and...
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: There are a number of schools in Donegal which share the name supplied by the Deputy. However, a Gaelscoil of that name currently has a major Extension and Refurbishment project to cater for a 16 Classroom school which is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Progress on the project will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation...
- Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers was granted provisional recognition by my Department on 01 September 2006. It is a co-educational school and is under the patronage of Educate Together. An application for Permanent Recognition is currently under consideration by my Department. When a decision has been reached on this application, this will be communicated to the school authority.
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Correspondence has been received from the school in question regarding the provision of additional accommodation. The progression of a project will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The allocation of â¬581m for 2009 represents a significant investment in the school building and modernisation programme. This level of funding for the building programme, at a time of pressure on the Government finances, is a sign of the very real commitment of this Government to investing in the school infrastructure and will permit the continuation of progress in the overall improvement...
- Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: A Notification of Intention to apply for Recognition of a new primary school in Athy, County Kildare has been received from the group to which the Deputy refers. 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 be...
- Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I can inform the Deputy that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) which is administered by NEPS. There are currently 156 psychologists employed in my Department's NEPS service, including some...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Teacher Education Section of my Department provides for a comprehensive system of continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers in the area of special educational needs. Central to this is the Special Education Support Service (SESS). Funding in the amount of â¬330,000 was provided to the SESS for start up costs in 2003/2004. Details of the actual expenditure by the SESS since...
- Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 382 and 392 together. Notwithstanding the increase of â¬302 million in the Education budget for 2009, which is a real achievement in the current economic climate, a number of tough and difficult decisions had to be taken. These decisions included reductions on the aid for school books scheme which in the case of schools outside of the DEIS scheme will...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 383 and 384 together. The school to which the Deputy refers is among the schools that were judged by an independent identification process in 2005 not to have a sufficient level of disadvantage among their pupils to warrant their inclusion in DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunities in Schools), the Action Plan for educational inclusion. The next...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 385 and 395 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...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: As a result of the 2009 Budget provisions for Education, arising from current economic challenges and following subsequent proposals from the management bodies of primary schools, new arrangements are being put into place for substitution cover for uncertified sick leave for teachers in primary schools. In primary schools there will be substitute cover for teachers on uncertified sick leave...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The budget measures will mean that the level of language support will be reduced from a maximum of six extra teachers per school to a maximum of two teachers per school, as was the case before 2007. However, the ongoing requirement for current levels of language support teachers in schools should also start to reduce in line with lower levels of immigration and in line with improvements in...