Results 4,781-4,800 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school referred to by the Deputy has an application with my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension project. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction is dependent on the prioritisation of competing demands on the funding available under my Departments capital budget. This project...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is continuing to work with the service provider in question in the context of a proposal which they submitted in relation to home tuition payment arrangements.
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 603 and 604 together. My Department funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students. These are the Higher Education Grants Scheme, the Vocational Education Committees' Scholarships Scheme, the Third Level Maintenance Grants Scheme for Trainees and the Maintenance Grants Scheme for Students attending Post Leaving Certificate...
- Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: No desktop computers, laptops or blackberry devices were reported as lost or stolen in my Department in the past 12 months. One USB memory key was reported lost but was subsequently found. No data, including personal data, was lost.
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 606 and 607 together. The information in relation to expenditure on hotel accommodation by my Department is being compiled and will be forwarded to the deputy as soon as possible. In relation to the procurement arrangements in place in my Department the position is as follows. In instances where overnight accommodation is required for particular purposes for...
- Written Answers — Departmental Property: Departmental Property (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: In total my Department has 124 servers supporting a range of systems and services and including production, development, test, and training environments. They are categorised in the following table based on storage capacity. The memory and processor capacity varies depending on the function of the server. My Department owns all of the servers. With regard to the agencies under the...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm to the Deputy that an application was received in 2000 from Co Donegal VEC for large scale capital funding for an extension/refurbishment project at the school to which he refers. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction is dependent on the prioritisation of competing demands on the...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application in 2000 to my Department for large scale capital funding for a new school. Following assessment it was determined that a 24 classroom school would be required and the appointment of a design team is awaited. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The development of a building project for the school in question is at an early stage. The commencement and progression of all large scale building projects from initial design stage through to construction phase, including this project, will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of my Department's Multi-Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The amount spent on renting temporary accommodation, including â but not limited to â prefabricated accommodation for each of the years 2002 to 2007 is as follows: 2007: â¬35.5m (5.49% of total spend of â¬647m on school buildings); 2006: â¬24.5m (4.95% of total spend of â¬495m on school buildings); 2005: â¬15.7m (3.1% of total spend of â¬501m); 2004: â¬11.3m (3.4% of total spend...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 614 to 618, inclusive, together. The number of permanent teaching posts available in individual schools at any one time is determined in accordance with the agreed criteria relating to the application of the pupil teacher ratio. It is a matter for the individual school authority,as employer, to determine whether any particular post when vacated may be...
- Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 619 and 620 together. The schools to which the Deputy refers are 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 (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 sets out the responsibilities on individual school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools. The Statement should identify potential hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and put appropriate provision in place to safeguard the safety and health of employees and pupils. The Safety Statement should...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: 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, could not be totally spared.The various impacts at...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The deputy will be aware that I provided comprehensive information with regard to money paid to consultants from 2003 to end October 2008 and that I indicated that information relating to consultancy expenditure from 2000 to 2002 is not readily available and would involve an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. The relevant material is archived and is not in a format...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 624 and 625 together. It is open to the Board of Management to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeal Board which was established to adjudicate on appeals on mainstream staffing allocations in primary schools. Details of the criteria and application dates for appeal are contained in the staffing schedule which issues annually to...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 Dec 2008)
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. My Department is working closely with Co. Dublin VEC and is currently examining the possibility of opening the new school in September 2009 subject to the identification of suitable accommodation. It...
- Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Department was made aware of proposals to establish a new Gaelscoil to serve Tyrrelstown/Hollystown in August 2008. A formal 'Notification of Intent' to establish this new school was received from the proposed Patron, An Foras Patrunachta, in September 2008. However, as the Deputy will be aware, on 14th September last, I announced a review of the procedures for recognising primary...
- Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: An application for recognition, from September 2008, of the proposed new school to which the Deputy refers was not granted in 2008. Given the significant additional levels of primary school provision made in the area in question in the past 3 years, my predecessor was satisfied that sufficient provision has been made to serve the current and future population in the short to medium term and...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (17 Dec 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school referred to by the Deputy applied to my Department for funding under the Summer Works Scheme in 2008 to renovate/upgrade the science and home economics facilities in the school at an estimated cost in excess of â¬1.6m. My Department has focused on delivering as many large projects as possible in 2008 particularly in developing areas, while also delivering improvements in the...