Results 4,901-4,920 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the tabular statement. Details of sick leave of officials at the Department of Education & Science 2005 to 2007. Year Uncertified sick leave days Average No. of days per employee Certified sick leave (excluding long-term sick leave)* Average No. of days per employee Total certified sick leave days Average No. of days per employee 2005...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As stated in the response to the previous question from Deputy Hayes in relation to inservice participants, the figure used by the Deputy for 2008 refers to the number of participant days up to the 31/08/08 rather than the number of hours of inservice. The full year figure will obviously be much higher than this. In service participants will however be lower in 2008 than 2006 and this can be...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 265 to 267, inclusive, together. I am aware of the concerns raised by the schools referred to by the Deputies. The Government's commitment to education is clear both from its track record over the past decade in providing substantial additional resources, most notably extra teachers to meet previously unmet needs and from the programme the Government set...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: In 2007 the school in question received approval to build 5 additional classrooms and 2 resource rooms under the devolved Permanent Accommodation Scheme (PAS) and was allocated €720,000 for the project. The purpose of the PAS is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake building works which will address the school's long term accommodation needs. Under the terms of...

Written Answers — Home Tuition Grants: Home Tuition Grants (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am making enquiries into the matter and will arrange for officials in my Department to contact the Deputy directly with an update in this regard.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (11 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 post-primary schools, new arrangements are being put into place for substitution cover for uncertified sick leave for teachers in post-primary schools and for official school business in post-primary schools. These arrangements...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can inform the Deputy that NEPS, in common with many other psychological services and best international practice, encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention, in consultation with their assigned NEPS psychologist. Only if there is a failure to make reasonable progress in spite...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Retired inspectors who sit on interview boards for teachers in VEC and community and comprehensive schools are paid at a daily rate in accordance with the Department of Finance approved rate of payment to retired civil servants engaged to serve on interview boards. VECs and community and comprehensive schools were advised by my Department in July 2008 of an increase in the rate, with...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Since the Summer Works Scheme was introduced, over 3,000 projects, costing in excess of €300 million, have been completed. With so many smaller projects having been completed over the past few years, the particular emphasis in 2008 has been on providing sufficient school places in developing areas, while also delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school in question submitted an application to my Department for emergency funding. Emergency works grants are made available to schools most in need of resources as a result of unforeseen emergencies of a capital nature that may arise during the school year. Following assessment of the application from this school and in light of the large number of projects seeking funding from my...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I met with representatives of the Church of Ireland Board of Education, led by Archbishop John Neill, on 13 November last. The meeting provided me with an opportunity to explain at first hand the context for the budget changes that were of concern to the Bishops and the schools serving the Church of Ireland and other minority churches. In the course of the meeting, I confirmed my budget...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following tables. 2007 Name of Consultant Cost € System Dynamics Solutions Ltd 13,310.00 Mary Immaculate College 73,000.00 Eustace Patterson Ltd 52,060.25 Phoenix Safety 4,803.70 Horwath Consulting Ireland Ltd 80,525.50 Indecon 78,200.00 Certification Europe Ltd 15,246.00 Deloitte & Touche 27,860.25 Eco-Unesco...

Written Answers — School Enrolment: School Enrolment (11 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The question of enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools. The Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. It is the responsibility of the managerial...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (10 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 210 and 211 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 (10 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers, applied for capital funding under the Permanent Accommodation Scheme 2007 for 15 mainstream classrooms, 2 special needs rooms, resource rooms and 2 learning support rooms. Following discussions with the school authority it was agreed that the scope of the works concerned was more appropriate for delivery under the traditional...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (10 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The compulsory nature of Geography in Voluntary Secondary schools is historical in origin and relates back to the time when it was compulsory in the Intermediate Certificate. While Science is an optional subject for the Junior Certificate, uptake has been consistently very high, with 87% of the entire junior cycle cohort sitting the examination in the Junior Certificate. 91% sat Geography...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (10 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may be aware, the Centre for Deaf Studies at Trinity College Dublin represents a constituent part of Trinity College. The position is that universities are autonomous institutions in relation to the day to day management of their affairs. The universities receive a recurrent block grant from the Higher Education Authority and it is a matter for each institution to...

Written Answers — Departmental Property: Departmental Property (10 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for the provision of office accommodation on behalf of the Department and meets all related rent/lease costs. OPW have allocated the following Galway city offices to my Department: 1. Office of the Inspectorate, Ross House, Merchants Road, Galway. The area of the office is 402.72 sq. metres and the rent in 2007 was €81,282.25. 2. The...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (10 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I announced last Thursday that proposals had been made to my Department by the second-level management bodies identifying annual savings of €16 million within the supervision and substitution scheme. These savings can be made not only in the current year but on a continuing basis. The proposals involve replacing heretofore demand-led availability of cover for uncertified sick leave and...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (10 Dec 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am aware of the concerns raised by the school referred to by the Deputy. However we are dealing with an economic situation of unprecedented difficulty. The Government has a collective duty to respond to this and to take very difficult decisions in the national interest. In doing this we have attempted to afford some shelter to the education sector but given the scale of public...