Results 5,501-5,520 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Nov 2008)

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. Prudent management of the Government finances is...

Written Answers — Schools Inspectorate: Schools Inspectorate (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Inspectorate is a division within the Department of Education and Science. It has a statutory quality assurance role in relation to education provision at first and second level, as set out in Section 13 of the Education Act, 1998. One of its core functions is to report on the quality of education provision in schools and centres for education. Inspection reports are designed to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Government has a collective duty to respond to an economic situation of unprecedented difficulty 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 expenditure on education it is simply not possible to avoid tough decisions. These decisions are justified by the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: There were four vacancies in my Department's offices in Athlone on 15 October 2008. All four vacancies are being filled from the Public Appointments Service — three on Monday 3rd November 2008 and the fourth on 24th November 2008. There were no EO vacancies in my Department's offices in Tullamore on 15 October 2008.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I have appointed one non-Civil Servant Special Adviser since I was appointed Minister for Education and Science. Mr. Bernard Mallee was appointed as Special Adviser with press responsibilities with effect from 5th August, 2008. Mr Mallee worked outside of the Civil Service prior to this appointment. His annual salary is €86,168 which is paid to him in accordance with the Department of...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am currently considering a number of issues relating to the patronage of second-level schools and the matter raised by the Deputy will be considered in that context.

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 476 and 532 together. The amalgamation of the bodies referred to by the deputies will bring an enhanced coherence and efficiency to qualifications and quality assurance in further and higher education and training. The existing bodies have had considerable success in developing and enhancing work in the area of qualifications and quality assurance in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 480 and 481 together. It is the policy of my Department to ensure that payments due to companies in respect of services, including those referred to by the Deputy, are made as expeditiously as possible. In this regard, my Department is subject to the provisions of the Prompt Payment of Accounts Act, 1997. The Deputy will appreciate, however, that queries may...

Written Answers — Accreditation Standards: Accreditation Standards (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As outlined in PQ No. 608 of 21 October 2008, the Universities Act (Section 52), 1997 and the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, 1999 prohibit the use of the terms 'University', 'Institute of Technology' or 'Regional Technical College' where the organisation is also engaged in the provision of education services unless the Minister for Education consents to the use of the term. In...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available within my Department. In June 2007, there were a total of 28,735 teachers at primary level and 27,363 post-primary teachers. The corresponding figures for June 2008 are 30,184 and 27,725.

Written Answers — Capitation Grants: Capitation Grants (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 484 and 485 together. The specific information sought by the Deputy is not readily available within my Department and would involve an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. Primary schools' running costs are met by my Department's scheme of capitation grants. These grants are intended to contribute towards the general operating costs of schools...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that officials from my Department have approved the Stage 1 submission (i.e. Site Suitability, Site Report and Initial Sketch Scheme) for the school to which he refers and gave authorisation to progress to the next stage of architectural planning, which is Stage 2A (Developed Sketch Scheme). The progression of all large scale building projects from initial...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The position is that the allocated funding will provide for the operation of the sports halls referred to by the Deputy until the end of 2008. My Department does not fund community facilities and I regret to say that it has not been found possible to identify an alternative source of funds that would enable the facilities to remain available for community usage on an ongoing basis. In the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is in the early stages of architectural planning and, as such, it is not yet at a stage where it would be on a list of projects due to proceed to construction. The project will have to complete the various design and planning stages before it is ready to be considered for progression to tender and construction. The progression...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: A Cost Neutral Early Retirement Scheme is currently in operation for teachers. The scheme, which is effective from 1 April 2004, provides teachers aged 50 years or over (55 in the case of new entrants to the public service, ie public servants whose employment commenced on or after 1 April 2004 or who returned to public service employment after that date following an interruption of more...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The full year cost in the 2006 and 2007 financial years of benefits for those who retired under the Early Retirement Scheme for teachers was €54.1 million and €66.7 million respectively. This amount includes the cost of benefits paid in each financial year to those who retired in that year together with the ongoing pension costs for those who had retired under the scheme in previous...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has surveyed almost 900 primary schools across the country regarding their use of rented prefabricated accommodation and is in the process of compiling this information. The information gathered will be used to produce a database of information on rented prefabricated accommodation which will be maintained on an ongoing basis and will inform my Department's future...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The standard size of a classroom at primary level is 80 sq metres and this has been the standard size for rooms constructed in recent years. It allowed plenty of space for the range of activities carried out under the modern school curriculum in times before the pupil teacher ratio was reduced and therefore will not need to be adjusted in light of the current adjustment in the pupil teacher...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware, due to current economic constraints, the Government has had to make extremely difficult decisions and choices across all public services and education is no different. There is an inescapable fact that pay constitutes the bulk of current expenditure on education and therefore measures impacting on the teaching resources available to schools were necessary. The...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The general allocation scheme has been in operation since September 2005 under which mainstream primary schools have been provided with resource teaching support, based on enrolment figures, to cater for children with high-incidence special educational needs such as dyslexia and those with learning support needs. In addition to the general allocation, hours may be allocated for individual...