Results 5,561-5,580 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Deputy Stanton asked me whether I believe the withdrawal of funding will cause difficulty. I am well aware it will cause serious difficulty and I obviously have concerns about this. However, I must also bear in mind what is equitable and right.

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: In those circumstances, I must have regard to the rights of others.

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Of course we gave no notice; it was a budgetary measure. As part of a budgetary measure, we made it quite clear that this was one of the cuts——

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am very well aware of how sensitive is this issue.

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I want to deal with it as sensitively as I can but must emphasise that my clear legal advice from the Attorney General was that, if these grants are to remain, they will be extremely difficult to defend if challenged in a court of law.

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: That advice has been in place for some time.

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: It was recently reiterated when the issue——

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: When the issue was checked, the advice still stood. It is a question of fee-paying schools and a grant of €6.25 million.

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: It was a block grant. The opportunity for the secondary education committee to dispense that €6.25 million to those particular pupils who are most in need——

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: That is the important point. There are some schools within the remit of the committee that obviously do not need the same level of support as others; for example, some of the rural schools.

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: It is within the remit of the secondary education committee——

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: ——to dispense the money where it sees the greatest need.

Fee-paying Schools. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Trying to stir up the emotions is typical of Deputy Charles Flanagan.

School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As I made clear during the lengthy debate in the House last week, 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...

School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Yes. I——

School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am sure the Deputy would love me to give a full reply.

School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Of course there would be an additional 1,000 teachers. However, given that we have increasing demographics we estimate that 1,100 teachers will be taken out and that 900 will come in as a result of demographics and other factors.

School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: There are approximately 3,300 schools.

School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Given the overall budget and financial situation, I had a choice of taking a 3% cut across the board. If we had taken that choice, we would have taken out 2,500 teachers. Instead, reverting one year to the 2006-07 level would have the least impact. In terms of language support teachers, for example, we were conscious to leave ourselves an opportunity to retain the option of supporting the...

School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy should have listened to my speech last week.