Results 5,601-5,620 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Schools Building Projects. (4 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The generic design is now in place, which will make the process much cheaper, faster and competitive. We are going to move on that issue.
- Schools Building Projects. (4 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I am looking for greater value for money.
- School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Notwithstanding the increase of â¬302 million in the education budget for 2009, in making the announcement of the budget measures for education, I stressed that tough choices had to be made in meeting the needs of the education sector in these difficult times. The resources available to the Department have meant that these choices have been very challenging and the decision made to suspend...
- School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The important point to make is that I share with Deputy O'Mahony an interest in sport. I participated myself and neither I nor other members of the Government wished to take this decision. Unfortunately, it is worth considering what has happened since 2003. In the 2007-08 school year, the Department paid for 2.05 million hours, or 362,000 days, of substitution cover in primary schools at a...
- School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: There are 31,000 primary teachers. My point is that the cost has risen from approximately â¬20 million when it was first introduced to an unbelievable figure of â¬150 million at present.
- School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: This is not sustainable and it is very difficult to continue with that level of funding. I ask for support and co-operation.
- School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: With due respect to Deputy O'Mahony, I am aware of the voluntarism associated with sport over the years. Having been involved myself, I have seen the amount of time that people put in, as well as the commitment of school teachers throughout this period. The last thing I wish to take away is their goodwill. My point is certain provisions now must be taken on the basis we cannot afford to...
- School Staffing. (4 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I seek their goodwill and support.
- Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 234 to 237, inclusive, and 241 together. My Department has had ongoing communications with Meath County Council to discuss a range of issues including the issue in question. As the Deputy is aware my Department acquired a site for a post-primary school under the Redress Scheme. My Department carried out technical inspections on both the redress site and the...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The development of multi-school campus arrangements is a stated policy of my Department where conditions are such that this can be achieved. A number of factors have to be taken into account before such arrangements could proceed such as overall accommodation requirements in a centre or area, availability and size of site, value for money, planning permission etc. It is expected that these...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 239, 240 and 242 together. My Department has had ongoing communications with Meath County Council to discuss a range of issues relating to the proposed school development. As the Deputy is aware, my Department acquired a site for a post-primary school under the Redress Scheme. The technical report in relation to this site deemed the size and location of the...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. I have arranged for the details...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers applied to my Department in 1999 for additional accommodation. At a meeting with the Department at that time, the school proposed a greenfield site solution to its accommodation needs because the existing site could not facilitate the extent of extra accommodation needed. A technical examination of the site confirmed this position. As a result, the...
- Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 245, 246, 247, 248, 255 and 256 together. The specific information requested by the Deputy in relation to the detailed staffing allocation of the schools in question for the academic year 2009/10 cannot be determined until the allocation process has fully concluded. There is nothing exceptional in this. The allocation process includes appellate mechanisms...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the following sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act have been commenced â 1, 2, 14(1)(a), 14(1)(c), 14(2) to 14(4), 19 to 37 and 40 to 53. These sections are mainly concerned with the establishment of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and with promoting an inclusive approach to the education of...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: As I previously informed the Deputy the school in question applied for funding for replacement of windows under the emergency works scheme. However, in light of the large number of projects seeking funding under this scheme from the budget allocated, it was not possible to provide funding to the school at the time. It is open to the school authorities to re-apply for funding for these works...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department received an application for emergency funding from the school in question. This application is currently under consideration and a decision will be reached very shortly. The school authorities will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible.
- Written Answers — Price Increases: Price Increases (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested is not readily available in my Department and is currently being compiled. I will arrange to forward the information to the Deputy as soon as possible.
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: 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 reducing the level of language support teachers from a maximum of six extra teachers per school to a maximum of two teachers per school, as was the case before 2007....
- Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (30 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: 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 involve savings of approximately â¬7.5 million on current...