Results 5,661-5,680 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Significant improvements have been made in the staffing levels of our second level schools in recent years. The current teacher allocation for the mainstream second level sectors including Co-Operation hours is twenty six thousand seven hundred and twenty one whole time teacher equivalents. In the period between the 2001/2002 and the 2007/2008 school years, there were approximately twelve...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Some â¬10 million has been provided to the Department of Education and Science to enable the services provided to children with special educational needs to be enhanced and strengthened and to continue preparations for the full implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act at a later date. As the Deputy has noted, part of this amount will be used to...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for capital funding for a new school building. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is not in receipt of an application for large scale capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. Between 2005 and 2006, the school received a total of almost â¬319,000 under the Summer Works Scheme to replace its windows, to upgrade a home economics room and for other structural repairs.
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware, the building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is awaiting the appointment of a Design Team. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in...
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The three Third Level Student Support Schemes, administered by the Local Authorities and the Vocational Education Committees on behalf of my Department, offer financial assistance to eligible students attending approved third level courses. Students entering approved courses for the first time are, generally speaking, eligible for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age,...
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The closing date for receipt of grant applications under the 2008 maintenance grant schemes is the 29th August 2008. Clause 11.1 awards the awarding authorities discretion to accept applications after this date and treat such application as if it had been received on time. Clause 13 of the schemes states that the applicant "shall submit to the Local Authority [VEC] such information and...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 522 and 523 together. The full data sought by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. However, I can say that up to 30 September 2008, 1,160 applications from primary schools for replacement, additional and special needs furniture have been approved for funding by my Department.
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is currently at an early stage of architectural planning. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Payment of the increase due under the Towards 2016 Agreement is dependent, in the case of each sector, organisation and grade, on verification of co-operation with flexibility and change, including co-operation with satisfactory implementation of the agenda for modernisation set out in the Agreement, maintenance of stable industrial relations and absence of industrial action in respect of any...
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The residency clause under the Higher Education Grants Scheme require, in the case of a candidate under 23, that the candidate's parents, or guardians, have been resident in the administrative area of a Local Authority from 1st October of the previous year. In the case of an independent mature candidate the candidate himself/herself must have been resident in the administrative area of a...
- Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 528 and 529 together. The halls referred to by the Deputy were built as part of a programme to develop community sports halls in drugs task force areas in Dublin and Cork. The stated objective of the programme was that each hall would be dual use in nature in that they would be accessible to the wider community as well as to the local school population. The...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The financial parameters for my Department were set out in Budget 2009. 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. While the existing start up grant for new schools has not increased, the Education Budget for 2009 has provided for...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The specific information requested by the Deputy in relation to the detailed staffing allocation of the school 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 under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for the establishment of special classes for children with autism and for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. It operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. All schools...
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for the provision of ancillary accommodation. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme....
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 535 to 538, inclusive, together. The schools referred to by the Deputy make up the first bundle of schools to be procured under my Department's current Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme. Macquarie Partnership for Ireland (MPFI) was selected as the preferred tenderer for the provision of this Bundle in October 2007. Negotiations between the National...
- Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The position is that applications have been received from 3 Institutes of Technology for designation as Universities. These applications raise significant issues regarding Government policy towards higher education, in particular the existing roles of the Universities and Institutes of Technology which have distinctive missions from each other, provide different levels and types of academic...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 540 to 542, inclusive, together. The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule. The schedule for the current school year is set out in circular 10/08 which...