Results 5,941-5,960 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The ancillary services grant has also substantially increased from â¬38.09 per pupil in 1997 to â¬151.50 in 2008.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The increases in capitation and ancillary grants I have announced will see day-to-day funding for primary schools increase by nearly â¬25 to â¬355 per pupil.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: At post-primary level, capitation will increase by â¬14 per pupil to â¬345, an increase of 4.3% over 2008.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I have also made provision for an increase of â¬8 per pupil in equalisation funding provided to voluntary secondary schools. A number of specialist grants have been abolished with the general capitation increases aimed at giving schools maximum flexibility in how they use their grant allocation.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I have also decided to regularise an anomalous situation whereby fee-charging schools under Catholic patronage were not in receipt of certain grants, including the support services grant, that were paid to other fee-charging schools. This measure will see all fee-charging schools treated on the same basis regardless of religious denomination. The education of students with special...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Government is committedââ
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: ââto providing targeted support for special needs and has allocated additional funding of â¬20 million for 2009 to continue to enhance front line services for these children. Some â¬10 million is being provided for my Department and this will complement the additional level of supports to be delivered through the allocation of â¬10 million to the health service. The additional...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The psychologists will also support school staff in catering for children with special needs in the school setting. Funding will also be provided to the National Council for Special Education to enhance its capacity to co-ordinate the provision of services at local level for children, parents and schools. We envisage putting in place an additional 50 psychologists so that this year there...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: At the end of the this budget, we will be in a position to cover 100% of the country.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Am I all right for time?
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I have already outlined the increased capital allocation for the higher education sector.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Estimates provision for higher education is â¬1,844 million as compared to â¬1,887 in 2008. The Estimate allows for an increase in the student registration charge from its current rate of â¬900 to â¬1,500 in individual institutions for the academic year 2009-10 and combined, this funding is generally in line with the projected outturn in 2008.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Given the current economic climate, it was not possible to provide an increase in current funding for the sector in 2008. However, the current level of funding must be seen in the context of the substantial increases in funding for the third level sector in recent years, whereby the overall provision to the sector, including capital provision, has increased to some â¬2 billion in 2008....
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: This budget comes at a critical and defining time for our country. We all know that the international economic climate has altered radically in relatively recent times. The scale of this challenge and the pace at which circumstances have changed have combined to lift this budget out of the routine of economic management to one of critical importance to the future well-being of our country....
- Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (14 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Agreement has been reached between the trustees of the three existing post-primary schools in Skibbereen to amalgamate into a single school. The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works was requested to source a site for the development of a single school. A number of sites were identified and examined. Those considered potentially suitable for the provision of a school...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (14 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Set out below is the information available with regard to new agencies created since 1997 to date in 2008: Further Education & Training Awards Council (established 2001) Grangegorman Development Agency (established 2006) Higher Education and Training Awards Council (established 2001) National Council for Special Education (established 2003) National Educational Welfare Board (established...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (14 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 329 to 331, inclusive, together. My Department, in managing its capital budget must ensure that funding is targeted at schools most in need. That is why my Department introduced prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects, which were formulated following consultation with the Education Partners in 2004. As part of the assessment of all...
- Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (14 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The main findings of the audit of school enrolment policies have been made publicly available on my Department's website. The findings are published in a format that does not allow individual schools to be identified while enabling the overall pattern of practice to be assessed. Naming schools may have a perverse impact, whereby schools that are living up to their responsibilities to the full...
- Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (14 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Early Start Programme, which was launched in the mid 1990s is a preschool intervention for 3 year old educationally disadvantaged children in 40 locations. The Early Start programme operates for 2.5 hours a day, 5 days a week for the duration of the school year, i.e., 183 days. Since the introduction of this programme, the White Paper on Early Childhood Education and the National...
- Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (14 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: On foot of Circular 0138/2006, primary schools are implementing standardised testing in English Reading and Mathematics at two stages, at the end of first class/beginning of second class, and at the end of fourth class/beginning of fifth class since 2007. The results of these tests are held at school level and are available for inspection. Standardised testing is used as one of a range of...