Results 6,041-6,060 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, Section 2 of the Official Languages Act 2003 states that "the official languages" of the State are (a) the Irish language (being the national language and the first official language) and (b) the English language (being a second official language) as specified in Article 8 of the Constitution. I wish to advise the Deputy that Irish sign language (ISL) has formal...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The administration of medicines in the school is the subject of an agreement between the Irish National Teachers Organisation and the organisations representing school management at primary level. While this agreement specifies that no teacher can be required to administer medicine or drugs to pupils, it also sets out procedures that must be followed where a teacher or teachers agree to do...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of my Department's Free Fees Initiative the exchequer meets the tuition fees of eligible students. The main conditions are that students must: a) be first-time undergraduates; b) hold E.U. nationality or official refugee status; and c) have been ordinarily resident in an E.U. Member State for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 332 to 334, inclusive, together. In relation to SSIA income, I want to assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to ensure that SSIA savers are treated fairly in the calculation of reckonable income under my Department's maintenance grant schemes. This is being achieved in two ways. Firstly, income from SSIAs is being treated exactly the same as...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The main emphasis in 2008 is on providing sufficient school places in rapidly developing areas as well as delivering improvements in the quality of existing primary and post-primary school accommodation throughout the country. On the 1st February last I announced the first phase of projects that will commence construction during 2008 and 2009. My announcement included details of the 18...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to establish a Developing Areas Unit in the Department of Education and Science, dedicated solely to progressing school planning in rapidly developing areas, building on improvements that have already been made in recent years. This recently established Developing Areas Unit, in conjunction with Fingal County Council has been working to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to establish a Developing Areas Unit in the Department of Education and Science, dedicated solely to progressing school planning in rapidly developing areas, building on improvements that have already been made in recent years. This recently established Developing Areas Unit, in conjunction with Fingal County Council has been working to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy may be aware, the Fingal School Model is an agreement reached with Fingal County Council and is a partnership approach to fast-track the delivery of schools and community facilities throughout the Fingal Area. The intention is that the agreed approach will match the rapid pace of housing development in the area with the delivery of schools while at the same time providing...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to establish a Developing Areas Unit in the Department of Education and Science, dedicated solely to progressing school planning in rapidly developing areas, building on improvements that have already been made in recent years. This recently established Developing Areas Unit, in conjunction with Fingal County Council has been working to...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The current rate of pay for a secondary trained teacher employed on a casual basis in a primary school is €201.68 per day. A Board of Management of a primary school is obliged to recruit and employ fully qualified teachers for any vacancy in a school irrespective of the duration. Where a Board is unable to obtain the services of a fully qualified primary teacher to serve in a casual/non...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special educational needs. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The development of a building project for the school referred to by the Deputy from initial design stage through to construction phase, as with all large scale building projects, will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: An application for capital funding towards the provision of an extension has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. An assessment of projected enrolment trends, demographic trends and housing developments in the area was carried out in order to inform the determination of the long term projected staffing on which the school's accommodation needs will be based. This has been...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The development of a building project for the school in question is at an early stage. The commencement and progression of all large scale building projects from initial design stage through to construction phase, including this project, will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of my Department's Multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I assume the Deputy is referring to a fire in the school in question last September. An official from my Department has been in contact with the school recently and correspondence in the matter is expected shortly. My Department will respond to the school on receipt of the correspondence.

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: In my last reply to the Deputy I indicated that the new building on my Department's existing campus in Athlone would accommodate approximately 100 posts already based in Athlone that are currently accommodated in a temporary building, along with the posts to be decentralised to Athlone. The process of transferring the 100 posts located in the temporary building in Athlone is underway at...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30th September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued to all primary schools each year. Data submitted to my Department by the Board of Management of the school referred to by the...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: To date applications have been received to invoke Section 9 of the Universities Act, 1997 from Waterford Institute of Technology, Dublin Institute of Technology and Cork Institute of Technology. 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...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Agreed Programme for Government includes a commitment to review the school transport system including catchment boundaries. My Department is currently developing proposals for progressing this commitment and the intention is to make substantial progress during the current year.

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (29 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme, a pupil is eligible for transport if s/he resides 4.8 kilometres or more from her/his local post primary education centre. The scheme is not designed to facilitate parents who choose to send their children to a post-primary centre outside of the catchment area in which they reside. However, children who are fully...