Results 6,141-6,160 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: ——the needs of the new areas. The challenge before the Government, therefore, in addressing the historical legacy of under investment in school buildings and in meeting the needs of developing areas has been a significant one. Major progress has been made and continues to be made over a relatively short period of time. During the period of the National Development Plan 2000-2006, the...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I now wish to turn to how applications for building works are prioritised, a question that Senators have asked. In 2000-01, following consultation with the education partners, the Department published a list of criteria against which all large-scale building projects would be assessed and information on the four bands into which applications would from then on be organised, depending on the...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I have already said that and I said also that the summer works scheme will be reintroduced next year. I now turn to the current status of individual applications for building works. The school building and modernisation programme operates on a multi-annual basis. This means that the Department must constantly have projects ready to proceed as and when the budgetary situation allows. This...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: ——but they will fill up over the next couple of years. It means that there is a particular draw on our budget this year because we are spending so much in those developing areas. At the same time we are aiming to progress the projects in other areas. In recent years, thousands of schools outside of developing areas have benefited from projects under the summer works and small schools...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Expenditure on the rental and purchase of temporary accommodation amounted to only 6.2% of the total investment in school buildings in 2007.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: This compares with 10.8% in 2003. Suggestions often made that spending on prefabs has grown dramatically in recent years are misleading. It should be also noted that temporary accommodation is not limited to prefabs and can also involve the rental of high quality buildings. I assure Senators that the Government is determined to keep expenditure on prefabs as low as possible. The database...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: With a view to improving its own planning procedures, my Department's school planning and building unit has been recently re-organised with the establishment of a forward planning section and a developing areas unit. A number of new staff were employed by the Department to work in these areas and there has been a significant redistribution of existing staff within the building unit. That...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As I outlined in my speech, band 1 will always get priority. I can only move on band 2 depending on what the costs are and the numbers in band 1 that are ready to move ahead. There is a particular problem this year because of the developing areas and the fact that we have taken a policy decision not to build them up prefab upon prefab but to put in new buildings from the beginning so that...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The developing areas unit is tasked with meeting the immediate needs of areas experiencing significant increases in their school-going populations while the forward planning section is responsible for identifying more medium-term needs so that we can plan for them well in advance. To further strengthen the Department's planning capabilities, a geographic information system is currently being...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to advise the Deputy that the matter of the enrolment of a pupil in a school is a matter for the Board of Management of the school. The National Council for Special Education has allocated a Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) to each school. I have requested that this child's details be forwarded to the school's SENO. All schools have the names and contact details of their...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The details sought by the Deputy are not readily available. However, I have requested my officials to retrieve the 1997 training files from storage and a response will issue to the Deputy in due course. In relation to the Deputy's request for details of the persons that availed of such courses, I would like to point out that it will not be possible to provide this information as it would...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has received an application for the replacement of windows at the school referred to by the Deputy. This application is currently being assessed and a decision on the matter will be made shortly. The school authorities will be informed of the outcome as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Schools Funding: Schools Funding (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 305 and 306 together. My Department does not operate a debt relief scheme for schools and has no plans to introduce one in 2008. However a small number of schools have sought assistance as an exceptional matter to deal with serious financial difficulties. Between 2002 and 2006, additional financial assistance for this purpose was provided to a total of 97...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am arranging for the information referred to by the Deputy to be forwarded to him in the coming days.

Written Answers — School Completion Programme: School Completion Programme (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 308, 310 and 339 together. The School Completion Programme, implemented in 2002, incorporates the learning, experience and best practice derived from previous early school leaving initiatives and assimilates the 8 to 15 Early School Leaver Initiative (ESLI) and Stay-in School Retention Initiative at Second Level (SSRI). Evidence generated from the pilot...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: 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. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their...

Written Answers — Asbestos Remediation Programme: Asbestos Remediation Programme (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I have asked the School Building and Modernisation Unit of my Department carry out an examination of the case referred to by the Deputy as a matter of urgency. As soon as this is completed the College will be informed of the position without delay.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers has made an application for major capital funding to my Department. Progress on all major projects, including the project in question, will be considered on an ongoing basis in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Hanafin: A site visit was carried out recently at the school referred to by the Deputy. A technical report on this visit is currently being compiled. 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...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (22 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, is considered on an on-going basis in the context of my Department's Multi-Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.