Results 6,281-6,300 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Enrolment decisions are the responsibility of the Board of Management of each individual school. The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The NEWB can be contacted at National Educational Welfare Board, National Headquarters, 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7 or by...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information relevant to the Deputy's question is being compiled and will be forwarded to him as soon as possible.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The position is that an application by the school referred to by the Deputy for grant-aid under the Parent Rooms Measure of the Dormant Accounts/Rapid Leverage Fund small-scale capital grant scheme for schools has been approved. My Department advised the school of the position by letter dated 18 June, 2008. The first instalment of 70% of the approved amount will be paid on commencement of...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department received an application for funding under the emergency works scheme from the school in question. A decision on the application will be made as soon as possible and the school authorities will be advised of the outcome.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The decision on eligibility for student maintenance grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority, either the local authority or VEC, as appropriate. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department, except in exceptional circumstances. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a maintenance grant, or that the rate of maintenance...

Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that there are two means by which former residents of institutions which were subject to State regulation or inspection can apply for and be awarded compensation — The Residential Institutions Redress Board and the Court system. The Residential Institutions Redress Board was established to make fair and reasonable payments to persons who, as children, were abused...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is in the process of completing a technical evaluation of a site which was identified for the school referred to in the article referenced by the Deputy. In order to complete the technical evaluation an independent valuation report is required. The independent valuation has recently been commissioned and a report is awaited. The acquisition will be considered in the context...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: An ASD unit has been sanctioned by the National Council for Special Education for the school referred to by the Deputy. A Band 1 rating has been assigned to the project under the published prioritisation for large scale building projects. This is the highest Band rating possible, which reflects the urgency which the Department attaches to the project. The commencement and progression of...

Written Answers — Third Level Scholarship Schemes: Third Level Scholarship Schemes (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: It is proposed to carry out a review of the three existing third-level Irish scholarship schemes in the course of the current academic year to determine their continuing effectiveness in meeting their objectives. A range of issues will be considered in the context of this review, including those raised in the correspondence referred to by the Deputy. In the circumstances, a meeting at this...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The compulsory school starting age in a National School is 6 years of age. Enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and my Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places....

Written Answers — Home Tuition: Home Tuition (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that my Department has liaised with the family in question in the context of the matter raised by him.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that a suitable site has been identified for the school in question. The site comprises three plots of land with three separate vendors. Officials from my Department are in contact with key stakeholders with a view to exploring the options open to advancing the proposed acquisition. The progression of this project will be considered in the context of the capital...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is currently in the process of recruiting specialist behaviour advisors to form part of a Behavioural Specialist Support Team. Following a recent competition, the Special Education Support Service (SESS) is working to recruit a number of candidates. While this process is ongoing the person that will lead this team is working with the SESS in an advisory capacity and in...

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1682, 1773 and 1855 together. The School Completion Programme encompasses both primary and post-primary levels and focuses on young people between the ages of 4 and 18 years and is designed to deal with issues of both concentrated and regionally dispersed disadvantage. SCP is a key component of DEIS ( Delivering Equality of Opportunities in Schools) the...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Under the terms of the Free Fees Initiative the Exchequer meets the tuition fees of eligible students who are pursuing full-time undergraduate courses of study. The main conditions are that students must be first-time undergraduates and hold E.U. nationality and have been ordinarily resident in an E.U. Member State for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1684 and 1697 together. The Deputy will be aware of the Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. This facilitates access to...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Enrolment decisions are the responsibility of the Board of Management of each individual school. The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The NEWB can be contacted at National Educational Welfare Board, National Headquarters, 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7 or by...

Written Answers — School Books: School Books (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at second-level, mainly in the case of language subjects, decisions on which textbooks to use in first and second-level schools are taken at school level. My Department does not have a role in recommending, endorsing or approving textbooks. Syllabus planners are conscious of the need to avoid over frequent changes, primarily in order to minimise...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: One member of my Department's Professional and Technical Staff attended the conference referred to by the Deputy at a total cost to the Department of €743.63. The Chief Executive Officer of the Grangegorman Development Agency was a speaker at one of the workshops and there was no cost incurred by the Agency.

Written Answers — Music Education: Music Education (24 Sep 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Among the recommendations contained in the Music Network report was that a series of Music Education Partnerships would be developed between the County/City Development Boards and the Vocational Education Committees on a phased basis. In 2004, my Department began funding a pilot programme in both Dublin City and in Donegal VECs to test approaches to delivery of the proposed model. Resources...