Results 6,541-6,560 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The development of a building project for the school referred to by the deputy 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. However, in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The proposed building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. 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...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may be aware, the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special needs. Applications for SNAs may be considered by the NCSE where a pupil has a significant medical need for such...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Circular 044/2007, issued in July 2007, requires all schools to provide the minimum recommended tuition in English in Irish medium primary schools, beginning no later than the start of the second term in Junior Infants. The revised primary curriculum was launched in 1999 after extensive consultation with the partners in education. Page 27 in the Introduction to the Curriculum states "It is a...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 742 and 743 together. This issue relates to the impact of providing an immersion model of education in Irish medium schools under which no English is taught for a significant part of the infant cycle. There are a range of studies which highlight the effectiveness of immersion approaches to language learning. However, the precise models of immersion in use,...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department's home tuition scheme provides a grant to parents to facilitate the provision of education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children with Special Educational Needs awaiting an educational placement and provide early education intervention for...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The progression of all large scale building projects, including the this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that my Department is in receipt of an application for major capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. In light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to give an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project at this time.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The development of a project for the school to which the Deputy refers 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. However, in light...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: 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. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of the Department, it is not possible to...

Written Answers — Education Programmes: Education Programmes (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: UCD Adult Education operates Outreach Centres in County Dublin and County Wicklow. Courses delivered cover a range of disciplines and interests. A significant element of UCD's outreach activity is the provision of the Access to Arts and Human Sciences programme, which is at foundation certificate level. The other course which was provided by UCD in Baldoyle in 2007-8 was a short course in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: More than €2.6 billion was provided for school building infrastructure between 2000 and 2006 under the last National Development Plan and a further €4.5 billion is being invested under the current NDP 2007-2013. Close to €600m of this will be provided this year alone. In the period 2002 to date, 614 large-scale building projects at primary and post-primary schools were given approval...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has offices located in Tullamore, Co. Offaly. There are no offices of my Department located in Co. Laois. In most cases recruitment to vacancies arising in clerical posts in the Tullamore office is done by reference to the agreed sequence of appointment, ie Department of Agriculture Surplus, Central Transfer List or Public Appointments Service panel for the location. There is a...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Teaching Council has had responsibility for registering teachers since its establishment on 28 March, 2006. My Department does not have any involvement in this process. When an applicant for registration applies to the Teaching Council with a qualification other than those automatically recognised by the Council (previously by the Department of Education and Science), their qualifications...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Since the establishment of the current Government, I, and the Ministers of State at my Department, have undertaken the following travel on official business. In May, I made one journey by air, using the Ministerial Air Transport Service. No direct costs were incurred by my Department for use of that service, which is provided by the Department of Defence and the Air Corps. No journeys on...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) 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 needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. I have arranged for the details supplied...

Written Answers — Departmental Guidelines: Departmental Guidelines (10 Jul 2008)

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

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (10 Jul 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 — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may be aware I made a detailed statement to the Dail on this matter earlier today in which I outlined the background to the education sector's reduction of € 6.6m in it's budget allocation for 2008. This year my Department secured a budget increase of some €690m in an overall allocation of over €9.3 billion for the education sector. I will ensure that the administrative...

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: We always do it that way.