Results 6,661-6,680 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: 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 — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department will be providing a new greenfield site building for the school to which the Deputy refers in due course. Tenders have been received for the project and it is now awaiting approval to proceed to construction. I am not in a position to give the go ahead for any more projects to proceed to construction at this time. I indicated this clearly to the school in question when I visited...

Written Answers — Water Charges: Water Charges (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am very much aware of the cost pressures on schools, including those arising from waste charges and the changes that are happening in relation to water charges. Primary schools are now getting over €178 per pupil to meet their day to day running costs — an increase of nearly 70% on the 2002 rate of €105 and €15 more per child than they got last year. Post-primary schools have also...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The curriculum in schools is devised on the basis that ICT is not a subject but rather a tool to be integrated into the teaching and learning of all subjects. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has developed an ICT framework which sets out a structured approach to ICT in curriculum and assessment. This sets out the types of learning appropriate for students during the period...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Office of Public Works (OPW), which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisitions generally, has been asked to source a suitable site for the school in question. My Department is advised that the Health Service Executive (HSE) have formally conveyed its approval to dispose of lands either to South Tipperary County Council or directly to...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has no plans at present to provide a new Gaelcholaíste in the south Louth/east Meath area.

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: In March 2007 plans were announced to increase the proportion of marks available for oral assessment in the certificate examinations in Irish to 40%, for pupils beginning second level schooling in 2007/8. This will impact on the voluntary oral Irish examination available as an option within the Junior Certificate from 2010 onwards, and the national oral examinations in the Leaving Certificate...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: At post primary level, a subject-specific support service for Gaeilge was established in 2007. The service forms part of the Second Level Support (SLSS) which provides programme and subject specific curricular support, and support for implementing new teaching methods in second-level schools. The funding provided for this service is c€0.65m annually. The support service for Irish has been...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has no plans to introduce mandatory first aid training for Transition Year students in post-primary schools. Personal safety is addressed in a variety of ways in the primary and post-primary curricula. Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) which is compulsory for all students up to the end of junior cycle aims to develop students' skills for keeping safe and to make...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is engaged in identifying a suitable site for the school in question. The acquisition of a suitable site and the proposed building project for the school will be considered in the context of the capital budget available to my Department for school buildings generally. I am not in a position to say at this stage when the site acquisition will be...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has received a revised stage 2(a) submission (Developed Sketch Scheme) from the school authorities and this is currently being examined by the Department's Technical Staff. Officials from my Department will be writing to the Board of Management shortly in this regard. As is the case with all large capital projects currently on hand within the Department, its progression will be...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I understand that the parent in question has queries concerning the inclusion policy of the school where a placement is available for her child. It is open to the parent concerned to raise any queries she has in relation to school policies directly with the school authorities concerned. As the Deputy is aware, the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (8 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 — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: All staff in my Department earn more than the current National Minimum Wage. The salaries paid to the staff of my Department are in accordance with the Department of Finance salary scales for civil servants.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has received an application for sewerage works 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 — Teacher Training: Teacher Training (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The review of initial teacher education to be undertaken by the Teaching Council will be informed by the need for all teachers to be able to respond to the increasingly diverse backgrounds of our students. At present, all student teachers are given an awareness of inter-cultural issues including the challenges of teaching students whose first language is not English. When the review of...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information sought is not readily available and would involve an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. However, if the Deputy has any particular report in mind I would be happy to have my officials obtain the relevant details and communicate them to the Deputy.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Department is exploring as an option the provision of a new building on the existing school site. The further progression of the acquisition of the site and the associated building project will be considered in the context of the Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. I am not in a position to say at this stage when the acquisition will be concluded.

Written Answers — Schools of Music: Schools of Music (8 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 772 and 773 together. As the Deputy will be aware, the Cork School of Music represents a constituent part of Cork Institute of Technology. The Institutes of Technology are statutory bodies established under the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006. Under the terms of these Acts, the governance and day-to-day activities of the Institutes, including...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: In 2003/2004, my Department moved towards a model of devolving funding, responsibility and authority for building projects directly to school management authorities. The intention was to improve the quality of the school building infrastructure in a structured and prioritised manner, to improve efficiency in the use of resources and to achieve value for money. The Summer Works Scheme...