Results 6,701-6,720 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Expenditure on the rental of temporary accommodation at primary level for each of the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 was €11.3m, €15.7m and €24.51m respectively. The information sought by the Deputy regarding the amount of rental payments made to individual suppliers is not readily available in my Department and given the number of payments involved it would require a very large amount of...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department currently provides grant-aid towards the provision of temporary school accommodation to the management authorities of education providers where it is established that a need for such temporary accommodation exists. Generally, where primary schools require temporary accommodation, the Board of Management is responsible for acquiring temporary accommodation and the rental contract...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information sought by the Deputy is given in the tabular statements. The expected completion of large scale projects in 2008 will consist of 21 new schools and 46 extension/refurbishment projects giving an overall total of 67 large scale projects due to be completed in 2008. An additional feature of the 2008 school building and modernisation programme is the provision of new schools in...

Written Answers — Schools ICT Strategy: Schools ICT Strategy (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that my predecessor appointed a strategy group to advise on the priorities for expenditure on information and communications technology in schools, having regard to the provision in the National Development Plan for the investment of €252m in the ICT in Schools Programme. I intend to publish the group's report shortly. The report will cover areas of required...

Written Answers — School Text Books: School Text Books (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department does not have information on the average cost of a set of text books for the three years of the Junior Certificate cycle. 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 approve, commission, sponsor or...

Written Answers — Teaching Council: Teaching Council (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department works closely with the Teaching Council to ensure that the Council is in a position to fully discharge the relevant functions of the Teaching Council Act. My Department was in close communication with the Teaching Council and with teachers' representative bodies over the course of the last year, to ensure all parties were aware of the implications and methods of fee-collection...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: A Regulatory Impact Assessment screening is required where a significant SI is planned. Section 30 of the Education Act also obliges the Minister to consult when making regulations to prescribe the curriculum. The RIA Screening is the mechanism through which the consultation is taking place. A draft Statutory Instrument and a Regulatory Impact screening document was issued to the following...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: It is not clear from the Deputy's question as to the nature of the vocational educational committee services being referred to. My officials have sought clarification from the Deputy's office and a further response will be provided following receipt of this clarification.

Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The student services charge is levied by third level institutions to defray the costs of examinations, registration and students services. The charge was €825 for the 2007/08 academic year. I should point out that the charge does not represent the total allocation towards student services from institutions budgets. The Institutions are autonomous bodies and as such determine the internal...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (3 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 — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware all primary and post-primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA, whereby the school can have an assessment...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The number of post-primary school pupils in the 2006/2007 school year was 301,186. The numbers of post-primary school pupils for that school year by class group, as requested by the Deputy is: Boys 1st 28,208; 2nd 28,534; 3rd 28,771; transition 12,546; 5th 27,946; 6th 23,914; Girls 1st 27,026; 2nd 27,633; 3rd 28,410; transition 14,533; 5th 28,078; 6th 25,587; The processing of the...

Written Answers — School Text Books: School Text Books (3 Jul 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. Syllabus planners are conscious of the need to avoid over frequent changes, primarily in order to minimise increases in the cost burden for parents. School authorities have been advised that...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department established a Gaeltacht Scholarship scheme in 2007. It is designed to enable children enrolled in designated disadvantaged post-primary schools to attend approved summer colleges for teaching Irish. The Galway Education Centre provides administrative support for the initiative. Funding of €100,000 has been made available for the scheme for 2008. Applications for the 2008...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, a large number of students take Masters by research and PhD programmes in our higher education institutions (HEIs). The precise breakdown between those that are publicly funded and those that are not is not readily available. However, as regards the theses arising from such programmes, these are traditionally retained in hard copy in academic libraries in HEIs and...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Annual Census of Primary Schools is a paper-based census. Schools are requested to make their returns by 31st October each year. In the 2007/2008 school year 3,282 ordinary and special primary schools made returns. All returns must be logged as received, checked and in some cases corrected with the input of the school Principal. These returns must then be keyed into a database, and...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware the July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism who choose to extend their education services through the month of July. My Department also provides for a July Programme for pupils with a severe/profound general learning disability. My Department encourages all...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at advanced stage of architectural planning. The progression of all large scale building projects, including 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 current...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The Professional and Technical Staff of my Department are currently examining a submission received from the Design Team. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered on an on-going basis...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: A reply to the letter to which the Deputy refers to has been forwarded to the Deputy's office this week outlining the position in relation to funding for the school to which the Deputy refers to. It is not possible on this occasion to fund the request for the extra accommodation, as sanction has not been given for the extra teacher for the school to which the Deputy refers to, for the coming...