Results 6,701-6,720 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy may be aware, the vast majority of support for child-care, including pre-school education, is not provided by my Department, but is now provided by the Office of the Minister for Children under the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 which is the successor programme to the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme. There are no plans for the pre-school sector to...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 397 and 405 together. I am pleased to inform the Deputies that my Department has written recently to the school in question approving grant-aid for the provision of temporary accommodation to meet its needs.

Written Answers — School Services Staff: School Services Staff (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial services in primary and secondary schools under two separate schemes. One is the 1978 scheme for the employment of school secretaries in primary and secondary schools under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. The 1978 scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being created. The 1978...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 399 and 400 together. The Department of Education and the National Council for Special Education have been working very hard to ensure that all autistic children have access to an education that is appropriate to their own individual needs. Whereas a few years ago, most parents of children with autism had no choice but to send them to a special school, now...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The appointment of a Design Team for the project referred to by the deputy has not yet been completed. 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

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: 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.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department's policy on educating children with autism is an inclusive policy of all autism specific interventions including TEACCH, PECs and Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) to ensure that each child can draw down from a number of different approaches to ensure the optimum individualised educational programme for him/her. It draws on the strengths of teachers who are trained in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The architectural planning of the building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage. The progression of all major projects to tender and construction, including this project, will be considered on an ongoing basis in the context of my Departments Multi Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers opened in temporary accommodation last September pending the refurbishment of accommodation which will act as a permanent home for the school. Costings have been submitted for the refurbishment works in question. Contact will be made with the school authority via the V.E.C., which is the client for the project, as soon as a decision has been taken on...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: 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 — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The priority rating of each individual building project is established in accordance with the Criteria for Prioritising Large Scale Projects (Primary and Post-primary) which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie. In accordance with the criteria set down, each project is allocated to an appropriate priority band rating on the basis of objective criteria. A review of the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The decision on eligibility for third level grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority — i.e. the local authority or VEC. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department except, in exceptional cases, where, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular clause in the relevant scheme is required. The closing date for receipt of grant applications...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Costs of archaeological surveys/works may arise in the case of specific building projects being progressed under my Department's School Building and Modernisation Programme. The costs involved are not recorded in my Department on a global basis; however, if the Deputy has a specific case in mind I will arrange to have the details forwarded to him.

Written Answers — Home Tuition: Home Tuition (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The rates of pay applicable to home tuition tutors are based on the qualifications of the tutor. Therefore tutors fall into 2 categories for payment purposes i.e. primary and secondary in accordance with the appropriate part time rates of payment. A subdivision within the categories reflects whether the tutor is qualified or unqualified. Early intervention tutors are primary teachers and...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 415 and 416 together. The Department has published the staffing schedule for the 2008/2009 school year. Given the increased enrolments in primary schools generally, the application of the schedule is likely to result in an increase of over 600 mainstream teaching posts for primary schools in the next school year. Approximately 120 posts will be lost in schools...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is working 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 in advance of the commencement of the corresponding sections of the Act. The remaining sections, including Section 30, will be commenced when it is feasible to do so. My Department continually monitors the situation in...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the general allocation model was introduced in primary schools in September 2005 to ensure that each school has learning support/resource teaching support available to meet the needs of children with high incidence special educational needs. When the model commenced, a commitment was given to carry out a review after three years of operation. It is intended that...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department's Circular 07/03, Appointments to Posts of Responsibility, outlines that due to the pivotal role of a Principal teacher in the overall management of a school, a Principal shall not undertake the duties of any type of a special education post. I have no plans to review this arrangement.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Modernisation and Policy Unit of my Department (formerly part of the Planning and Building Unit) has received around 165 applications for funding under the Contingency (Emergency) Works Fund since the beginning of January 2008. Grants from this fund are available for very urgent unforeseen works, primarily of a major health and safety nature, to schools that are in most need of resources...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (11 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: DEIS provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated School Support Programme (SSP). The process of identifying primary and second-level schools for participation in DEIS was managed by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) on behalf of the Department and was supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional...