Results 6,781-6,800 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 400 and 401 together. Final data are not yet available on the number of pupils leaving or entering schools for the 2007/2008 school-year. Data on the numbers of pupils leaving National Schools and entering aided Second Level schools in 2005 and 2006 are contained in the following table. Enhancing attendance, progression, retention and attainment are central...

Written Answers — School Vending Machines: School Vending Machines (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Schools are privately managed institutions which, although funded by the State, enjoy a large degree of autonomy. It is, therefore, primarily a matter for each school to devise guidelines around the types of food that is available on the school premises and such policies should be driven by the needs and welfare of the pupils. I know that many schools have developed healthy eating policies...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, there have been significant developments in special education since 1998 involving enhanced levels of provision as well as new structural and legislative frameworks for the delivery of services to pupils with Special Educational Needs. The requisite qualifications for filling Learning Support/Resource Teaching posts and Resource Teaching posts are outlined in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 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 project referred to by the Deputy, 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. The...

Written Answers — School Opening Hours: School Opening Hours (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Starting time for schools is a matter for individual boards of management to determine in accordance with the requirements set out in Circular 11/95 on "Time in School". This circular is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie. Sections 14, 15 and 23 of the Education Act,1998 assigns each Board of Management and Principal Teacher responsibility for the day-to-day management...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Mar 2008)

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

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 407 and 408 together. The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government commits to the long-term funding for the centres that are currently in the ABA pilot programme subject to agreement with my Department on standards that will enable the Department to support them as primary schools for children with autism. The issue is being actively...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: It is the policy of my Department to ensure that payments due to companies in respect of services, including those referred to by the Deputy, are made as expeditiously as possible. The Deputy will appreciate however that queries may arise in specific cases that need to be resolved before payments can issue. However the Deputy can be assured that my Department will continue to issue payments...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The development of the proposed building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage. The progression of all large scale building projects from initial design stage through to construction phase, including the project in question, 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 (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: A Building Project for the schools, to which the Deputy refers, has been assigned a Band1 rating under the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. It is envisaged that the project will provide for accommodation to cater for 2 no. 20 classrooms schools and associated ancillary works on the existing school site. The process to appoint a Design Team for the proposed...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: A draft Statutory Instrument and Regulatory Impact Screening document is currently being finalised and will issue shortly for consultation. This will provide for a statutory underpinning for the primary school curriculum.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I assume the Deputy is referring to the Small Schools Scheme — also known as the devolved scheme — under which schools have been offered funding to build a small number of extra permanent classrooms. As the Deputy will be aware, this Government has prioritised improvements in school buildings with unprecedented levels of investment and improved delivery mechanisms. The Small Schools...

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy may be aware, the vast majority of support for childcare, 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. Investment of €575 million under the NCIP aims to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: During the period of the last National Development Plan 2000-2006 my Department accelerated the school building programme with record levels of investment and the streamlining of delivery systems. An aggregate total of well over €2.6 billion was invested in upgrading existing school infrastructure and providing new school accommodation at both first and second-level. This programme...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children 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 individualised education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers who may draw from a range of autism-specific...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (4 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 (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Officials in my Department have been pursuing the question of sourcing a site to accommodate the school to which the Deputy refers. All applications for large scale capital funding are assessed against published prioritisation criteria and assigned a band rating. Progress on individual projects is then considered in the context of the multi-Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: In 2002 my Department approved the provision of an additional 75 places on new courses in Speech and Language Therapy in University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Galway and University Limerick in addition to 25 places on an existing course in Trinity College Dublin. As a result there has been a significant increase in the numbers of Speech and Language Therapists graduating...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 420 to 425, inclusive, together. The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children 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 individualised education programmes, fully qualified...

Written Answers — Foghlaim na Gaeilge: Foghlaim na Gaeilge (4 Mar 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Forálann Alt 8 den Bhunreacht gurb í an Ghaeilge an teanga náisiúnta agus príomhtheanga an Stáit. Sa chomhthéacs seo, déantar gach dícheall chun a chinntiú go gcuirtear deiseanna ar fáil trí réimse áisíneachtaí chun cur i gcumas daoine óga agus aosach an teanga a fhoghlaim. Insna scoileanna, tá an Ghaeilge ina hábhar riachtanach do chríochnú na timthriallach...