Results 6,981-7,000 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The demand for additional accommodation in schools has risen significantly over the last number of years mainly due to the rapid expansion in teacher numbers particularly in the area of special needs, the growth in the school-going population in rapidly developing areas, including the impact of immigration, and the demands to cater for diversity through the recognition of new Gaelscoileanna...

Written Answers — Education Convention: Education Convention (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The issues around future governance and management in the primary school system, in the context of changing circumstances, are the subject of dialogue on an ongoing basis with each of the patron bodies, management bodies and education partners. Education issues have also featured strongly in the ongoing structured dialogue between the Government, churches, faith communities and...

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to confirm to the Deputy that it is my intention to publish a Data Strategy for my Department, covering the 2008 to 2010 period, in March 2008. The Data Strategy will provide an important contribution to the ongoing development of the evidence-base for education policy over the coming years. Making better use of existing data as well as introducing new and essential sources of...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My first priority in relation to improving the cash flow for schools is to increase the level of funding to them. Improving the funding for schools is a central part of the education provisions in the Programme for Government. The Programme contains the commitment by Government that the capitation grant for primary schools will be doubled. My Department will be paying around €167m to...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 124 together. Under the terms of my Department's student grant schemes, the position is that students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for grants where they satisfy the prescribed conditions with regard to age, residence, means, nationality and previous academic attainment. Students are categorised according to their...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. There are now in the region of 6,000 more primary teachers than there were in 2002. By the 2006/07 school year, we had reduced the average class size in our primary schools to 24, while the pupil teacher ratio was 16.4:1, including resource teachers etc. In that year, schools were...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for allocating special needs assistants (SNAs) to schools and for reviewing such allocations. Special needs Assistants are intended to support children who have care needs arising from a disability. There are currently in excess of 9,800 special needs assistants in...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that 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). The SCPA was established, pending the expansion to all schools of the service provided by NEPS psychologists, specifically to undertake...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The school authority in question has submitted an application to my Department for a new school. Applications for large scale capital funding are assessed and banded in accordance with published prioritisation criteria. These criteria were agreed following consultation with the Education Partners and the progression of individual projects is considered in the context of the multi-annual...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: Tá tionscadal tograithe an Halla Corpoideachais ag Staid 4/5 (dearadh mionsonrach/Bille Cainníochtaí). Machnófar ar bhonn leanúnach cur chun cinn gach uile tionscadal tógála ar scála mór ó chéim an chéad dearaidh go dtí staid an tógála, i gcomhthéacs an Chlár Ilbhlianach Tógála agus Nuachóirithe Scoileanna atá ar siúl ag mo Roinn.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 137 together. The information requested by the Deputy in relation to teaching principals is currently being compiled by my Department for the 2007/08 school year. In the 2006/07 school year there were 2,100 primary schools with teaching principals. There were 159,500 pupils and 9,100 teachers (including ex-quota posts) in these schools. Schools with a...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available, however, I have arranged for it to be forwarded to her directly. The initiative for an amalgamation may come from a variety of sources, such as parents, staff, boards of management and the Patron. The reasons for amalgamation can be many and varied ranging from, demography (decline in enrolments) to desire for co-education, to...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: A revised technical submission for the project in question is currently being examined by my Department's technical staff. Delivery of all building projects, including the school in question will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. I intend to make further announcements during the year of projects to proceed to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special needs supports such as resource teaching hours and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support on the basis of applications in respect of individual pupils. Each SENO...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: 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. I am pleased to advise that the issue is being actively progressed between the IAA and...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123, 126 and 166 together. It has been the practice in recent years to increase the level of maintenance grants annually, at least in line with inflation. Under the 2007 schemes, however, I secured approval for a 10% increase in the standard rate of student grant for the academic year 2007/08. This very substantial increase, at twice the rate of inflation,...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: The Towards 2016 Agreement contains a commitment to put in place a targeted scheme to alleviate the fees in public institutions for part-time courses at third level for those at work who have not previously pursued a third level qualification. In relation to the implementation of this commitment, the HEA has developed proposals for a Modular Accreditation Programme (MAP) that could be...

Written Answers — Language Supports: Language Supports (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: To assist primary schools to meet the needs of their pupils for whom English is a second language the Department of Education and Science has commissioned the development of an assessment kit. This kit will assist in determining the English language proficiency of these pupils. The tests of English language proficiency in the kit were compiled by Integrate Ireland Language and Training...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: At the outset I wish to make it clear that decisions in relation to amalgamations are in the first instance a matter for the respective Patron and Trustees of the schools concerned. My Department works predominantly with the trustees of schools in seeking to obtain an agreement to amalgamate. With regards to the schools in question, I wish to advise the Deputy that discussions with the...

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (20 Feb 2008)

Mary Hanafin: My Department, in conjunction with the HEA, is preparing proposals for a process to develop a clear and coherent strategic policy framework for the future development of the higher education sector in Ireland. It is anticipated that the process to develop the new strategy will commence later this Spring.