Results 7,121-7,140 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- School Bags. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: They are, but if a book is made attractive for the learner, it will include all these elements.
- School Bags. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Deputies will remember school books in which there were no pictures whereas now they are attractive, but they are heavier.
- School Bags. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: It is a balancing act. I hope that schools locally examine homework policy and provide storage facilities.
- School Bags. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The furniture grant awarded to schools includes money allocated for lockers.
- School Management. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: It is my view that it is important for children to avail of the opportunity to exercise at school and that children should be able to run and move freely in the school yard unless there are very compelling reasons for individual schools to prohibit such activity. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 sets out the responsibilities on individual school management authorities to have...
- School Management. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I am not aware that such a policy is widespread. It was only one school that came to my attention in this regard. There is no record in the Department of complaints from parents in this respect. I do not believe such a policy is widespread. Where it exists, it is based on fear rather than a genuine reality that children will pose a grave danger to themselves. The adoption of a "no ball"...
- School Management. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I am not sure it is necessary to write to every school in the country about something that only one or two schools are doing, but I am sure because of the interest that will be taken in Question Time today that they will all get this strong message.
- Inservice Training. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy may be aware, the Government has dramatically increased the number of language support teachers from just over 250 in 2002 to nearly 2,000 this year. We have also placed an emphasis on developing specific materials for teaching English as a second language. Integrate Ireland Language and Training has developed a number of key resources which have been distributed to all schools...
- Inservice Training. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I am not aware of seminars due to take place, but the fact is that all schools will be issued with a language resource kit, the materials for supporting teachers, the assessment kit for identifying children's needs â with a particular focus on the years they might need â after Easter. This material will be going out to primary schools as well at the end of the year. The fact that this...
- Inservice Training. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: It is not being put on the long finger. That will be issued this year as well. The primary one is ready first, because there are more children attending primary schools, and more teachers at primary level. I do not accept what the Deputy says about children not being able to participate in extracurricular activities. That is one sure way in which they will pick up the language, and they...
- Inservice Training. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Some 900 teachers participated in that course last summer. It was part of the summer courses primary school teachers do. They do a five-day course and get three days in lieu, time off, during the school year. It was a particularly popular course, so the Deputy can see we are being flexible in allââ
- Inservice Training. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: They do, however, get three days in lieu. It just shows the flexible manner in which the Department is supporting the teaching of English as a foreign language â as an additional language, in this case.
- Public Private Partnerships. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 113 together. In January of this year, I announced the bundling arrangements for the delivery of public private partnership, PPP, projects in nine separate third level institutions. The first bundle includes library projects at Limerick Institute of Technology, the University of Limerick and Cork Institute of Technology and a digital media building,...
- Public Private Partnerships. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: Subject to correction, I would say not before the tender process has been completed for the first bundle. The second and third bundles will go out then.
- Public Private Partnerships. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: It is envisaged that this will be the third quarter of the year.
- Public Private Partnerships. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: That is correct.
- Public Private Partnerships. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: I am not aware that I have answered questions on this particular issue before.
- Public Private Partnerships. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is not the only person who has sat in that seat. I do not know the actual procedures about answering his questions on the NTFA. However, I can give him some indication. I have the information as regards the three previous PPPs, so I do not envisage there should be a difficulty. I shall certainly report back to the Deputy.
- Public Private Partnerships. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: No, they were not. The NDFA has come in since.
- Public Private Partnerships. (20 Feb 2008)
Mary Hanafin: It is also important to recognise that the value can only be assessed over a period of 25 years and the way in which the risks were transferred has to be considered. These will be accelerated projects and might not have been delivered as quickly under our own capital programme. Equally it must be considered that management is built into the project. This must all be taken into account when...