Results 7,161-7,180 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The demand for water in schools can be minimised through push type spray taps, low flushing toilets, urinal controls, fixing easily identifiable leaks etc. Guidance was recently issued to schools on the most appropriate measures to minimise excess consumption of water and to reduce wastage where it exists. In addition, water conservation issues will continue to be addressed by my Department...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The OJEU notice offering the 2nd Bundle of PPP Schools to the market was dispatched to eTenders on the 20th May 2008 and advertisements were also placed in the national print media. The Department is currently examining the feasibility of including the school referred to by the Deputy in the 3rd Bundle of Public-Private Partnership projects which I intend announcing later this year. The...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENO) for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. SENOs also make recommendations where assistive technology is required. I can confirm that an application for a...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work, Act 1989, it is the responsibility of school management authorities, including the authorities of the school in question, to have a safety statement in place in their schools. Schools are obliged to identify possible hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and to put appropriate safeguards in place. In practical terms,...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work, Act 1989, it is the responsibility of school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools. Schools are obliged to identify possible hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and to put appropriate safeguards in place. In practical terms, individual school authorities are best placed to assess the...

Written Answers — School Supervision: School Supervision (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As indicated to the Deputy previously, the application from the school referred to is currently under consideration at present and it is expected that Department officials will be back in contact with the school authorities with a decision on this application very shortly. With regard to the question of who is legally responsible and liable if a child or a teacher has an accident, it is the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Schedules of overall accommodation for the school to which the Deputy refers have been agreed with Co. Cork Vocational Education Committee to cater for a long term enrolment of 325 pupils. The progression of this project as with all large scale building projects, from initial design stage through to construction phase, will be considered on an on-going basis in the context of my Department's...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 to 120, inclusive, together. An application for capital funding towards the provision of a new school building has recently been received from the school authority referred to by the Deputy. The Department is currently considering all appropriate accommodation options for the school and when a final decision is made the school authority will be notified...

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department's main interventions in the area of Early Years education are in the areas of disadvantage or special needs and there isn't funding available from the Department or from its agencies to support play therapy centres. Support for childcare is provided by the Office of the Minister for Children under the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 and the Deputy may wish to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The development of a building project for the school in question is at an early stage. A feasibility study has been carried out to assist in establishing an exact accommodation brief for the school, which would include the provision of an ASD unit. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be...

Written Answers — Bullying in the Workplace: Bullying in the Workplace (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Institutes of Technology are statutory bodies established under the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006. Under the terms of these Acts, the governance and day-to-day activities of the Institutes, including procedures for dealing with allegations of bullying and harassment, are matters for which the Governing Bodies and the Management of the Institutes are responsible. It is my...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: 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. However, in light of...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: At the outset, I wish to advise the Deputy that there are now over 19,000 staff in our schools working solely with children with special needs. This includes almost 10,000 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) — compared with just 300 in 1997. SNAs are sanctioned by special education needs organisers to schools specifically to assist in the care of pupils and students with disabilities in an...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (28 May 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 — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: In April, my Department notified the school referred to by the Deputy that based on the School's enrolment it had an over-allocation of 5 hours under the General Allocation model. As this is a recent development it is not intended to reduce the school's allocation for this school year. All primary schools have recently been asked to complete an application form for the allocation of Learning...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The process of reviewing the income limits, rates of grant and other aspects of the general criteria of the 2008 Maintenance Grant Schemes is a priority in my Department at present. Decisions on the 2008 schemes will be announced as soon as the process is completed.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (28 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: In general, the Office of Public Works (OPW) procures sites on behalf of my Department. More recently, my Department has begun interacting directly with several local authorities in relation to acquiring sites, particularly in rapidly developing areas. The question of the use of Compulsory Purchase Order is a matter for the relevant local authority in the first instance.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The level of student intake to the Colleges of Education is determined annually by my Department and it takes account of the supply of and demand for primary teachers. In recent years the approved level of intake to the Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching) has been 1,000 annually. All colleges providing Bachelor of Education courses are State funded and tuition fees are not levied on...