Results 7,421-7,440 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

School Accommodation. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I will find it very helpful.

School Accommodation. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Obviously I do not accept that because I find there is a wealth of talent in the Department, which I am delighted to have available to me. I will write to the Deputy to give him a detailed outline of the number of purchased prefabs and the number that are rented. We have done a survey and are compiling the results. In deference to the Deputy, all that information will be sent to him.

School Accommodation. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I take the Deputy's point about doing our business better. I have been reviewing this area since my appointment. We have made significant improvements in getting much more permanent accommodation over three years. We have been reviewing the cost-effectiveness of what we are doing. The capital programme has been improved dramatically over the years. I am considering other ways of doing...

School Accommodation. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that I had charge of developing areas in my role as Minister of State with responsibility for housing. There has been considerable interaction between the Departments of Education and Science and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and planning sections in local authorities. We have made great strides in co-ordination and joined-up thinking and action....

Pupil-Teacher Ratio. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The programme for Government sets out the overarching policy position on the provision of additional teachers and on reductions in class size over the life of the Government. The programme contains a commitment to increase the number of primary teachers by at least 4,000 and on that basis to make further progress in reducing class sizes. Budget 2008 provided my Department with €4.6...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I do not have that information today, but I can obtain it for the Deputy. It was proposed to recruit 4,000 extra teachers over the period of the plan. Two years into that five-year plan we now have in excess of 2,000 additional teachers. Any fair-minded observer can see that the commitment to appoint additional teachers is being honoured. The Deputy is aware of the pressures on the...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy seems to forget that all commitments in the plan were predicated on the basis of the economic well-being and resources that were available. There is a commitment to have 4,000 teachers and it is my intention that we will honour that. There is a commitment to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio. The former Minister indicated as part of the budget for 2008 that this was being set aside...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio. (21 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy is aware that an arrangement is in place and he is asking me to break that arrangement. He is saying that we should allocate extra teachers but that when there is a fall-off in pupil numbers I should break the rules. I have to be fair. The number of teachers that will be affected is approximately 50 and, overall, we are employing an extra 500 teachers. What is important is the...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: An application for temporary accommodation from the school for which the Deputy refers has been received. The application is currently being assessed. My Department will be in contact with the school as soon as a decision has been made.

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The project for the school referred to by the Deputy has advanced to the stage that the Department has agreed the Schedule of Accommodation for a new 16-classroom school. The site required for the new school has now been acquired and the process of appointing a design team has commenced. The Department published the advertisement seeking qualified consultants on the public procurement website...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: A grant was sanctioned in March 2007 to enable the management authority of the school in question to extend and modernise their school. This scheme allows Boards of Management to address their accommodation and building priorities with a guaranteed amount of funding and gives them control of the building project. I understand that construction is due to commence during the summer holidays...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (20 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 392 and 426 together. To date applications have been received to invoke Section 9 of the Universities Act, 1997 from Waterford Institute of Technology, Dublin Institute of Technology and Cork Institute of Technology. These applications raise significant issues regarding Government policy towards higher education, in particular the existing roles of the...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: It is necessary for the Department to purchase additional land to enable a building project to facilitate this development and this process is on-going. Progress on the building project 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 current competing demands on the capital budget of the...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The Modernisation and Policy Unit of my Department received an application for emergency funding from the school in question. A decision on this application will be made as soon as possible and the school authority will be advised of the outcome.

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The development of a building project for the school in question is at an early stage. The commencement and progression of all large scale building projects from initial design stage through to construction phase, including this project, 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 — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (20 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following tabular statement. Number of students in Third Level Education Institutions aided by the Department of Education and Science 06/07 05/06 04/05 03/04 02/03 Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time 138,362 *31,194 136,719 31,354 133,691 34,509 133,887 34,000 129,283...

Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (20 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Data on the average annual cost of living for higher education students is not collected annually. The main source of data is the Eurostudent Survey, which is conducted with other research in this area by the Higher Education Authority. The second survey in the series, published in 2005, indicated that the average monthly expenditure (excluding tobacco, alcohol and entertainment) incurred by...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (20 May 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: A person with a degree on the list of approved qualifications is automatically entitled to be considered for registration with the Teaching Council (all other requirements being satisfied) provided that the subject coverage in his/her undergraduate degree meets the general and specific requirements for at least one curricular subject. These subject specific requirements are available on the...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 399 to 402, inclusive, and 429 together. Projects are usually activated by an application from the relevant school authority for capital works or on foot of the outcome of an Area Development Plan initiated by my Department. The estimated cost of a project cannot be easily determined at this initial stage. Generally before establishing the scope of such...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy is aware that my Department has put in place a range of teaching and care supports for pupils with special educational needs, including those with Down Syndrome. Pupils with Down Syndrome are entitled to additional teaching support in school, either under the terms of the general allocation system for children with high incidence special needs or through an allocation of...