Results 7,861-7,880 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (12 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The Department has no plans to acquire the site to which the Deputy refers. There are 2 sites reserved in Greystones for educational provision and the Department is focusing its attention on acquiring these.
- Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: A happy school is a good school.
- Leaders' Questions (12 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: I have been on the dry all my life.
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: My Department has already provided a 16-classroom facility to meet the immediate accommodation requirements in Laytown. The new 24-classroom school building will be provided by my Department under a design and build contract. The procurement process for this project is now nearing completion and it is expected that the contract will be awarded very soon. As part of the tender competition, the...
- Written Answers — Capitation Grants: Capitation Grants (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: Secondary schools receive funding by way of per capita grants, to meet their day-to-day running costs, including refuse and water charges. The value of the capitation grants have improved significantly over the past few years and are set to increase again by â¬15 to â¬331 per pupil in 2008. In addition, voluntary secondary schools will benefit by an increase of â¬15 in the support...
- Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: I am aware of the rising number of foreign national students in our school system, and also that there are over one hundred languages, other than Irish or English, spoken in Ireland. The facilities we currently provide for our newcomer students in the examination system are expanding each year and are kept under regular review by my Department. In addition, the number of language support...
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The Department's long term plan for Portlaoise is to provide three new post primary schools and to amalgamate and expand primary provision to meet the growing needs of the area. Educational provision at post primary level in the town needed to be addressed first and a new V.E.C. school building has already been delivered. The two other post primary school building projects are due to go on...
- Written Answers — School Inspectors: School Inspectors (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The Inspectorate is a division within the Department of Education and Science and at present has a complement of over 160 primary and post-primary inspectors. While inspectors are generally recruited to work in either the primary or the post-primary sector, the work of the Inspectorate is managed as a unified service headed by the Chief Inspector. The Inspectorate has a statutory quality...
- Written Answers — Language Support Services: Language Support Services (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: In May this year I approved the issue of Circular 53/2007 to the Management Authorities in primary and post primary schools outlining the resources available to meet the needs of pupils for whom English is a second language. I removed the limit of two Language Support Teachers per school and extended the provision of language support beyond two years, where a specific request is made. In...
- Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The revised primary curriculum was launched in 1999 after extensive consultation with the partners in education. Page 27 in the Introduction to the Curriculum states "It is a particular feature of Irish primary education that children, from the beginning of schooling, have experience of language learning in two languages." It also sets out a suggested minimum weekly time framework for...
- Written Answers — Vocational Training: Vocational Training (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The responsibility for curriculum development is a matter for the higher education institutions, having regard to internal and external quality assurance systems, and institutional strategy. I would fully expect that institutions in so developing such curricula would have regard to the needs of all students participating. I would be happy to consider any specific details further should they...
- Written Answers — School Planning: School Planning (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The process of assessing the need for new or additional educational facilities at primary or post-primary level in any given area entails consideration of all relevant factors, including enrolment and demographic trends, housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet the demand for places. Liaison with existing schools is also an important part of the process. In this way,...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The budget for 2007 is the first year of the roll out of the National Development Plan 2007-2013 which will involve an investment of over â¬4.5 billion in school buildings. This funding will enable the Department to continue to take a proactive approach to the provision of modern school accommodation particularly in developing areas. The Department is planning for an expected 100,000...
- Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The curriculum in Physical Education at Primary level provides for activity across six strands, athletics, dance, gymnastics, games, outdoor and adventure activities and aquatics. Five of the strands are outlined for implementation at all levels from junior infants to sixth class, while the aquatic strand is outlined for implementation at any one of the class group levels or over a number of...
- Written Answers — Student Support Schemes: Student Support Schemes (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: A key goal of the National Development Plan 2007-13 is to widen participation and increase student and graduate numbers at third level. The Fund for Students with Disabilities, the Student Assistance Fund and the Millennium Partnership Fund, co-financed by the Government and the European Social Fund, form part of the strategy to achieve this goal. The three funding programmes are...
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware from my previous replies that this â¬3 billion investment delivered over 9,000 projects in schools throughout the country over the last 7 years. This investment has significantly increased capacity and transformed the standard of accommodation in many schools. Given the scale of investment and the number of projects involved it would require an inordinate amount of...
- Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The table lists the school visits undertaken by me since June 2007. There are 32 in total, of which 21 are primary schools and 11 are post primary schools. It is a matter for individual schools to issue invites to events being hosted by them. A list issues to the media each week by the Government Information Services outlining all Ministerial public engagements. Events such as school...
- Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The new 24 classroom Primary School for Laytown will be positioned on that part of the site which was purchased by my Department in May 2007.
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: As I have indicated previously I intend to continue to move through the School Building and Modernisation Programme in a planned way over the next number of years. This is possible with the availability of â¬4.5 billion capital funding for first and second level school infrastructure development under the new NDP 2007-2013. This will build on the major investment of over â¬2.6 billion on...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Dec 2007)
Mary Hanafin: As part of the Government's strategy for the provision of school places for 2008 and onwards, a commitment to establish a Developing Areas Unit in my Department is given under the Programme for Government. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that this Unit has been established. It is located in Tullamore and forms part of my Department's planningand building division already based in that...