Results 8,241-8,260 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that during 2007 the number of NEPS psychologists has increased from a total of 128 in April to a current level of 134. In all 9 psychologists have been recruited in this period but due to the normal effect of resignations and retirement the net increase is 6. Six psychologists have been recruited since September and these undergo an induction and work shadowing...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can inform the Deputy that two meetings have taken place between officials of my Department and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul since last April in connection with the matter of that body providing funding to parents and schools in regard to psychological assessment of school children. My Department is most concerned at any inference that such assessments are required in order to access...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In the region of €730 million will be spent by my Department this year on tackling educational disadvantage at all levels – from pre-school to further and higher education. This represents an increase of over 60% and is testament to the Government's determination to prioritise social inclusion and ensure that all our children and young people get the supports they need to do well at...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the School referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. The School authorities have recently been requested to submit an addendum to the original stage 2 report (developed sketch scheme). When this information is received in my Department it will be evaluated by my Department's technical team. Progression of all building projects will be...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is aware that the home tuition scheme provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for pre-school children...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, all applications for large scale capital funding are assessed against published prioritisation criteria and assigned a Band rating. Progress on individual projects is then considered in the context of the multi-Annual School Building and, however, the school in question requires temporary accommodation in the meantime, it should make an immediate application to...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) that is administered by NEPS. In common with other psychological services NEPS encourages a staged assessment process,...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The issue of road safety outside the vested site areas of primary schools is a matter for a local authority in the first instance. Local authorities have the power to decide on appropriate road safety measures outside schools and should have the requisite measures in place to ensure the safety of pupils. The Department addresses traffic safety measures within school boundaries. This is done...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can inform the Deputy that no schools which received the NEPS service in 2006/07 have had that service withdrawn. The Deputy will be aware that during 2007 the number of NEPS psychologists has increased from a total of 128 in April to a current level of 134. In all 9 psychologists have been recruited in this period but due to the normal effect of resignations and retirement the net increase...

Written Answers — Early Retirement Provisions: Early Retirement Provisions (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A total of 5,260 primary, secondary, community and comprehensive school teachers retired before reaching maximum pension age in the years 2001-2006. The cumulative cost of retirement benefits, gratuity and pension, paid to those retirees over that period amount to €783 million. The Tabular Statement sets out the details. The great majority of teachers retire before reaching maximum...

Written Answers — Water Charges: Water Charges (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The commitment in the Programme for Government is to examine how local authorities might grant allow schools a reasonable level of usage of water and waste services without charge, and that charges would only apply when a school exceeded the allowance. The Deputy will appreciate that it is a primarily a matter for my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Since its commencement in 1998, there has been significant investment in the ICT in Schools Programme, in providing computers to schools, professional development ICT courses for teachers, improving the availability of digital content and in supporting schools to integrate ICT into their teaching and learning. The recent priorities under the Programme have been the development of schools'...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The current recommended size of a standard en-suite classroom with storage facilities is 80 m2. The rest of the information requested is not readily available in the format sought by the Deputy. The funding of €4.5 billion to be provided under the new National Development Plan (NDP) for investment in school building Infrastructure, the largest investment programme in schools in the history...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The tender report for the school referred to by the Deputy is under examination in my Department at present. The school's Board of Management will be kept advised of developments when the examination is complete.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to inform the Deputy, that the breakdown of the 2008 building budget between the devolved and other schemes has not yet been determined.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 520 and 522 together. Providing the county specific information requested by the Deputy in relation to language support teachers would require accessing individual school files, involving an inordinate amount of administrative time for both compilation and checking. In order to meet the language needs of students in our schools whose first language is not...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 521 and 523 together. The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of Language Support teachers employed in second level schools in County Roscommon and in County Leitrim in each of the past five years is not readily available within my Department and would involve an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. My Department...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: During the probationary period for primary teachers, which normally extends over a school year, the Inspectorate evaluates a teacher's effectiveness in a classroom environment, and in teaching the appropriate range of curriculum areas and subjects. Probationary requirements for primary teachers are laid out in Circular 0140/2006. Where a teacher is dissatisfied with the professional work of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Capital funding expended on school building projects in County Galway for the years in question are detailed as follows: Year € 2005 23,066,474 2006 20,126,622 2007 21,857,678 In addition, all primary schools with permanent recognition benefit annually from the Minor Works Grant, which has a current rate of €5,500 per school, €18.50 per pupil and €74.00 per special needs pupil....

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Capital funding expended on school building projects in County Roscommon for the years in question are detailed as follows: Year € 2005 2,066,062 2006 2,332,135 2007 5,985,034 In addition, all primary schools with permanent recognition benefit annually from the Minor Works Grant, which has a current rate of €5,500 per school, €18.50 per pupil and €74.00 per special needs pupil....