Results 8,441-8,460 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (14 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and the Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. The Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a place in the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (14 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the Department is in receipt of an application from County Kildare VEC for large scale capital funding for second level accommodation in Castledermot. The project has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. Progress on the proposed works is being considered in the context of the multi-annual...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (14 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 192 and 193 together. The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. However, if the Deputy wishes to request details on a specific school, my officials will provide the required information.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (14 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is not maintained by my Department. Third Level Colleges and Institutions are autonomous bodies and are responsible for the day to day management of their affairs, including applications for planning permission for building projects.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (14 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, 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 directly to...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (14 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The admission requirements for entry into third level colleges and the delineation of points for particular subjects are matters for decision by the colleges themselves. The Central Applications Office provides a processing service on behalf of the colleges, based on the parameters stipulated by the colleges for entry purposes. I am on record as favouring the provision of bonus points for...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (14 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I would presume that the Deputies is alluding, in his reference to private psychologists, to those who participate in the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). This Scheme was established in 2001 to allow schools, who do not have a NEPS psychologist assigned to them, to commission individual psychological assessments from a panel of private psychologists set up by NEPS...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will, I'm sure, be aware that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA and have an assessment carried...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The reply of 2 October 2007 dealt with the issue of implementation of Relationships and Sexuality Education in second level schools. The content of the Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum for primary schools was developed as part of the revised Primary Curriculum which has been implemented on a phased basis over the period 1999 to 2007. Social Personal and Health...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has been prioritising developing areas for investment under the School Building and Modernisation Programme. During the period of the last National Development Plan 2000-2006, record levels of investment and the streamlining of delivery systems allowed a major acceleration of the school building programme. Over €2.6 billion was invested in...

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is notified annually of the details of all pupils attending post primary schools. This information is provided by each school via the October return and is used for a number of purposes, including the production of statistics on the retention of pupils in the post primary school system. In addition to this the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, places an obligation on schools to...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: 3,761 more teachers were employed in primary schools in September 2007 than in September 2004. The allocation of these additional posts improved the pupil teacher ratio from 17.44 in the 2003/2004 school year to 16.41 in the 2006/2007 school year. The additional posts allocated at primary level have been used for improvements to the staffing schedule to ensure that all primary schools are...

Written Answers — Library Service: Library Service (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: At primary level it is a matter for each Local Authority to provide a library service for schools in its area. While my Department has no involvement in the actual operation of this service, it does make a grant available to each Local Authority on an annual basis to enable Local Authority Librarians select, purchase, and deliver books to the primary schools in its area. The grant is based on...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Historically, the church authorities (mainly Catholic and Church of Ireland) acted as patrons or sponsors of primary schools by initiating the process of establishing a new school when one was needed to serve a specific geographic area. This model of school provision has been incrementally evolving to reflect changes in demand and in the expectations of society, notably the demand for...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 61 and 68 together. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has been prioritising developing areas for investment under the School Building and Modernisation Programme. During the period of the last National Development Plan 2000-2006, record levels of investment and the streamlining of delivery systems allowed a major acceleration of the school building...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 63 together. The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 was enacted in July 2004. The Special Education Appeals Board (SEAB) was established under section 36 of the EPSEN Act to hear and determine appeals pursuant to a number of sections of the Act. Members of the inaugural appeals board have been appointed and are...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The annual total of births in Ireland has been increasing since 1995. As a direct consequence of this, enrolments at Primary level have been increasing since 2001/02 and are projected to continue increasing for the foreseeable future. Inward migration is another factor pushing up enrolment at both primary and second level in recent years together with an underlying increase in participation...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware from my previous reply that this €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 — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The setting of fees for non-EU nationals attending medical schools, and other higher education courses, is a matter for the institutions themselves. I understand that, at present, the annual fees are approximately €28,000 in the public higher education institutions. The Government supports the internationalisation of Irish education services and, in 2004, accepted the Report of the...

Written Answers — Scéimeanna Tógála Scoile: Scéimeanna Tógála Scoile (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Tá iarrtha ar Oifig na nOibreacha Poiblí, a fheidhmíonn thar ceann mo Roinne go ginearálta maidir le fáil suíomhanna do scoileanna, suíomh a aimsiú do Scoil Náisiúnta Ghort a' Choirce. Tá suíomh oiriúnach tar éis a shainaitheanta agus tá fáil an tsuímh ag staid tíolactha. Machnófar comhaontas chun dul isteach i gconradh do cheannach an tsuímh seo i gcomhthéacs bhuiséad...