Results 8,481-8,500 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

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

Mary Hanafin: The specific data requested by the Deputy is not available to my Department. The emphasis placed by this Government on tackling educational disadvantage in recent years is absolutely unprecedented. Since 2003, we have increased investment in educational inclusion measures at all levels by no less than 60%, to €730 million in 2007. We are determined to ensure that young people from...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated School Support Programme (SSP). DEIS will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The process of identifying schools for...

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

Mary Hanafin: The information in the format requested by the Deputy is not readily available. 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...

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 352 together. The process of increasing the number of Irish/EU places in medicine in Ireland commenced in 2006 following the acceptance by the Government of the report entitled "Medical Education in Ireland A new Direction" published jointly by the Department of Health and Children and my Department. The report (the Fottrell Report) called for an...

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

Mary Hanafin: I can inform the Deputy that since NEPS was established, we have trebled the number of psychologists in the service. Notwithstanding this and as I have previously announced my Department is committed to increasing psychological service staffing further, so that by 2009 there will be 200 NEPS psychologists. To this end I can further inform the Deputy that my Department has been working, in...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Department has carried out an extensive study on educational requirements for Swords for the medium to long term. This study has been formalised and included in the "Draft Area Development Plan for North Dublin, East Meath and South Louth" which was published in January 2007. The Commission on School Accommodation has completed a public consultation process on foot of this draft Plan...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In relation to SSIA income, I want to assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to ensure that SSIA savers are treated fairly in the calculation of reckonable income under my Department's maintenance grant schemes. This is being achieved in two ways: firstly, income from SSIAs is being treated exactly the same as income from similar savings and investment products; and secondly, the...

Written Answers — Access to Third Level Education: Access to Third Level Education (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am aware of recent public comment in relation to the operation of the CAO system. In my view, the CAO system has been a long standing success of the Irish education system. In addition to its core task to serve as a clearing house for the institutions in the allocation of higher education places to applicants, the CAO has, since its creation, earned a well deserved reputation for integrity...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Entry fees for the 2008 Junior Certificate Examination have not yet been determined. I expect that a decision will be taken very shortly with a view to announcing the new fee levels before the end of the current school term. The standard Junior Certificate examination fee that applied for the years 2002 to 2007 are set out in the following table: Year Fees â'¬ 2002: 69 2003: 72...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Based on a constant average annual salary of €60,000 over a forty year teaching career, the cumulative gross salary of a teacher would amount to €2.400 million in today's money. The gross superannuation costs calculated on this same salary on a constant basis over a subsequent 25 year retirement period would amount to €0.840 million inclusive of €90,000 in respect of retirement...

Written Answers — Second Level Charges: Second Level Charges (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: It is a fundamental principle of the Free Second Level Education Scheme that no charge be made in respect of:— (a)instruction in any subject of my Department's Programme for Secondary Schools; (b)recreation or study facilities where all pupils are expected to avail themselves of them as part of the school programme. (c)any other activity in which all pupils are required to take part....

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

Mary Hanafin: I assume that the Deputy is referring to my reply to the house of 2 October 2007 in which I stated that, while continuing to give reasonable support to existing fee charging second level schools, I do not intend to provide state funding for any new fee charging second level schools. I can clarify for the Deputy that my statement related to any proposal that might come before my Department...

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

Mary Hanafin: 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. The demand for additional accommodation in schools has risen significantly over the last number of years mainly due to the rapid expansion in teacher numbers particularly in the area of...

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

Mary Hanafin: The project to which the Deputy refers is a completely new school planned for the Fingal area. As the Deputy will be aware, the Department been working for some time with Fingal County Council on the acquisition of sites to enable new schools to open throughout its area of functionality in the coming years. The ability of the Department to open these schools is contingent on the sites being...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has issued guidelines to the Management Authorities of second level schools on meeting their obligations under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act to ensure the safety and health of their employees. As in other workplaces, staff in second level schools may be victims of bullying or violentor intimidating behaviour. While it may not be possible to prevent all such...

Written Answers — Driving Tests: Driving Tests (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department does not fund the employment of driving instructors in schools, and there are no plans to provide driving lessons as part of the road safety programmes being implemented in schools. A Road Safety programme for use in Transition Year has been developed by the Road safety Authority in collaboration with my Department, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Department been working for some time with Fingal County Council on the acquisition of sites to enable new schools to open throughout its area of functionality in 2008. The ability of the Department to open these schools next September is contingent on the sites being acquired very soon. The Department is encouraged by the Council's recent positive statement in relation to the progress...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides funding to the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences, Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology and the Technological Sector Research programme for individual post graduate research applications. The number of applications, by institution, under the post graduate research schemes operated by these bodies for the years 2004, 2005...

Written Answers — In-service Training: In-service Training (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As part of its work at whole school, customised and Behaviour Support Classroom levels, the National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) conducts in-school and out of school continuous professional development (CPD) courses which focus on systemic behaviour improvement in schools. To date, in-school CPD has mainly concentrated on upskilling staff in the areas of low level disruption and...

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

Mary Hanafin: The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30th September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued annually to all primary schools. According to data submitted to the Department by the Board of Management of the school referred...