Results 8,521-8,540 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

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

Mary Hanafin: A site to facilitate the proposed extension project to the school referred to by the Deputy has been independently valued. This valuation is under consideration by Officials in School Planning Section of the Department. The further progression of the project will be considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation programme.

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

Mary Hanafin: An application for grant-aid to improve the security system has recently been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. This application is under examination in my Department at present and the school management will be informed of the decision as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 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 (SENO), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. The needs of the child in question were considered by the Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENO) and the child was...

Written Answers — Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) is a second — chance education initiative which is funded by my Department for unemployed persons who are at least 21 years of age and in receipt of certain social welfare payments for at least six months. It is operated through the Vocational Education Committees. The aim of the Scheme is to give unemployed people education and training...

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

Mary Hanafin: Enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and my Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. My 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 (13 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 (13 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 — Irish Language: Irish Language (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As part of new measures aimed at improving outcomes in Irish language learning and proficiency, a subject-specific support service for Irish has been established. The service forms part of the Second Level Support Service (SLSS) which provides programme and subject specific curricular support, and support for teaching and learning generally in second-level schools. The support service for...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: At present Vocational Education Committees do not come within the ambit of the Freedom of Information Acts. However, the Government has decided that the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts should be extended to VECs. Consultations involving officials of my Department and the Irish Vocational Education Association have been initiated by the Department of Finance with a view to...

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). including. DEIS also brings together and builds upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage, including the provision of...

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

Mary Hanafin: Sections 14, 15 and 23 of the Education Act,1998 assigns each Board of Management and Principal Teacher responsibility for the day-to-day management of the school concerned. The terms of Circular 16/73 provide that the Principal of primary schools should organise supervision for the order and general behaviour of the pupils during school hours. In particular, s/he should organise and...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Teaching service given in Northern Ireland is not recognised for the purpose of teachers' superannuation awards in this State as there is no agreement at present between the jurisdictions on the transferability of pension entitlements. As the Deputy may be aware, at a recent North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) meeting in institutional format issues in relation to obstacles to cross border...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has been operational since 1st January 2005 and is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports. I understand that the pupil referred to by the Deputy is in receipt of 5 hours resource teaching support and 12.5 SNA (Special needs Assistant) hours per week. The recommended hours...

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

Mary Hanafin: The projects in the school building programme are listed on my Department's website at www.education.ie. Projects are progressed within the context of the multi-annual school building programme which involves an investment of €4.5 billion during the period 2007 to 2013. Given the multiplicity of variables that impact on the progress of individual projects, and the Department's devolved...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I have no plans to introduce driver education, in the form of driving lessons, in schools, and this is not the norm within the EU. Research available internationally is inconclusive on the benefits of teaching young people to drive at school. Particular issues highlighted include the gap arising between the time practical skills are learned initially and put into regular practice, and the...

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

Mary Hanafin: An application for an extension has been received from the school to which the Deputy refers. An assessment of projected enrolments, demographic trends and housing developments in the area will be required in order to assist in determining the long term projected enrolment on which the school's long term accommodation needs will be based. When the long-term projected enrolment has been...

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

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the Department is in receipt of an application for large scale capital funding from the school to which he refers. 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 School Building and Modernisation programme.

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

Mary Hanafin: The Department is not in receipt of an application for capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. At the time the response issued to Parliamentary Question Number 856 on the 24th April, 2007, I said that the Department understood that the school was preparing an application for major capital funding, however, this has not materialised.

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 385, 391, 392, 393, 395, 397 and 409 together. I can confirm to the Deputy that the Department is in receipt of applications for large scale capital funding from the schools to which he refers. The projects have been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. Progress on the proposed works is being...

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

Mary Hanafin: The project to which the Deputy referred to is at an early stage of architectural planning. A Stage 3 submission was examined by officials from my Department and clarification was sought from the Design Team on a number of items. This clarification has recently been received and it is currently being examined by my Department's technical team. The school's Board of Management will be kept...