Results 8,861-8,880 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The issue of road safety measures outside the vested site areas of primary schools should be raised in the first instance with the relevant Local Authority. Local Authorities have the power to decide on road safety measures outside schools and should have in place appropriate measures to ensure the safety of school attending pupils. It is open to the Boards of Management of schools to make an...

Written Answers — School Inspectors: School Inspectors (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The number of primary district and divisional inspectors employed within the Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Science on the 30 September for each of the past five years is as follows: 2003 — 72 primary inspectors 2004 — 77 primary inspectors 2005 — 71 primary inspectors 2006 — 74 primary inspectors 2007 — 82 primary inspectors It should be noted that the number of...

Written Answers — Learning Support: Learning Support (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, a new general allocation system was introduced in May 2005, under which schools have been provided with resource teaching hours, based on their enrolment figures, to cater for children with high incidence special needs such as dyslexia and those with learning support needs. This system was intended to be introduced for the 2004/2005 school year. Schools were notified...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is currently considering the correspondence referred to by the Deputy, and will respond on the matter as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will probably be aware, all primary schools receive an annual Minor Works Grant in the sum of €5,500 plus €18.50 per pupil. This is intended to be used by schools to address most of the type of works to which the Deputy refers. The Summer Works Scheme (SWS), in place since 2004, also funds necessary small-scale works that, ideally, can be planned and delivered during the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to clarify that my Department provides funding for the education of children with autism through the primary and post-primary school system, rather than any specific support services being provided for parents. Parents may contact their local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) directly to discuss their child's special educational needs using the contact details available on...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy may be aware that, with effect from 28th March, 2006, the Teaching Council is the designated authority for recognition of qualifications for the regulated profession of primary and secondary teachers. Persons wishing to be registered as a teacher in this country must apply to the Teaching Council for recognition of their qualifications. If their qualifications are recognised by the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students which are administered by the Local Authorities and the Vocational Education Committees. The Higher Education Grant Scheme operates under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992. Generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses for the first time are...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Under my Department's Free Fees Initiative the Exchequer meets the tuition fees of eligible students who are attending approved undergraduate third-level courses in the State. There are no plans to extend this initiative to cover third level institutions in Northern Ireland. Under my Department's Higher Education Grant Schemes, maintenance grants are available to eligible students pursuing...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is in receipt of an application from the school to which the Deputy refers for the refurbishment/redevelopment of its sports complex, including the swimming pool. The project has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and has been assigned a band 4 rating. Progress on the project will be considered in the context...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Report of the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education made detailed recommendations concerning the introduction of special rates of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students. The target group of "those most in need" was defined in terms of the dependants of people receiving long-term welfare payments, where the necessary conditions are fulfilled. The special rates of grant are...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to advise the Deputy that there are three teaching vacancies out of a total teaching complement of four teaching posts. Due to this exceptional number of vacancies, the school was unable to re-open in September 2007. I am informed that the Board of Management is actively engaged in a recruitment process to fill these vacancies and that every effort is being made to expedite the process...

Written Answers — Capitation Grants: Capitation Grants (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Schools' running costs are met by my Department's scheme of capitation grants which affords schools considerable flexibility in the use of these resources to cater for the needs of their pupils. This is in my view a preferable approach to putting in place grants for specific cost items such as interpreters. These grants are intended to contribute towards the general operating costs of schools...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 502 and 504 together. Earlier this year the person referred to by the Deputy was asked to provide preliminary advice on the merits of the submission by WIT, having regard to; (i)the national strategy for the development of Irish higher education, (ii)implications for regional development in the South-East in the context of the National Spatial Strategy and...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy may be aware that, with effect from 28 March 2006, the Teaching Council is the designated authority for recognition of qualifications for the regulated profession of primary and secondary teachers. Persons wishing to be registered as teachers in this country must apply to the Teaching Council for recognition of their qualifications. The person to whom the Deputy's question refers...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Teacher allocations to second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. Each school management authority is required to organise its time-table and subject options having regard to pupils needs within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The rules for allocating teaching resources provide that...

Written Answers — Grangegorman Development Agency: Grangegorman Development Agency (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Having consulted the Grangegorman Development Agency I am satisfied that the Agency is aware of the need to incorporate the expertise and observations of An Garda Síochána in developing the Strategic Plan for the Project. I understand that the Agency has contacted An Garda Síochána and established a channel of communication that will allow that body input into the process for developing...

School Staffing. (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and thank the Minister, Deputy Gormley, and Deputy Andrews for being present. As noted by Deputy Quinn, I met the school principal in the forecourt of the girls school, which I was visiting, and he outlined the situation raised by Deputy Quinn, namely, that new students will be arriving at the school. The school is part of the Delivering Equality of...

School Staffing. (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: There has to be. It works on the following basis. There are 4,000 schools in the country. Traditionally, the only way teachers were allocated was on the basis of numbers on 30 September of the preceding year. Given increasing population and school numbers, we then introduced allocation on the basis of projected numbers. It was on this basis that St. Mary's boys national school made its...

School Staffing. (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The allocation was made on the condition it would reach the required enrolment by 30 September 2007. The school wrote to the Department stating it had not reached the enrolment. Notwithstanding this, there is an independent appeals process. There are two times when this adjudication panel meets: the first is when the original allocations are made early in the summer and the second when...