Results 9,001-9,020 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The decision on eligibility for third level grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority — i.e. the local authority or VEC. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department except, in exceptional cases, where, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular clause in the relevant scheme is required. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. There are now 5,000 more primary teachers than there were in 2002. By the 2006/07 school year, we had reduced the average class size in our primary schools to 24, while the pupil teacher ratio was 16.4:1, including resource teachers etc. In that year, schools were staffed on the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: There are currently 369 Special Need Assistants (whole-time equivalents) employed in schools in Co. Kildare. Three hundred and forty one are serving in Primary schools and twenty eight in Post Primary schools. It is not possible to provide this information for previous years.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Officials in the Department are currently in the process of arranging a technical visit to the schools referred to by the Deputy. The school authorities will be notified directly as soon as arrangements in this regard have been finalised.

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Existing education policy is that students up to 18 years of age are admitted to schools irrespective of their nationality or status. Indeed, under the Equal Status Act, schools may not discriminate in admission to schools except where this is necessary to maintain the religious values or ethos of the school. The Act does provide for differential treatment in relation to fees for further...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The average Non-Capital cost to the Exchequer of a student at First, Second and Third level Education in 2006 was: â'¬ First Level 5,780 Second Level 8,085 Third Level 11,405

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The case of the pupil to whom the Deputy refers has been reassigned to another Visiting Teacher for the Visually Impaired attached to the Western Regional Office of my Department. The Visiting Teacher has already made contact with the school in question.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The position regarding the provision of a new school in Summercove is that the Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works (OPW), which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisitions generally, has been asked to source a suitable site for this school. A site has been identified at this stage and the OPW are currently in negotiations with the owner for its...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 378, 400 and 429 together. Significant progress has been made in progressing a range of areas highlighted in the Report of the Task Force on the Physical Sciences e.g. A new science curriculum has been introduced at primary level supported by a resource grant in December 2004 of €1000 per school plus €10 per pupil. A revised syllabus in Junior Certificate...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Small Schools Scheme is aimed at funding renovation projects and or extensions in primary schools of up to 4 classrooms and where the school authorities project that their overall enrolment levels will remain stable. Since the scheme was launched in 2003, nearly 400 schools have been approved for works through an investment of more than €146 million. The...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 380 to 382, inclusive, together. I am aware of the needs of the visually impaired students in accessing educational materials in various formats. As the Deputy is already aware, the National Braille Production Centre (NBPC), an integral part of the services provided by St. Joseph's School for the Visually Impaired in Drumcondra, Dublin, was established in...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Higher Education Grants Scheme operates under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992. These Acts define a mature student to mean a person "of not less than 23 years of age, or such other age as may stand specified for the time being in regulations made by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, who have secured places in approved institutions...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application for capital funding towards the provision of a new school has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. An assessment of projected enrolment trends, demographic trends and housing developments in the area was carried out in order to inform the determination of the long term projected staffing on which the school's accommodation needs will be based. This has been...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Discussions are on-going with the authorities of the schools to which the Deputy refers in relation to their long term accommodation needs. As part of this process, meetings have also taken place with both Kildare County Council and Athy Town Council with a view to ensuring that the appropriate level of educational provision is made in the context of planned housing developments. The...

Written Answers — School Services Staff: School Services Staff (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special needs. My officials have been in contact with the NCSE in relation to this case and I understand that additional...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The National Educational Welfare Board is developing a nationwide service on a continuing basis that is accessible to schools, parents/guardians and others concerned with the welfare of young people. For this purpose, Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs) have been deployed throughout the country to provide a welfare-focused service to support regular school attendance and discharge the Board's...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Work on a revised syllabus for Agricultural Science has largely been completed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). However, the assessment arrangements for the revised syllabus have not yet been finalised as they will have to be considered in the context of the assessment of other senior cycle science subjects, including the introduction of a second assessment...

Written Answers — Dormant Accounts Fund: Dormant Accounts Fund (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Among the priority funding measures approved for support in 2006/2007 under the Educational Disadvantage category of the Dormant Account Fund and the RAPID Leverage Fund, was a scheme addressing educational infrastructure in disadvantaged schools. Eligibility for the scheme was restricted to primary and post primary schools participating in my Department's DEIS programme; schools in, or...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware of the significantly increased activity in the area of provision of additional school accommodation as a result of the recent demographic changes. In this context, the Department's technical unit have carried out a large number of technical inspections in order to progress new school building/extension projects to Design Team Appointment stage. A technical inspection...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the process of appointing a Design Team for the school building project he refers to is at an advanced stage. Tender documents issued to consultants on 10th September last. The closing date for receipt of replies is 15th October 2007. Subsequent to the tender submissions being assessed, a number of documents will be requested from the preferred...