Results 9,261-9,280 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (27 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The decision on eligibility for third level grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority â 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 — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (27 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The decision on eligibility for third level grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority â 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 — Third Level Places: Third Level Places (27 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The responsibility for managing access to third level places rests with the Central Applications Office (CAO) and the third level institutions generally. The higher education institutions have delegated to the CAO the task of processing applications to their first year undergraduate courses. However, the participating institutions retain the function of making decisions on admissions. The CAO...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (27 Sep 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 to schools to support children with special needs. Another specific function of the SENO is to identify appropriate educational placements for children with...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (27 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy was one of 56 approved to start architectural planning earlier this year. The building project required to meet the long term accommodation needs of the school will be considered in the context of the multi annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.
- Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (27 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: Section 4 of the Legal Practitioners (Qualification) Act 1929 was repealed by the Solicitors Act 1954. Section 88 of the Solicitors Act 1954 made for transitional provisions in respect of the Solicitors (Ireland) Act 1898 and section 4 of the Legal Practitioners (Qualification) Act 1929. The appointment of Irish Language Examiners was henceforth to be made pursuant to the provisions of...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: A request was been received by my Department in June 2007 for sanction to employ two additional staff for the Grangegorman Development Agency. Sanction for the allocation of the two additional staff has been agreed in principle with grading still under discussion.
- Written Answers — Physiotherapy Services: Physiotherapy Services (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The full cost of training 150 physiotherapists over a four year period is estimated at â¬7.4m. There has been a growing demand for, and investment in, physiotherapy services over the last number of years. A particular priority for the Department of Health & Children and my Department has been the expansion of the supply of physiotherapy graduates and, in this regard, training places have...
- Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 674 and 792 together. I am aware of the situation to which the Deputies refer. However, the use of school property not owned by the State is entirely a matter for a Board of Management and the Patron. The only concern for the Department is to ensure that any non-mainstream school usage of the school premises does not impede the delivery of the curriculum.
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: Discussions are ongoing 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 — Research Funding: Research Funding (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: As part of the 2006 Budget a multi-annual Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) was announced with an allocation of â¬300 million over the five year period 2006 to 2010. This was subsequently extended to â¬510 million under the National Development Plan. The Fund is intended to be a major catalyst in bringing about substantial change and quality improvement in our higher education institutions...
- Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (26 Sep 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 basis...
- Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: A key focus of the Government's education policy is to prioritise investment in favour of those most at risk and to optimise access, participation and outcomes at every level of the system for disadvantaged groups. The wide variety of measures in place for tackling educational disadvantage and social exclusion reflect these concerns. These measures include preschool interventions, supports...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The level of resources being made available by my Department to support students with special educational needs has grown significantly in recent years. A significant development is the establishment of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) which has been in operation since 1 January 2005 with over 90 members of staff working exclusively in supporting students with special...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: During the period of the last National Development Plan 2000-2006 my Department accelerated the school building programme with record levels of investment and the streamlining of delivery systems. An aggregate total of well over â¬2.6 billion was invested in upgrading existing school infrastructure and providing new school accommodation at both first and second-level. This was the largest...
- Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 681 and 682 together. The site to which the Deputy refers has been reserved for educational purposes and it is the Department's intention to purchase this to address, in part, the long term primary school accommodation needs in Greystones. Due to the commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisitions, I am not in a position to comment further on the...
- Written Answers — Multi-Denominational Schools: Multi-Denominational Schools (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The Department established a further multi-denominational school to serve the Lucan area in September of this year. This school is temporarily located in a new school building in Adamstown. It is intended to re-locate this school to Lucan once a suitable site has been acquired. The Department is in discussion with the local authority in relation to this issue. With regard to the Balgaddy...
- Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The Department is keenly aware of the need to provide a site as quickly as possible for the school to which the Deputy refers and it is in consultation with the local authority in relation to this matter. The question of a compulsory purchase order does not, therefore, arise at this time. Generally, however, the Department will be asking local authorities to use the CPO mechanism for land...
- Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (26 Sep 2007)
Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, agreement has been reached between the trustees of the three existing post-primary schools to amalgamate into a single school. The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works was requested to source a site for the development referred to by the Deputy. In answer to an advertisement and subsequently, a number of sites were identified and examined. Those...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Sep 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. I understand that the parents of the child in question is currently liaising with the relevant SENO in this regard and...