Results 10,081-10,100 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is awaiting the submission of a proposal from the school in question which involves a developer designing and building a 16 classroom school on a new greenfield site to be provided by the developer. This proposal arises because of difficulties in securing planning permission for an extension to the existing school building. Once received, a response to the proposal will issue...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In the 2001/2002 school year, there were approximately 24,477 wholetime equivalent teaching posts allocated to second level schools. This figure is broken down as follows: 13,571 to voluntary secondary, 3739 to community and comprehensive and 7167 to vocational schools. The corresponding figure for 2006/2007 is 25,484 wholetime equivalent posts and is broken down as follows: 13,414 to...

Written Answers — School Management: School Management (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 623 to 625, inclusive, and 627 together. Section 14(1) of the Education Act 1998 states "It shall be the duty of a patron, for the purposes of ensuring that a recognised school is managed in a spirit of partnership, to appoint where practicable a board of management the composition of which is agreed between patrons of schools, national associations of...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The procedures for the interviewing and selection of candidates for teaching posts in primary schools are agreed by the Education Partners and the Department and are set out in Appendix D of the handbook for boards of management "Constitution of Boards and Rules of Rules of Procedure". This handbook issued from my Department to all boards of management at the beginning of the term of office...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is on the Department's Capital Programme. The Department held a meeting last February with the school authority and its Design Team to resolve difficulties with the Stage 3 submission. Further information is awaited from the school and its Design Team as a result of this meeting.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works, which normally acts as agent for my Department in the acquisition of sites for schools, was requested to source a suitable site for the school in question. I have been advised by the OPW that negotiations to acquire a suitable site for a new school referred to by the Deputy are ongoing. However, they have advised that it would...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: NEPS does not keep waiting lists for assessments of children but in common with other psychological services encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention, in consultation with their assigned NEPS psychologist. Only if there is a failure to make reasonable progress in spite of the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced the allocation of 200 extra language support posts to schools, bringing the total number of language support teachers in our schools to 1,450. These new resources are intended for schools with large numbers of pupils who do not have English as a first language. Under the revised arrangements, depending on the number of eligible pupils...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (3 Apr 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). The SSP will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The process of identifying primary and...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In July 2006, my Department sought information from the person referred to by the Deputy. When the information is provided my officials will consider the matter.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is currently finalising the long term projected enrolment for the school and the building project required to deliver the new accommodation is being considered in the context of the School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has not provided two or more phone lines to any member of staff at their homes.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A sum of €1,180.34 was paid to the Training Officer in 2006 in respect of travel and subsistence. A total of 3,588 training days were organised in the 2006 calendar year. I understand the decentralisation of the Civil Service Training & Development Centre to Tullamore has not had any negative impact in relation to the Training Officer at my Department.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy has not specified a period in the question tabled I assume he is referring to the 2006 financial year. In 2006 four officials at my Department attended pre-retirement courses administered by the Centre for Management & Organisation Development (C.M.O.D.). The total amount of travel and subsistence expenses amounted to €626 prior to July 2006. One person has attended the course...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Hanafin: To date 2 members of staff who transferred into my Department under the CAF scheme have transferred to a second section within my Department within 6 months of the original transfer. In one case, this happened because a combination of circumstances made it possible to offer the officer a move to their first preference location under the CAF in advance of the relocation of the section to...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (29 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 219 together. The role of the Educational Disadvantage Committee is to advise on policies and strategies to be adopted to identify and correct educational disadvantage. My Department wrote to the education and social partners seeking their views on the composition and future work of the committee. Following on full consideration of these views, the...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (29 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Enrolment decisions are the responsibility of the Board of Management of each individual school. My Department has no role in relation to processing applications for enrolment by schools. Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, provides parents with an appeal process where a Board of Management of a school or a person acting on behalf of the Board refuses enrolment to a student. Where a school...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (29 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: All post-primary schools receive ex-quota hours from my Department for the provision of a guidance and counselling service to students. The service is delivered in the majority of schools by guidance counsellors who are qualified to provide counselling support to students. Schools can also use additional resources provided by my Department under various initiatives to buy in the services...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers has applied to the Department for capital funding for an extension project. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building works and has been assigned a Band 4 rating. Progress on the proposed works is being considered in the context of the multi-annual School...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As I previously advised the Deputy a pilot scheme funded directly through my Department has facilitated the establishment of a number of stand-alone autism units using the Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) methodology. The unit referred to by the Deputy is participating in this scheme. Resource and staffing issues associated with the scheme are sanctioned directly by my Department. The...