Results 10,121-10,140 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

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

Mary Hanafin: I am not aware of any submission from the National Parents Council regarding the provision of parent resource libraries in primary schools. With regard to libraries generally my Department provides for library/resource areas in the design of primary school buildings. It is a matter for each Local Authority to provide a library service for schools in its area. While my Department has no...

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

Mary Hanafin: My Department is of the view that children with autism, in common with all children, should have access to appropriate provision delivered by suitably qualified teachers within the school system where children can mix with their wider peer group and have maximum opportunities for integration. The preferred approach to the provision of appropriate education for children with autism, is...

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

Mary Hanafin: As I have previously advised the Deputy, my Department's support package for the July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism who choose to extend their education services through the month of July. The Department also provides for a July Programme for pupils with a severe/profound general...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (29 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: It can happen in a small number of rapidly developing areas that a traditional patron is not readily available. In view of same, I announced on the 17 February 2007, that a new additional model of Primary school patronage would be introduced on a pilot basis at a school to be built in Diswellstown, Co Dublin. This model will provide an additional patronage option and is not intended to serve...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which she refers applied for capital funding under the Department's Small Schools Scheme, SSS, for 2007. The school's application was unsuccessful due to higher priorities under the prioritisation criteria for the scheme. However, it is open to the school authorities to apply for funding under the 2008 scheme, details of which will be announced...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A suitable building for the school in question has been identified. A formal offer, subject to Contract, for its purchase has been made by my Department to the vendor's agents within the past week. The vendor has been allowed 14 days from the date of the offer in which to respond and my Department is hopeful of a positive response.

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (28 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 — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In 2006 I introduced, with the concurrence of the Minister for Finance, pension arrangements for caretaking staff employed under the 1979 Scheme. These arrangements provide that membership of the pension scheme will be effective from 1 September 2001 in the case of eligible caretakers in service at that time. The pension scheme will be a contributory, defined benefit scheme and will provide...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Two Montessori qualifications are currently recognised for the purpose of appointment to the following posts in primary schools: resource teaching posts, special classes and special schools. The two recognised qualifications are (i) the three-year full-time course in the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) College, Mount St. Mary's, Milltown, Dublin 14 and (ii) the HETAC accredited...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Voicemail messages are bilingual (Irish and English) when a member of staff in my Department can provide a service through Irish. Where staff are unable to provide a service through Irish, the caller is offered the option to have the call returned, within one working day, by an Irish speaking member of staff. My Department published its Scheme under Section 11 of the Official Languages Act in...

Written Answers — Swimming Pool Projects: Swimming Pool Projects (28 Mar 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 — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has provided funding in excess of €34m for the construction of nine dual use halls with enhanced facilities, attached to post-primary schools. Eight of the halls, including the hall referred to by the Deputy, are in Dublin and one is in Cork. The halls in question have been built as part of a joint programme to develop community sports facilities in drugs task force areas. As...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am anxious for schools to appoint the most suitable people to language support posts and am determined to ensure that language support teachers have access to the right assessment tools to help them to establish the abilities and needs of individual students. In order to ensure that schools can accurately and objectively assess the language requirement of children, my Department will be...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has been in contact with the school authorities in relation to this matter. An application from the school for funding to provide toilet facilities under the Emergency Works Grant is awaited.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. A meeting was recently convened with Officials from my Department, the Board of Management and the Design Team in order to evaluate the Stage 2 submission. At the meeting, the project was approved to proceed to Stage 3 (Developed Sketch Scheme) of Architectural Planning. Officials...

Written Answers — Higher Education: Higher Education (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students. These are the Higher Education Grants (HEG) Scheme, the Vocational Education Committees' (VEC) Scholarships Scheme, the Third Level Maintenance Grants Scheme for Trainees (TLT) and the Maintenance Grants Scheme for Students attending Post Leaving Certificate Courses (PLC). The decision on...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Development Plan 2007-2013 provides for investment of €252m in the ICT in Schools Programme and I will be publishing a comprehensive new strategy for ICT in Schools covering the period to 2013. The new strategy will aim to develop an e-Learning culture in our schools that will ensure that ICT usage is embedded in teaching and learning across the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is provided in the following table: Language Support Posts in Primary Schools in Donegal School Year Number of Posts 2002/03 Nil 2003/04 3 2004/05 5 2005/06 7 2006/07 15

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to advise the Deputy that the information sought in respect of the number of newly appointed resource teachers in each of the past five years in schools in County Donegal is not readily available in my Department. As the Deputy is aware, there has been enormous progress made over the past number of years in relation to increasing the number of teachers in our schools who are...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: There are currently 264 Special Need Assistants (whole-time equivalents) employed in primary schools in County Donegal. As the Deputy is aware, there are over three thousand two hundred primary schools in the country. The compilation of information regarding the number of SNAs appointed to individual schools would require an inordinate amount of administrative time in my Department.