Results 10,201-10,220 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The funding arrangements made by my Department for voluntary secondary, comprehensive & community and VEC schools and colleges reflect the different management and ownership arrangements that apply to schools at second level. Voluntary secondary schools, in the Free Education scheme, which are privately owned and managed, are funded by way of per capita grants. Community & Comprehensive...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including organising the holding of examinations and determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted. In view of this, I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Home Tuition Scheme: Home Tuition Scheme (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the home tuition scheme provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement. A recent review of a number of applications for home tuition...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Two Montessori qualifications are recognised for restricted recognition by my Department, namely the AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) qualification, which has been recognised for teaching in special education settings since 1963, and the B.A. in humanities in Montessori Education from St. Nicholas Montessori College, Dún Laoghaire, which has been recognised since 1997, and is...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30th September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued to all primary schools each year. Data submitted to my Department by the Board of Management of the school referred to by the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I announced in June 2006 that the Vocational Education Committees were to be given sole responsibility for the administration of the third level student maintenance grants, as part of my overall plans to introduce service improvements in the administration of the student grant schemes. The arrangements for the future administration will be provided for in new statutory framework through a...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (27 Mar 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 — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application for an extension has been received from the school to which the Deputy refers. An assessment of projected enrolments, demographic trends and housing developments in the area, is under way in the Department which will assist in determining the long term projected enrolment for the school on which the school's long term accommodation needs will be based. When the long-term...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers made applications under both the Summer Works Scheme and the Small Schools Scheme 2007. The application under Summer Works Scheme was for provision of fencing. On the 8 January last, I announced details of the schools to receive funding to improve facilities under the Summer Works Scheme 2007. Under the published prioritisation criteria governing the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Significant improvements have been made in the staffing of our second level schools in recent years. In the 2001/2002 school year, there were approximately 24,477 wholetime equivalent teaching posts allocated to second level schools. For 2006/2007, the corresponding figure is 25,484 wholetime equivalent posts. This increase in staffing has dramatically improved the pupil teacher ratio at...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am not aware of any reference in the State Examinations Commission's annual report to the effect that bonus marks for Irish in the State examinations should be dropped. The policy of awarding bonus marks for Irish in the State examinations was introduced by the Government in the 1920s as one of a number of initiatives to promote the study of subjects through Irish, reflecting the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has an application from the school referred to by the Deputy for a new school building. Officials in the School Planning Section of the Department are currently considering a number of options for the long term solution to the school's accommodation difficulties. While no possibility will be ruled out, a site must be in either the Department's ownership or a Patron's...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the expansion of the devolved scheme for primary school building works, a grant of €200,000 was sanctioned in 2004 to enable the management authorities of the school in question to extend and refurbish the school. The initiative allows Boards of Management to address their accommodation needs and building priorities with a guaranteed amount of funding and gives Boards of...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which became operational on 1st January 2005, is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports for pupils in primary and post primary schools. The role of the NCSE includes taking over some key functions in relation to special education provision from the Department of...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application for funding was received in my Department, under the Small Schools Scheme 2007, from the school referred to by the Deputy. On 5 March 2007, I announced details of the schools to receive funding under this Scheme. Due to the volume of applications received in my Department it was not possible to allocate funding to all proposed projects and the school in question was not...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (27 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 superannuation 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...

Written Answers — In-service Training: In-service Training (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The cost of substitution arising from teachers' participation in approved professional development programmes is included in the budget of the Teacher Education Section of my Department. The position is that substitution is available where this is essential for teachers on in-service courses as part of national programmes of in-service relating to changes in curriculums and school...

Written Answers — Lyons Estate: Lyons Estate (27 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware the Lyons Estate is in the ownership of a third level institution. The institution is an autonomous body and the day to day management of the institution's affairs is a matter for the Governing Body of the institution. I have been informed by the Higher Education Authority that the Governing Body is continuing with a review of its overall campus development plan,...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 24, 59 and 105 together. 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. We are already committed to hiring another 800 extra primary teachers next September. The average class size in our primary schools is 24 and there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at...

Written Answers — School Closures: School Closures (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 22 together. The Trustees of the school referred to by the Deputies have confirmed their intention to close the school on a phased basis. As the Deputies may be aware, this school is a voluntary secondary school and the decision to withdraw as providers of education is within the remit of the Patron body, that is the Sisters of Mercy. The Department...