Results 10,361-10,380 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Residential Institutions Redress Scheme. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The Deputy asked about property and cash. It was broken down as follows â cash contributions of â¬41.14 million; provision of counselling services, â¬10 million; and property transfers of â¬76.86 million. The cash and counselling contributions of â¬51.14 million have been received in full. The property transfers of â¬66 million and cash in lieu of property of â¬10.7 million â...
- Residential Institutions Redress Scheme. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The figure relating to the indemnity deal was actually â¬1.16 billion and this is expected to be the total cost, including everything to do with the board and legal costs. I cannot say what investment was made in the properties in question but some were schools that were transferred to the Department.
- Residential Institutions Redress Scheme. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: Given the level of investment the State made in buildings at the time I suspect very little investment was made in these buildings because in most such cases the religious orders built their own buildings. I do not know the exact answer and will check if the information is available. Regarding Deputy Crowe's questions, there were a number of criteria that influenced whether the State had a...
- School Curriculum. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: In accordance with the rules and programme for secondary schools, all second level schools should provide physical education as part of the curriculum. The syllabuses have been developed on the basis of a time allocation of two hours per week. As Deputies will be aware, this Government has worked hard to improve the opportunities for young people to get physical exercise both in school and...
- School Curriculum. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: It is recommended that they exercise for two hours per week and this differs from school to school. Like relationships and sexuality education, time spent on PE tends to lessen as classes approach exams. The Department's policy is to provide PE halls to schools that do not have such a facility and they are already part of the design for new schools, major renovations and extensions....
- School Curriculum. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The reason aquatics is included in the curriculum is to give schools the flexibility to use the sporting facilities available to them. Pupils in my constituency can walk from school to the blue pool and use it as partââ
- School Curriculum. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: It would be wrong not to allow schools to use such facilities as part of the acceptable curriculum.
- School Curriculum. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: Let us be reasonable, not every village will have a swimming pool.
- School Curriculum. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: It also means a school may offer dance or any of the other subjects on the programme. For this reason, it is important that the programme is sufficiently flexible to enable schools to use facilities provided for them. Pupils in Thurles need only walk across the road from their school to access a swimming pool. In addition, a new pool is about to be built in the town. Schools should use all...
- School Curriculum. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: No. The fund made available to primary schools last year was to enable them to purchase equipment.
- School Curriculum. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The fund which will shortly be made available to primary schools is to enable them to buy equipment that they can use in accordance with the needs of their students and taking into account the facilities available to them. The Department will continue to upgrade and provide quality facilities for our schools. All recent building and modernisation projects have delivered top-class extra...
- School Curriculum. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: I am not sure if the Deputy is referring to a sports hall built in the drugs task force area.
- School Curriculum. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: I am not familiar with the schools in question.
- Education Projects. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: I am committed to the development of an individualised records system for primary level as soon as practical since it will give us vital information on pupils in our primary schools as well as enable us to better track children's progress from primary to post-primary level. The development of such a database is a complex and resource demanding task involving a number of agencies external to...
- Education Projects. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: Deputy Crowe referred to a figure of 1,000 pupils who do not transfer to secondary level. This figure appeared in an NESF report in 2002 which cited an estimate contained in a 1997 report that as many as 1,000 primary school pupils did not make the transition to secondary level. At some point someone estimated that the figure might be 1,000 and in the absence of any other study this figure...
- Education Projects. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The feasibility study will start shortly. The Department wants to see how the online claims system operates before rolling out a new computer system. The National Educational Welfare Board, which has a staff of 94 and is due to increase its staff numbers this year, should be able to make a reasonably quick determination of how many primary pupils transfer to second level. In addition, the...
- Education Projects. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: It would be far too narrow to allow any one agency to have control over setting up the database. The information that could be gleaned from it is of wide application. Nor should it be available to all the other relevant bodies. It is important that this information should be kept within the Department of Education and Science. I do not know it if was ever intended that the NEWB should...
- Education Projects. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The NEWB has a specific responsibility to ensure that a child of compulsory school-going age is in school. It must ensure this information is gleaned and that all children make the transfer from primary to second level. Children are obliged to be in school from the ages of six to 16 years.
- Education Projects. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: It is part of its statutory remit.
- Education Projects. (22 Mar 2007)
Mary Hanafin: The NEWB, school completion co-ordinators and home-school-community liaison officers play a valuable role in this regard.