Results 10,681-10,700 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (1 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The College referred to by the Deputy is a designated College under the aegis of the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Accordingly, requests for capital funding from the College should in the first instance be addressed to the HEA. The Authority is responsible for, inter alia, evaluating capital proposals from institutions under its aegis and issuing recommendations to the Department...

Written Answers — Medical Education: Medical Education (1 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: On 1 February 2006 the Minister for Health and Children and I published the report of the Fottrell Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education and Training. As part of these reforms I am increasing the annual number of undergraduate places for Irish and EU students from 305 to 485. I am also introducing a separate graduate entry stream which will provide 240 additional places per annum....

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (1 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education, through the local special educational needs organiser (SENO), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special needs supports such as resource teaching and special needs assistant support on the basis of applications in respect of individual pupils. The SENO is also a focal point of contact for...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (1 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The home tuition scheme provides funding to parents to facilitate the provision of 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. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no record of receiving an...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the Department is in receipt of an application for major capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects and progress on the proposed works is being considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and...

Written Answers — Catchment Boundaries: Catchment Boundaries (1 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Catchment boundaries have their origins in the establishment of free post-primary education in the late 1960s and were determined following consultation with local educational interests. For planning purposes the country was divided into geographic districts each with several primary schools feeding into a post-primary centre with one or more post-primary schools. The intention was and...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (1 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy has an application with the Department for major capital grant aid for a PE Hall. This project has been assessed in accordance with the published criteria for large scale building projects and has been assigned a Band 4 rating. Progress on the proposed project will be considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation programme.

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (1 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application has been received from the group referred to by the Deputy under the Fund for the Development of Targeted Educational Responses to Certain Children at Risk. This Fund is the responsibility of my colleague, Minister for Children, Brian Lenihan T.D. The application will be considered in due course and the group will be notified of the outcome.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (1 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The numbers of court actions initiated against the Minister for Education and Science regarding the provision of school places for students with special needs or the provision of resources relating to students with special needs in the years referred to by the Deputy are as follows: 2003: 17 cases (8 Judicial Review, 9 Plenary). 2004: 17 cases (7 Judicial Review, 10 Plenary). 2005: 9 (4...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (1 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of my Department's Free Fees Initiative the exchequer meets the tuition fees of full-time eligible students. The main conditions are that students must (a) be first-time undergraduates; (b) hold E.U. nationality; and (c) have been ordinarily resident in an E.U. Member State for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course....

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (1 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information is not readily available in the format sought by the Deputy and would take an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. However I have asked my officials to provide the Deputy with information in relation to the extra posts recently allocated to schools in the Dublin area and this will be forwarded directly to her. I recently announced the schools which are to...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (28 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The selection and enrolment of pupils in second level schools is the responsibility of the school management authorities. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking second level places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools may not...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (28 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A special PE funding package, of €6.5 million, issued late last year to primary schools. Under the package, each school received €2,000 towards the cost of replacing and upgrading PE equipment in their school. This grant was issued, as a once-off measure, to enable schools to replace older equipment such as goalposts, PE mats, benches etc. The modern equipment that can be purchased...

Written Answers — Primary School Sports Initiative: Primary School Sports Initiative (28 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I assume the Deputy is referring to the Primary School Sports Initiative, (PSSI), which was launched in January 2001. It was established as a precursor to the roll out of national in-service training for primary teachers in the Physical Education Curriculum. As part of this initiative, a task force was established to inform the development of the project. Three teachers were seconded to...

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

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers has submitted an application for additional accommodation to cater for its long term needs. This application is being assessed. The school authority has not applied for any additional accommodation for September, 2007.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with autism receive an education appropriate to their needs, preferably through the primary and post primary school network. In this regard my Department has established 181 special classes for children with autism, attached to special and mainstream schools, 5 special classes for children with...

Written Answers — School Grants: School Grants (28 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application has been received in my Department from the school referred to by the Deputy under the Small Schools Scheme 2007. All applications received under this scheme are under consideration and the list of successful applicants will be published shortly.

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

Mary Hanafin: A total of 130 primary schools have been identified with eligible non-English speaking newcomer pupils. The schools in question have been notified by my Department that they qualify for a total of 179 posts under the initiative referred to by the Deputy. The recruitment and appointment of personnel to fill teaching posts, including language support posts, is a matter for the Board of...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (28 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Discussions are ongoing between the Department, Wicklow County Council and the educational providers in the Greystones/Delgany area with a view to ensuring that the long term educational needs of the area are adequately met. All possible options will be considered and the concerns of parents will be taken into account.

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (28 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The commitment referred to by the Deputy relates to pupils under nine years of age. Information in relation to class sizes is provided in the annual census of primary schools. The census for the current school year (2006/07) is currently being worked on. Details on class size in primary schools will be available for Counties. Major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in...