Results 10,741-10,760 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Adult and Further Education services are funded by my Department through annual grants and delivered locally by the Vocational Education Committees. One of these annual grants is for Adult Literacy and Community Education. The disbursement of funds for Adult Literacy and Community Education is a matter for each VEC, which, subject to its budget, decides the nature and extent of the Adult...

Written Answers — Special Interest Groups: Special Interest Groups (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The organisation referred to by the Deputy is not due any funding from my Department. Indeed, in respect of Parliamentary Question No. 38275/05 dated 7 December 2005 and other representations on this matter, it was made clear that my Department does not provide direct funding for special interest groups such as that referred to by the Deputy. Schools have considerable discretion as to how...

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

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy is one of 27 new schools to be provided under my Department's Public Private Partnership Programme (PPP) 2005 to 2009. I have already announced the first two bundles of school projects. The make up of further school bundles in my Department's PPP school building programme will be determined by my Department in consultation with the National Development...

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

Mary Hanafin: Representatives of the Board of Management of the school to which the Deputy refers attended an Information Seminar in Tullamore on 13 December 2006 hosted by the School Building Section of the Department. The steps necessary to initiate the design phase of the eighty building projects announced by me in November last were discussed at that meeting and all schools were advised that...

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

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. My Department recently wrote to the school authorities regarding their Stage 1 submission (site suitability and design options). When a reply is received my Department will be in further contact with the school authorities regarding their project. Progression of the project to tender...

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

Mary Hanafin: I understand that officials in my Department are currently making arrangements to meet with the persons concerned. It is hoped that the meeting will take place in early March.

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am indicating the number of whole time equivalent posts involved in brackets beside the section name or the name of the organisation in each case. The following sections are due to relocate from my Department's campus in Marlborough Street, Dublin 1 under the programme of decentralisation. Further Education Section (19); Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Policy Unit and Post Primary...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: On the basis of current enrolments, it is estimated that up to 6,000 additional mainstream teaching posts would be required to reduce class size in all primary schools to 20 at a total cost of the order of €348 million. Provision of accommodation to cater for these additional teachers would cost an estimated €750 million.

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. There are now 4,000 more primary teachers than there were in 2002. The average class size in our primary schools is 24 and there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc. Children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas are getting more support than ever...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department acknowledges the need for a new primary school in the Rochestown area of Cork. A site has been reserved by the local authority and officials of the Department are engaged in the acquisition of the site.

Seanad: Learning to Teach Report: Statements. (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: No, I did not. The Senator should quote me accurately.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I previously advised the Deputy that as a specific function of the NCSE, through its network of local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is to identify appropriate educational placement for all children with special educational needs and the parents of the child in question should contact the local SENO in this regard. I am now reiterating that advice particularly as the child is...

Written Answers — Health and Safety in Schools: Health and Safety in Schools (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, it is the responsibility of school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools. Schools are obliged to identify possible hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and to put appropriate safeguards in place. Provision is built into the School Building Programme to enable schools address...

Written Answers — Subject Inspections: Subject Inspections (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Inspectorate of my Department conducted 727 subject inspections in post-primary schools in 2006. This figure includes 34 subject inspections of Mathematics which were conducted during 2006. Twenty-one of the inspections of Mathematics were conducted as stand-alone evaluations and 13 were carried out as part of whole-school evaluations (WSE). Fifteen subject inspection reports on...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Office of Public Works is currently negotiating with the Department of Defence on the acquisition of a strip of land that is required to facilitate a building project at the Limerick Model School. The outcome of these negotiations will determine the need for consultation with the local authority on other lands.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The mainstream staffing of a primary school for a particular school year is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on the 30th September of the previous school year and by reference to a staffing schedule. This staffing schedule for the 2006/07 school year is outlined in Primary Circular 0023/2006 which was issued to all primary schools. In the current school year (2006/07)...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works (OPW), which acts generally on behalf of my Department in the acquisition of school sites, has been requested to source a site for this school. On foot of advertising a number of proposals were received. A technical assessment of these proposals has been carried out by the OPW and a report is currently with my Department for...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application for the sanctioning of the appointment of a principal teacher from a date earlier than September 2007 has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. This application is under consideration and my Department will contact the school shortly.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has acknowledged the need to relocate the existing primary school referred to by the Deputy to a greenfield site. The acquisition of a site for this development is being actively pursued to enable this. When this matter has been finalised, progress on the proposed project can be considered under the School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department recently published a Draft Area Development Plan for north Dublin, East Meath and South Louth. The Draft Plan, which is available on the Department's website www.education.ie, covers the North Drogheda Environs which is the area to which the Deputy refers. The Deputy will be aware that the Local Authority has published a North Drogheda Environs Master Plan. This proposes the...