Results 10,761-10,780 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: At present, 128 institutions are listed on the Schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act. Section 4 of the Act enables additional institutions that are identified as reformatory schools, industrial schools, orphanages, children's homes and special schools, in which children were placed and resident and in respect of which a public body had a regulatory or inspection function, to be...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: My Department has no record of having received an application for a special needs assistant from the school referred to by the Deputy. Any application received will be considered in the context of the criteria set out in the relevant Department circulars and the existing level of SER provision in the school.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I can confirm that my Department received applications for special educational resources, SER, for the school referred to by the Deputy. The position is that SER applications received between 15 February and 31 August 2003 are being considered at present. In all, more than 5,000 such applications were received. Priority was given to cases involving children starting school last September and...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The issue raised by the Deputy is being considered by the State Examinations Commission, SEC, an independent body established on foot of a Government decision of 6 March 2003.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 124 and 125 together. The revised rates of pay for part-time teachers in primary schools, including those employed in special schools, will be implemented as quickly as possible. Contact will be made with the management authorities of the schools in question as part of this process.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The pupil in question is currently in receipt of five hours resource teaching per week together with special needs assistant support in the school referred to by the Deputy. I understand that he is awaiting a placement in a special class for pupils with autism in the area. There are currently ten special classes for children with autistic spectrum disorder operating in primary schools in the...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous year. The number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule and is finalised for a particular year following discussions with the education partners. The mainstream staffing of the school referred to by the Deputy for the current...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The Deputy will be aware that a total of five hours resource teaching support and a full-time special needs assistant was sanctioned for the pupil in question and has been in place since the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year. This is the maximum level of resource teaching available under my Department's circular. The Deputy may be interested to know that my Department is at present...

Written Answers — Educational Projects: Educational Projects (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I have received the report of the review of the operation of the Finglas child and adolescent centre. As the Deputy is aware, this review was commissioned in March 2004 in the light of concerns raised about the operation of the centre by key stakeholders both internal and external to the centre. The review was undertaken by Mr. Michael Donnellan, director of Trinity House school, and its...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The school in question is a special school for pupils with a moderate general learning disability. Such schools generally operate at a ratio of one special needs assistant, or SNA, per two class groups of eight pupils each. The school currently has 18 SNAs caring for 86 pupils. My Department considers that the staffing complement is adequate to cater for the number of pupils attending the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The application referred to by the Deputy has been reviewed by my Department. The position is that my Department considers that satisfactory education facilities exist in the State to meet the person's educational needs. In the circumstances, funding will not be made available by my Department for the person in question to attend school abroad.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: A report on this case has been requested from Bus Éireann. The Deputy will be advised of the position as soon as the report has been received and assessed.

Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003: Report Stage (Resumed). (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: In reviewing the education plan, the focus will be on establishing if the child is achieving the targets that have been set for him or her. There is a danger that what is proposed in amendment No. 121 could blur the focus by concentrating more on the provision of services rather than whether the targets set are being achieved. Deputy Crowe quoted me correctly in what I said on Committee...

Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003: Report Stage (Resumed). (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I move amendment No. 122: In page 15, line 34, after "purposes" to insert "of".

Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003: Report Stage (Resumed). (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I move amendment No. 123: In page 15, lines 42 and 43, to delete "child concerned is significantly failing to achieve the goals specified in the education plan" and substitute the following: "goals specified in the plan concerned have not been achieved".

Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003: Report Stage (Resumed). (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I move amendment No. 125: In page 16, lines 1 and 2, to delete "their child is not achieving the goals specified in the education plan" and substitute the following: "the goals specified in an education plan prepared in respect of their child are not being achieved".

Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003: Report Stage (Resumed). (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: There is nothing in the Bill that prevents teachers from being included. That is the desire. I spoke with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on the issue and it was clearly stated that under the Interpretation Acts, a word in the singular also includes the plural unless it is stated that there is a clear contrary intention. If the Bill contained the phrase "a teacher and one teacher...

Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003: Report Stage (Resumed). (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I move amendment No. 77: In page 11, line 14, to delete "he, she or". This is a technical amendment. Section 5(8) refers to the health board or the council so we should not refer to "he" or "she", we should refer to "it".

Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003: Report Stage (Resumed). (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I move amendment No. 78: In page 11, line 16, to delete "needs." and substitute the following: "needs; the parents of the child shall be informed by the board or the Council of the fact of its having so made available all or part of that statement, and of the identity of the person or persons to whom it has been made available, as soon as may be after it has done so.".

Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill 2003: Report Stage (Resumed). (13 May 2004)

Noel Dempsey: If we go back to where we were, we would have to re-insert the definition of "support services" in the Bill and we would once again narrow the focus of the legislation. The reliance on that definition is likely to narrow the meaning of the word "services" and what we want is best achieved by just including the word "services" because that expression covers the whole range, not just in...