Results 10,781-10,800 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Feb 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. Generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses at undergraduate or postgraduate level for the first time are eligible for maintenance grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Information in relation to class size is provided by the annual census of primary schools. The census for the current school-year (2006/07) is currently being worked on and data are not yet available. Data at sub-county area are not generally available due to the inordinate amount of work involved. Major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. At the...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is currently in negotiation around the possibility of acquiring the building to which the Deputy refers. This process is complex involving as it does suitability assessment, valuations, price negotiations and attendant legal formalities. The Department is keenly aware that the issues concerned are commercially sensitive and that it is not a foregone conclusion that the...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 479 and 480 together. A re-assessment of projected enrolments, demographic trends and housing developments in the area has recently been completed in the Department. The long term projected staffing, on which the accommodation needs will be based, has been notified to the school authorities. My officials are in the process of drawing up a detailed...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application has been received from the school authority for capital funding towards the provision of an extension to provide ancillary accommodation. An assessment of projected enrolments, demographic trends and housing developments in the area is currently being undertaken in the Department. The application will be re-assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria and...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The proposed building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. The project was included in my announcement of January 2006 to commence architectural planning. The Design Team has recently been appointed for the project and has been requested to submit a Stage 1/2 (Site suitability/outline sketch scheme) submission. When the submission...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Under the mean's tested provision of the Higher Education Grant Scheme a candidate's reckonable income is based on income from all sources from the previous tax year, unless there is an adverse change of circumstances, which is likely to be permanent (i.e. likely to obtain for the duration of the approved course or for the foreseeable future). However, it is recognised that the very nature...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Feb 2007)

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

Written Answers — Behaviour Support Service: Behaviour Support Service (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: At the core of the recommendations of the Task Force on Student Behaviour was the establishment of a Behaviour Support Team. The purpose of this Team was envisaged as helping identify problems of student behaviour in second-level schools, leading to the development of strategies to resolve these problems and to facilitate the implementation of these strategies in practice. Since then, and...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can inform the Deputy that the number of psychologists in the Department has increased from 43 since the establishment of NEPS in 1999 to a current figure of 127, including 4 psychologists assigned to the National Behavioural Support Service. There are also a further 16 Whole-time-equivalent educational psychologists providing service through the Dublin City and County VECs. Taken together,...

Written Answers — Student Retention Rates: Student Retention Rates (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The latest data published by my Department on retention rates in second-level schools relate to the cohort of entrants to the first year of junior cycle in 1996. Students in this cohort would have sat the Leaving Certificate in either 2001 or 2002, depending on whether they took the Transition Year Programme. The published data for the 1996 cohort indicate an average "unadjusted" retention...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and the Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. The Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a place in the...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has applied for additional accommodation under the Department's Permanent Accommodation Scheme 2007. I intend to announce the successful applicants shortly.

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The recent investment priorities under the ICT in Schools Programme have been the provision of networking grants to schools and the Schools Broadband Access Programme. Schools were invited to submit proposals for the development of their networking capability in June 2004 and grants totalling some €23m have since issued to schools. The roll-out of broadband connectivity to all recognised...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 492 and 502 together. An application for capital funding towards the provision of an extension has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy and has been assessed. The long term projected staffing, on which the accommodation needs will be based, has been determined and notified to the school authority. My officials are in the process of drawing...

Written Answers — School Closures: School Closures (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A decision was taken by the Trustees of the school to which the Deputy refers that it will close in June 2007. This decision was taken because, in line with demographic changes in the area, the school has experienced a steady decline in enrolments in recent years. Current enrolments in feeder primary schools indicate that this decline will continue. In fact, a general decline in enrolments...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 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. My Department is of the view that children with autism, in common with all children should have access to appropriate provision delivered by suitably qualified teachers within the...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: 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. Data by sub-county areas are not generally available due to the inordinate amount of work involved. Major improvements have been made in staffing at...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Since September 2003 Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is taught to all pupils in primary schools. Its aim is to foster personal development, health and well being of children, to help them create and maintain supportive relationships, and develop the skills and attitudes for responsible citizenship. From the beginning of their primary schooling children learn, in an...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The new building for the school in question is one of 54 major primary school building projects which I announced last November to proceed to tender and construction over the next 12 to 15 months. This programme will provide over 10,000 permanent school places to be delivered in new schools and a further 5,900 pupils will see facilities modernised with major extension projects. My Department...