Results 11,101-11,120 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I am anxious that all children, including children with autistic spectrum disorders receive education appropriate to their needs. I understand from my officials that the pupil in question is enrolled in a special pre-school class for autism attached to a mainstream school in north Dublin. This class has a pupil teacher ratio of 6:1 and has the support of two special needs assistants. I...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects. : Schools Building Projects. (10 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: My Department will be in contact with the school authorities in the near future with a view to progressing this project.

Written Answers — Summer Works Scheme: Summer Works Scheme (10 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Officials in the school planning section of my Department are in the process of registering and assessing all applications received for the summer works scheme 2004. Details of the result of this assessment and the schools which will receive funding will be published no later than 27 February 2004.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 281 to 284, inclusive, together. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that Loreto secondary school, Balbriggan, is one of 32 additional schools that will benefit from the further €30 million investment in school buildings that I announced last week. These schools will bring to more than 200 the number of schools with significant building projects to be...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: My Department has received an application for special education resources, SER, for the pupil referred to by the Deputy. SER applications received between 15 February and 31 August 2003, including the one made by this school, 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...

Written Answers — Special Needs Assistants: Special Needs Assistants (10 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: At primary level, special needs assistants employed on a full-time basis receive the same remuneration regardless of the date of appointment. The payment of special needs assistants employed in second level schools is a matter for the managerial authorities of each school. The matter raised by the Deputy regarding the remuneration of special needs assistants in second level schools appointed...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (10 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The total expenditure incurred by my Department on advertising was €1,061,889 in 2002 and €919,570 in 2003. In 2002, advertising expenditure by category was as follows: print media €1,014,593; radio advertising €38,271; other advertising €9025. In 2003, advertising expenditure by category was as follows: print media €609,103; radio and television advertising €310,467. The...

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The series of questions posed by the Deputy related to the discovery order to which I have referred over the past few days. A total of 35 people from the Department plus 14 lawyers are employed specifically to comply with the direction. I hope we will be able to meet the needs of the commission in this regard, although it has proven difficult in the past because of the nature of the request....

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: We are talking about documents which the Department might have had 50, 60 or 70 years ago, although we do not know whether it did — if it did, they may have been lost as far back as the middle of the Second World War — and that might have been relevant. Any reasonable person trying to meet a request such as this would find it very difficult. Notwithstanding the difficulties involved, we...

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: This is part of the difficulty. Everybody on the opposite side of the House wants to ignore what the commission's report said about some of the difficulties that have occurred. It said that some were caused because the Department did not put enough resources in place. I have accepted that we were on a learning curve. We tried as best we could. At the time I had only been in the Department for...

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: ——were handed over to the commission. The commission said that there was insufficient clarity in the directions. It also stated that it may not have allowed sufficient time for the Department to retrieve the documents. That is also a reasonable explanation and I compliment the commission on its even-handed manner in dealing with the issue.

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: At all times departmental officials complied with the orders to the best of their ability. They would not know until the commission summoned them that they had not complied because they were acting in accordance with legal advice. I was kept informed and apprised by officials at any stage that difficulties arose.

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Deputy O'Sullivan gets nothing but straight answers from me. She may not like them but that is what she gets.

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Why were the resources agreed in principle not supplied? It was up to the commission to take up the resources it requested. It did not take them up.

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Ms Justice Laffoy felt that, because the review was ongoing, she would not seek further resources. She also felt that the investigation committee should not carry on further work. She did not take up the resources. That is why there were——

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: No, it was not. The Deputies are wrong. In December, there was approval in principle for the resources which she never took up.

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Those are the facts.

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Perhaps, if Deputies took the time to read the report——

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: ——instead of rushing out to make statements within an hour of its publication, they might have a better grasp of the facts.

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: What extra resources will I make available to the commission? I will wait to see whether the commission, under Mr. Justice Ryan, requests extra resources. Whatever resources are needed will be made available to him. What extra resources will be made available in the Department of Education and Science to meet discovery orders? Extra resources will not be necessary to be made available in the...