Results 11,421-11,440 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The 2007 Estimates include provision for another 800 primary teachers for the 2007/2008 school year. About 500 of these will be classroom teachers, which includes our commitment to reduce class sizes. I assure the Deputy that we will continue to prioritise further improvements in school staffing going forward. We will also continue our focus on measures to improve the quality of education...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I would like to inform the Deputy that from data available to my Department, pupil enrolments in the primary schools in the Youghal area are relatively stable. None of the primary schools in the area have submitted applications under the Permanent Accommodation Scheme 2007 or for the Rental of Temporary Accommodation for additional classroom accommodation for September next.

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1717 and 1719 together. As the deputy will be aware all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The National Educational Psychological Service supports the personal, social and educational development of all children in Primary and Post-Primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice in education having particular regard to children with special educational needs. All primary and post-primary schools have access to psychological assessment either directly...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Bus Éireann operates the school transport service on behalf of my Department. Routes are planned in such a way as to ensure that, as far as possible, eligible pupils have a reasonable standard of service, while at the same time ensuring that school transport vehicles are fully utilised in the most efficient and cost effective manner. Bus Éireann have advised my Department that the pupils...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that officials from my Department have been in contact with the school authorities to advise on how to apply for funding for the works in question as part of the large scale building project currently taking place at their school.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (31 Jan 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 — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy was forwarded to him by letter yesterday. I regret the delay in sending this information to the Deputy. However, it was necessary to undertake a comprehensive trawl of all units of my Department.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The permanent School Building project referred to by the Deputy is at early stage of architectural planning. My Department wrote to the Design Team on the project on the 20th September 2006 requesting a stage 1/2 submission (Outline sketch scheme with costings) and this submission is expected in my Department by the end of February this year. When this stage 1/2 submission is received in my...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy may be aware the new school to which he refers opened in September 2005. The school was given approval to enrol two Junior Infant Classes per year and, when fully occupied, will operate as a two-stream 16-classroom school. This incremental development is common to all newly established schools to ensure that a shortage of accommodation at the school is avoided by an over...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of the Department of Education and Science Post Primary School Transport Scheme, a pupil is eligible for transport if he or she resides 4.8 kilometres or more from his or her local post primary education centre, that is, the centre serving the catchment area in which he or she lives. The scheme is not designed to facilitate parents who choose to send their children to a post...

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The position is that the universities are autonomous institutions and my Department does not have any function in their day to day operational affairs. The universities receive a block grant from the Higher Education Authority and it is a matter for each institution to determine how it is allocated internally.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school in question is operating with provisional recognition from the Department and as such the school authorities are responsible for accommodation issues. The question of permanent recognition for the school, to which the Deputy refers, is currently under consideration in the Department. The school will be contacted directly in the matter as soon as possible. Schools must have...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

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

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 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 hosted by the School Building Section. The steps necessary to initiate the design phase of the eighty building projects announced by me in November were discussed at that meeting and all schools were advised that architectural design teams would be...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the School referred to by the Deputy was one of the sixty two projects that I announced to start the architectural planning process in January of 2006 and one that I recently announced in November 2006 to proceed to tender and construction. The brief for the project consists of a 16 classroom Generic Repeat Design with an additional bolt-on Special Education Tuition...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments. Such access being provided either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA, whereby the...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1734 and 1735 together. The information requested by the Deputy is not yet available for 2006/07.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (31 Jan 2007)

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

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A Design Team was appointed to the project on the School referred to by the Deputy on the 28th November last and the School Authorities were instructed to inform their Design Team to prepare a stage 1/2 submission (Outline sketch scheme with costings). The stage 1/2 documentation is now awaited and when this is received in my Department, my Officials will arrange a meeting with the School...