Results 11,501-11,520 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The accommodation needs of the school referred to by the Deputy are under consideration by my Department. In order to ensure that the appropriate level of accommodation is provided, officials in the School Planning Section are assessing the long-term projected staffing figure on which the accommodation needs will be based. In this regard, a recent technical visit to the school was carried...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has been informed by the Transport Liaison Officer for County Clare that the student referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied has applied for catchment boundary transport. My Department also understands that there are no spare seats available on the relevant transport service to accommodate this student. However, as the position with regard to spare seats may change...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that a Notice of Intention to apply for the recognition of a new primary school for Carlow town, to commence operation next September, has been submitted to the New Schools Advisory Committee (NSAC). As with all such applications, a full application must be submitted to the NSAC no later than 31st of January 2007. Following the NSAC's report to me in the matter...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through NEPS or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Consequently Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA, whereby the school can have an assessment carried out by a member of the...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Expenditure on the rental of temporary school accommodation is as follows: 2005: €15.7m 2006 — to end of November: €22.1m. The demand for additional accommodation in schools has risen significantly over the last number of years mainly due to the rapid expansion in teacher numbers particularly in the area of special needs, the growth in the school-going population in rapidly developing...

Written Answers — Literacy Levels: Literacy Levels (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An increase of €7.5 million, or 21%, is being provided in the budget for Adult Literacy and Community Education, which will allow for 3,000 additional literacy places in 2007. This will bring the total number of literacy places to 38,000. In addition to increasing the numbers of participants in the general literacy services, the increase will allow for a special intensive literacy project...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Since the establishment of the National Educational Psychological Service in 1999, the number of NEPS psychologists has increased from 43 to 127 at present (including 4 psychologists currently seconded to the National Behavioural Support Service). The estimated cost of expanding the number of psychologists in the service to 200 would be in the region of €6m in a full year in terms of direct...

Written Answers — Strategic Innovation Fund: Strategic Innovation Fund (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Strategic Innovation Fund was established by the Government to promote collaboration, support change and enhance quality in Irish higher education so that it is equipped to meet the challenge of driving Ireland's development as a leading knowledge economy. It reflects the reality that for Irish higher education to attain world class standards, we need to identify creative approaches that...

Written Answers — Education Courses: Education Courses (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: We have increased the number of PLC places by 60% since 1996/97. Indeed, the number of PLC places approved for 2005/2006 was up by more than 1,600 on the 2004/05 level. The number of approved places in the sector now stands at 30,188. Applications are received from providers each year for PLC courses and based on these applications an allocation for a particular number of places is...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Residential Institutions Redress Board was established under statute in 2002 to provide financial redress to victims of child abuse in residential institutions in order to assist them in their recovery and enhance the quality of the remainder of their lives. The Board received a total of 14,541 applications by the 15th December 2005, the final date for receipt of applications. Up to the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Maintenance Grant Scheme for Students attending Post Leaving Certificate courses is administered by the Vocational Education Committees on behalf of my Department. Under the terms of the Maintenance Grants Scheme for Post Leaving Certificate Courses 2006, grants are available to eligible candidates who are entering approved PLC courses for the first time in the 2006/2007 academic year....

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that the Department is in receipt of applications from the management authority of the school to which the Deputy refers for both the Small Schools Scheme 2007 and the Summer Works Scheme 2007. Applications for both of these schemes are currently being assessed and lists of successful applicants under each scheme will be published when this process is complete.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 293 to 297, inclusive, together. As the Deputy will be aware, this Government has shown an unrivalled commitment to ensuring that children and young people with special needs get the extra support they need in order to reach their full potential at school. We have dramatically expanded investment in special education in recent years and we have improved access...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The participation rate of students with a disability in third level education has improved significantly over the past ten years. In 1994, there were just 400 students with a disability in the sector (about 0.5% of full-time undergraduates), while recent indications from the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD) are that there are now over 2,700 students with a...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: On 12 October, 2006, the Trustees of this school announced that they would be phasing the closure of this school from September, 2007. The school in question is a voluntary secondary school and the decision to withdraw as providers of Education is within the remit of the Patron body, that is the Sisters of Mercy. My Department is examining the information supplied by the committee, referred...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Third Level Student Support Schemes were extended to provide maintenance grants to eligible students pursuing approved full-time undergraduate courses of at least two years duration (pursued in a university or a third level institution which is maintained or assisted by recurrent grants from public funds) in other EU Member States with effect from the 1996/97 academic year. The extension...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Discussions are on-going with the authorities of the schools to which the Deputy refers in relation to their accommodation needs. Meetings have also taken place with both Kildare County Council and Athy Town Council with a view to ensuring that the appropriate level of educational provision is made in the context of planned housing developments. The Department expects to be in a position to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Construction of an extension at the school to which the Deputy refers commenced in August 2006. The project is expected to be completed in 12 months.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The project for the School to which the Deputy refers is one of sixty two projects that I approved for the commencement of architectural planning in January of this year. The brief for the project consists of a 16 classroom Generic Repeat Design model with an additional bolt-on Special Education Tuition room. A Design Team was appointed to the project in June of this year. Approval has been...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (13 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, this Government has made huge progress in increasing the staffing in our primary schools both nationally and in Kildare. Nationally, there are now no less than 4,000 more primary teachers than there were in 2002, and nearly 7,000 more than there were in 1997. This represents the largest increase in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. The number...