Results 11,581-11,600 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 487 and 488 together. There are currently 9 staff working in my private office and 5.5 staff working in my constituency office, as follows: Private Office: 1 Principal Officer 1 Private Secretary at Higher Executive Officer level 2 Executive Officers 4 Clerical Officers 1 Special Adviser at Principal Officer level. Constituency Office: 1 Higher Executive...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that the Department is in receipt of an application for major capital works from the management authority of the school to which the Deputy refers. The school's long-term projected staffing is currently being assessed. When this has been agreed with the school authority progress on the works will be considered in the context of the School building and Modernisation Programme...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works, which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisitions generally, has been requested to source a suitable site for the school in question. A number of proposals were received by OPW on foot of advertising. These proposals are currently being examined by OPW and officials in my Department are awaiting a final...

Written Answers — Teacher Training: Teacher Training (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The position is that teaching practice is an integral part of the curriculum for the training of both primary and post-primary teachers. It is not a paid activity because it is viewed as training rather than employment. On that basis, my Department does not provide special financial assistance for students towards costs associated with teaching practice. The Deputy will be aware that teacher...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The overall accommodation needs of the school are being examined in my Department in order to ensure that any capital funding being provided is appropriate to meet the school's long-term accommodation needs. When a decision is made on the appropriate level of accommodation to be provided a technical visit will then be arranged and the application will be considered further.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is committed to initiating and managing ongoing programmes of in-service training and professional development for teachers of pupils with special educational needs, including pupils with autistic spectrum disorders, through an expanding range of accredited courses in Colleges and Third-Level Institutions and in the development of support programmes and services, my Department...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has been informed by Bus Éireann that it is currently in the process of establishing a school transport service to the school referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied. The Deputy may wish to check with the local Bus Éireann office regarding the pupils eligible for this service.

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated School Support Programme (SSP). The SSP will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The process of identifying primary and...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take questions 496 and 498 together. I can confirm to the Deputy that Carlow town has been designated as an area of rapid growth and all applications received from schools in the area are treated in that context. The School Planning Section of the Department is currently in the process of completing a full study of the demographics of the area to ensure adequate educational...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The New School Advisory Committee is in receipt of a notification of an intention to apply for a Multi-Denominational English medium primary school in Carlow town. The closing date for applications is 31 January 2007. All applications received will be referred to the New School Advisory Committee for their consideration. The criteria and procedures for the recognition of new primary schools...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An assessment is being carried out by the Department to strategically examine the extent of multi-denominational provision in the Dublin 9 area. It will also determine long term requirements and how these should best be addressed. The issue of permanent recognition for the school in question will be visited once this assessment has been completed. While schools with temporary recognition do...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I want to assure the Deputy that this Government is committed to doing everything that we can to reduce the number of children with serious reading difficulties. We are very conscious of the fact that good levels of literacy and numeracy are fundamental prerequisites for full educational and social participation, and we have intensified our efforts. As the Deputy will be aware, a general...

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (12 Dec 2006)

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 2002 or 2003, depending on whether they took the Transition Year Programme. The published data for the 1996 cohort indicate an average "unadjusted" retention...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: All primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) that is administered by NEPS and full details of which are available on my Department's website. NEPS does not keep waiting lists for assessments of...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Additional support is being given to schools in respect of an estimated 18,000 pupils at primary level and 6,000 pupils at post-primary level whose first language is not English to ensure that they can succeed at school. This support can take the form of financial assistance, additional teaching posts or portions of teacher posts.

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (12 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Following an assessment of the school's long term accommodation needs, an extension project has been agreed on the basis of staffing of Principal plus 20 Mainstream class teachers plus ancillary. Based on this staffing level, schedules of overall accommodation has been drawn up and as is standard practice provision has been made for General Purpose facilities. The Office of Public Works,...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (7 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008. The Strategy, which was launched in May 2001, is based on four pillars — supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research — under which a series of 100 individual actions have been identified. These...

Written Answers — School Services Staff: School Services Staff (7 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial services in the case of secondary schools under two separate schemes. One is the 1978/79 scheme for the employment of school secretaries in secondary schools under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. The 1978/79 scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being created. The 1978/79 scheme...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (7 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I acknowledge the important work undertaken by our school principals. Some principals have particularly heavy workloads arising from the size of their school. Others carry additional duties arising from the fact that, in addition to their mainstream classes, they have a significant number of special classes containing children with complex special needs. We are also establishing specialist...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (7 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 and 160 together. As part of my Department's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with Autistic Spectrum Disorders receive an education appropriate to their needs my Department has established: 178 Special Classes for children with autism, attached to special and mainstream schools, 5 special Classes for children with...