Results 11,681-11,700 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching vacancies that arise in the Vocational Education Committee (VEC) sector is a matter for the relevant VEC.

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: 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 to the state examinations for young people with special needs. A...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the staffing schedule for primary schools is structured to ensure that all primary schools will operate to an average mainstream class size of 28 pupils. Posts allocated on the basis of this schedule are specifically for mainstream classes and should be deployed accordingly. School authorities are requested to ensure that the number of pupils in any class is kept...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 153 to 156, inclusive, and 166 together. My Department's preferred approach to the provision of appropriate education for children with autism, is through the primary and post primary school network, whether through placement in mainstream classes, in special classes or in special schools, a view that is supported by the findings of the Task Force Report on...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Special Education Support Service (SESS), which was established in September 2003. This service consolidates, co-ordinates, develops and delivers a range of professional development initiatives and support structures for school personnel working with students with special educational needs in a variety of educational settings. These settings include mainstream primary and post-primary...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The ICT in Schools Programme commenced in 1998 following the publication of Schools IT2000. The objective of the Programme is to ensure that all students have the opportunity to achieve computer literacy and to acquire the necessary skills for participation in the Information Society. By the end of last year, over €170m was invested in the Programme since its commencement including some...

Written Answers — Primary School Statistics: Primary School Statistics (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department and would take an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile.

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can assure the Deputy that my Department fully recognises the crucial role of physical exercise within the school environment and continues to respond to the need to improve sporting facilities and in particular, indoor facilities. This Government is determined to ensure that every child is educated in a suitable and comfortable environment. Since 1997, great advances have been made in...

Written Answers — School Discipline: School Discipline (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In accordance with the Education Act, 1998, individual school authorities are responsible for the day-to-day running of schools. It is a matter for each school authority to establish rules on what is and is not acceptable for students and teachers to do while on the school premises, provided that those rules are lawful, fair and reasonable. The National Centre for Technology in Education, in...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I understand that a letter was received in my office from the person referred to by the Deputy regarding the format of the Leaving Certificate Examination. The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including organising the holding of examinations and issuing the results of examinations. The issues raised in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers has submitted an application for funding under the Small Schools Scheme 2007. Officials in my Department are assessing all applications received under this scheme and I will publish the list of successful applicants as soon as the assessment process is complete.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. The compilation of this information would involve an inordinate amount of staff time.

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As an exceptional measure, the Department decided that a pupil from a primary school outside the catchment area to which the Deputy refers would be allowed to enrol in the post primary school in question for the 2006-2007 school year. As the Deputy points out, this decision was taken because the pupil concerned had an expectation that s/he would be enrolling in the school and did not have...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (29 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: School Planning Section of my Department is in receipt of an application for the Summer Works Scheme 2007 from the management authority of the school to which the Deputy refers. Applications for the Summer Works Scheme are currently being assessed and the list of successful applicants will be published as soon as possible.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (29 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that my Department implemented a general allocation system of learning support/resource teachers to schools with effect from September 2005. The system is intended to cater for children with learning support and high incidence special educational needs. It is a matter for each school to determine the pupils with learning support and high-incidence special education...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 236 and 237 together. The number of part time Special Need Assistants currently employed in Primary, Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive schools and paid on my Department's centralised payroll system is 1,850. The number of full time Special Need Assistants currently employed in Primary, Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive...

Written Answers — Tax Code: Tax Code (29 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has recently introduced new arrangements for the payment of casual and non casual teachers employed in Secondary and Community/ comprehensive schools. It is proposed to introduce similar arrangements for the payment of casual and non casual teachers in primary schools during 2007. The establishment of a mechanism to advise teachers regarding the matter referred to by the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (29 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: School Planning Section of my Department is in receipt of an application for the Small Schools Scheme 2007 from the school referred to by the Deputy. The application will be assessed by my officials and publication of the list of successful applicants for the scheme will be published as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (29 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The scope of the works referred to by the Deputy is appropriate for consideration under the Summer Works Scheme. While an application was received from the school in question under the Summer Works Scheme for 2007, it did not refer to an upgrade in the facilities of the school's sports ground. All applications under the Summer Works Scheme 2007 are currently being assessed in accordance with...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (29 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that the Department is in receipt of two applications for capital funding from the management authority of the school to which the Deputy refers, one under the Permanent Accommodation Scheme 2007 and one under the Small Schools Scheme 2007. The closing date for receipt of applications for both of these devolved funding schemes was the 27th October 2006. The Department is now in...