Results 11,881-11,900 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As previously advised, Officials from my Department, the National Council for Special Education and the Health Service Executive met with members of the Board of Management of the school in June 2006 in order to progress the opening of the unit. The NCSE is continuing to liaise with the school on an ongoing basis in order to progress the situation.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 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...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The management authority of the School in question, Co. Kildare Vocational Education Committee, is currently progressing plans to re-locate the School and to extend the capacity to 1000 pupils. In September of 2006, the Vocational Education Committee notified the Department that the Local Authority had issued full planning permission for the education campus. The site will be legally...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that the School Building Section of the Department is in receipt of the Stage 3 submission for the project in question and it is currently being reviewed.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The new school building project for Ardclough is one of the 80 projects recently announced to commence architectural planning. The School Building Section of the Department has recently contacted the school authorities on this matter and an information meeting has been set up for schools to facilitate the initiation of the design phase of this project.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (28 Nov 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 was requested to source a site for a new national school in Kill. Agreement has been reached, subject to contract, on the acquisition of a site for a new school at Kill, Co. Kildare. Draft contracts have been exchanged but the conveyancing process is...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy was one of the sixty two projects that were announced to start the architectural planning process in January 2006. The brief for this project consists of a new 16 classroom school. In September of this year the Design Team were instructed to proceed to stage 1/2 (develop sketch scheme with costings) submission. When the stage 1/2...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Construction on the project referred to by the Deputy commenced in late May 2006. The project is currently on target and it is envisaged that the school will be ready for occupation in September 2007.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy was one of sixty two projects that were announced to start the architectural planning process in January 2006. The brief for this project consists of a 16 classroom Generic Repeat Design with an additional bolt-on Special Education Tuition room. A design team was appointed on the project in June of this year and following a...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 522 and 523 together. As the Deputy may be aware, following widespread local consultation undertaken by the Commission on School Accommodation, the Area Development Plan for the N4/M4 corridor was published in May 2005. This plan outlines the Department's long-term educational strategy at both primary and post-primary level for this area which included...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 524 and 525 together. I am aware that Clane, like many areas are experiencing population growth, a position that almost inevitably places some strain on existing educational provision. However, measures have been undertaken by my Department to address the current and future need for pupil places in this area. At primary level, it has been determined that Scoil...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 526 and 527 together. I am aware that Sallins, Naas, and Kill , like many areas located within close proximity to Dublin, continue to experience population growth, a position that almost inevitably places some strain on existing educational provision. However, a range of significant measures has been undertaken by the Department to address the current and...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The School Planning Section of the Department has received an application for major capital funding from the management authorities of the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale projects. Progress on the proposed works is being considered in the context of the School Building and...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The process of appointing a design team to the proposed building project at the school referred to by the Deputy has commenced. On behalf of the Client (the School Board of Management) the School Building Section of the Department published the advertisement seeking the relevant consultancy services on the public procurement portal, www.etenders.gov.ie, on 15 August last. The closing date for...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 530 to 535, inclusive, together. The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department and would take an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. As the Deputy will be aware, there are now no less than 4,000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. Furthermore, there are nearly 7,000 more primary...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has not received any application for additional accommodation from the school referred to by the Deputy. The school authorities should contact the School Planning Section of the Department if it has concerns in this regard.

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 537, 543, 545 and 546 together. As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at both primary and post-primary level in recent years. At the beginning of the current school year there are no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. The average class size in our primary schools is 24 and there is now...

Written Answers — Drugs in Schools: Drugs in Schools (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department contributes fully to the overall aim of the Government's policy in relation to drugs, which is to provide an effective, integrated response to the problems posed by drug misuse. As part of this process, my Department is represented at senior level on the National Drugs Strategy Team and on the Interdepartmental Group which in turn reports to the Cabinet Committee on Social...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I share the Deputy's concern that any child would feel upset in school because of bullying — be it physical, verbal or cyber and I assure him that supports are in place to enable schools both to prevent bullying and to deal with cases that may arise. For a start, each school is required to have in place a policy which includes specific measures to deal with bullying behaviour, within the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to advise the Deputy that responsibility for the provision of speech and language therapy services rests with the Health Service Executive. However, I can confirm that my Department has sanctioned 59 special classes for children with specific speech and language disorder. Each class can cater for up to 7 children and the children have access to a speech and language therapist. In May...