Results 1,201-1,220 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Transition Year Programme: Transition Year Programme (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Every year my Department invites all second level schools to participate in the Transition Year Programme. The management authority of each school carries responsibility for making decisions regarding the Transition Year Programme in that school. Guidelines have been issued by my Department to support schools in this process. In some schools, the programme is compulsory for all students. In...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Official's in County Wexford Vocational Education Committee confirmed that they have 65 appeals outstanding.

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 680 to 683, inclusive, together. The deployment of administrative staff to any particular task, such as that referred to by the Deputy, is a matter for the management of the VEC. County Wexford VEC has advised my officials that one Grade V and two Grade III members of staff are currently assigned to the task of processing grant applications.

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy is of course aware of the Government decision to implement a recruitment and promotion moratorium in the public sector. In respect of Vocational Education Committees, positions other than teacher and SNA posts in schools, and teacher equivalents that are directly providing tuition to pupils in schools, in special programmes or in an adult and further education, are comprehended by...

Written Answers — Home Tuition Scheme: Home Tuition Scheme (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the home tuition scheme provides funding to parents to facilitate tuition for children of school going age awaiting an educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for pre-school children with autism where no educational placement is available. The Deputy is aware that the child is question does not meet the eligibility criteria for...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The number of students taking the Leaving Certificate Applied programme is extracted from the returns made by post-primary schools of students enrolled as at 30th September each year. The number of students enrolled in the Leaving Certificate Applied programmes during 2008/2009 was 3,867 in the first year and 3,230 for the second year of the programme. The respective figures for 2007/08 were...

Written Answers — Flood Damage to Schools: Flood Damage to Schools (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department as any issues with school buildings arising from the recent weather conditions are a matter for schools' insurers in the first instance. Primary, Secondary and VEC schools which have suffered damage due to recent flooding and weather conditions should, in the first instance, contact their insurance companies....

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Representatives from the school and the design team attended a stage 2(b) briefing which was held in my Department's office in Tullamore on 21 January. Thereafter, a letter issued to the school authorising the design team to prepare and submit stage 2(b) documentation (detailed design/tender...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Representatives from the school and the design team attended a stage 2(b) briefing which was held in my Department's office in Tullamore on 12 November last. Thereafter, a letter issued to the school authorising the design team to prepare and submit stage 2b documentation (detailed design/tender...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The acquisition of a site for the required school building project and the actual building project itself will be considered in the context of the capital budget available to my Department for school buildings generally having regard to the competing demands and existing commitments on my Departments School Building Programme. I am not in a position to say when my Department will proceed to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: There were 403 Special Needs Assistants (whole time equivalents) employed in schools in County Donegal on 29 January 2010 and paid on my Department's payroll. Three hundred and fifty (whole time equivalents) were serving in Primary schools and 53 in Secondary and Community/Comprehensive schools. The Deputy should contact Co Donegal Vocational Education Committee in relation to the number of...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The principal financial support available to students in higher education is the student maintenance grant. Students who are entering approved courses are eligible for financial assistance where they satisfy the relevant conditions including those relating to residency, means, age, nationality and previous academic attainment. When I announced details of the student maintenance grant schemes...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (2 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I assume that the Deputy is referring to the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) in the first part of his question. The SWS is an annual devolved scheme financed from within the overall budget for the School Building and Modernisation Programme. The development of a programme of works for the 2010 Scheme is currently underway. In this regard, the closing date for the receipt of applications was 27...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is at present carrying out a review of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations in all schools. The purpose of this review is to ensure that all SNA posts meet the criteria governing the allocation of such posts, as outlined in my Department's...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (28 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The first school to which the Deputy refers made an application to the Department for a new school in January 2002. The application was assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band 1.1 rating. The second school to which the Deputy refers has not submitted an application for Major Capital Works. The school opened in...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (28 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Small Schools' Scheme, which was operated by my Department from 2003 to 2007, was specifically targeted at providing grant aid for the extension and refurbishment of small rural schools. Over the course of the operation of the scheme, a total of €177m was spent on almost 400 schools throughout the country, leading to a very welcome improvement in the standard of accommodation...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: As announced in the Budget, a reduction of 5% is being applied to the rates of student grants and scholarships. This reduction is being implemented in respect of all existing and new grant-holders from January 2010. This reduction is broadly in line with reductions in other income maintenance payments including those for the unemployed. The reductions in the rates of student grants were...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: From September 2010, as announced in the Budget, all new applicants who are in receipt of the Back to Education Allowance for all schemes, and the VTOS allowances for those pursuing PLC courses, will be ineligible for student support maintenance grants. The cost of the student services charge and any fees payable to colleges will continue to be met, for eligible students, by the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am aware that some students are experiencing delays in the processing of their grant applications and appreciate the individual difficulties this can involve. It is understood that both local authorities and VECs, the awarding bodies for student grants, received an unprecedented number of student grant applications this year with increases in applications up by 30% in some areas. In some...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The supply teacher scheme will cease from the start of the 2010-11 school year. The teachers concerned will be redeployed in accordance with the existing redeployment arrangements to other schools that have vacancies. It is expected that this measure will save €400,000 in 2010 and €1.1 million in a full year. There are 60 posts allocated to the scheme. A value for money review was...