Results 12,181-12,200 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Commissioners of Public Works have recently confirmed to the Department that the site in question is not available for consideration as a new school site. At present, my Department is actively engaged in sourcing a suitable site to facilitate the construction of a permanent building for the school referred to by the Deputy. The Deputy can be assured that the permanent accommodation...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with autism receive an education appropriate to their needs, preferably through the primary and post primary school network. The school in question is not an ABA school. It is a special school which caters for pupils with moderate, severe or profound learning disabilities as well as children on the...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under Article 42 of the Constitution the State has a duty to provide for free primary education and to ensure that each child receives at least a certain minimum level of education. The State discharges the latter obligation through the establishment of the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB). Under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, the NEWB has a function to advise and assist children...

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

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that an early intervention class for children with autism was recently sanctioned in the school in question. This class provides pupil-specific approach to the education of children with autism drawing on a range of teaching methods, including ABA, specific to the needs of individual pupils. The Deputy will be familiar with the variety of current provision...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with autism receive an education appropriate to their needs, preferably through the primary and post primary school network where children can mix with their wider peer group and have maximum opportunities for integration. My Department supports an eclectic approach to the education of children with...

Written Answers — Departmental Transport: Departmental Transport (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Vehicles used by Department of Education and Science staff to perform their duties do not use fuel from a particular fuel supplier. Departmental staff are not issued with fuel cards in connection with their duties.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I refer to my reply to Question No. 549 on 1 November 2006. The position remains the same.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The proposed extension project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning and is one of the 124 schools that I announced last year to progress through the architectural planning process. Following an increase in the long-term projected enrolments at the school, my Department's officials visited the school in question in September of this year and...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that the management authority of the school to which the Deputy refers has applied for capital funding under the Department's Permanent Accommodation Scheme for 2007. I will be publishing the list of successful applicants when all applications have been assessed.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The proposed refurbishment and extension project for the school referred to by the deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. A Design Team was appointed on the project in July of this year and following a project briefing meeting the Design Team were instructed to prepare a stage 1, 2 submission (site suitability/sketch scheme). Part of the Design Team's brief at Stage 1, 2 is...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy has recently made an application under the Summer Works Scheme 2007 for grant aid to upgrade science and home economic facilities. All applications under this scheme are currently being assessed and I intend to publish the list of successful applicants before Christmas. The school also has an application with the Department for major capital grant aid for...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can inform the Deputy that no such requirement exists for the assessment of special needs children by psychologists from within my Department. In certain circumstances a pupil with special needs may be re-assessed on an ongoing, rather than cyclical, basis to process additional teaching resources commensurate with that individual's particular needs.

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (7 Nov 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 School Support Programme will bring together, and build upon, a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The process of...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department compiles statistics on the number of officers employed who have a disability using two sources. These are officers whose initial recruitment was through a special competition confined to persons with a disability, and officers who request special accommodation/ equipment or consideration in connection with a disability. With regard to this second category my Department does...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 494 to 496, inclusive, together. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is a statutory body set up under the Education Act 1998 to advise the Minister for Education and Science on curriculum and assessment matters. While a document on Irish has been prepared for internal consultation within the Council, it has not yet been approved by the...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is a statutory body set up under the Education Act 1998 to advise the Minister for Education and Science on curriculum and assessment matters. As part of its remit, the NCCA may establish committees to assist it in the performance of its functions. The composition of subcommittees of the NCCA is a matter for the Council as provided...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: A revised literature course for Leaving Certificate Irish was introduced in September 2004 and was examined for the first time in June of this year. It has been widely welcomed as it allows literature to be taught using modern communicative approaches that appeal to young people and it affords a high level of choice to students and teachers.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The matter referred to by the Deputy is currently under review by officials in my Department and they expect shortly to be in contact with the awarding body in this case.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (7 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of the Department's maintenance grants schemes, and in accordance with the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Act 1992, a mature student is defined as a candidate who is at least 23 years of age on the 1st January of the year of entry or re-entry to an approved course. Under the terms of my Department's 2005 Third Level Student Maintenance Grant Schemes the position...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (7 Nov 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 School Support Programme will bring together, and build upon, a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The process of...