Results 12,361-12,380 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: A key focus of the Government's education policy is to prioritise investment in favour of those most at risk and to optimise access, participation and outcomes at every level of the system for disadvantaged groups. The wide variety of measures in place for tackling educational disadvantage and social exclusion reflect these concerns. These measures range from pre-school interventions,...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As I indicated when publishing the various strands of the Departments Capital Programme for 2006, I intend to move through the School Building and Modernisation Programme in a planned way over the next five years. This is possible with the availability of a €3.9bn multi-annual capital funding envelope (primary, post-primary and third level) over that period to underpin a continuous...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are available on my Department's website. Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them...

Written Answers — Third Level Qualifications: Third Level Qualifications (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I hope to be in a position to appoint a new Council shortly. I have been advised by FETAC that the absence of a new Council is not delaying the validation of new programmes. The previous Council of FETAC had agreed quality assurance and programme validation policies and procedures, and the published criteria are being implemented on an ongoing basis by the staff of the Council. Providers may...

Written Answers — Garda Vetting Services: Garda Vetting Services (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Ensuring the protection, health and welfare of children is a key concern for the Government, for parents, for agencies that work with children and for society generally and I can assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to do all that we can to keep our children and vulnerable adults safe. In the education sector, prior to this year, vetting was available in respect of prospective...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary 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 one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc.. Children with...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Since the establishment of the NEPS in 1999, the number of NEPS psychologists has increased from 43 to 123 at present. The Public Appointments Service has concluded a new recruitment competition for the appointment of Educational Psychologists to NEPS. Regional panels have been established to allow my Department give greater priority in filling vacancies to areas with the greatest need. Four...

Written Answers — Childhood Obesity: Childhood Obesity (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Our schools promote, support and encourage healthy eating and physical exercise in a range of ways. All second level schools have been required to provide Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) as part of the junior cycle curriculum since September 2003. The aims of this programme include preparing students for responsible decision-making and promoting their physical, mental and...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Information in relation to classes is provided in the annual census of primary schools. The reference date for the provision by schools of this information is the 30th September of the school year in question and the date for return by the schools is 31 October. Consequently, the details for the current school year (2006/2007) are not yet available. The most recent figures available in my...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I announced earlier this year that the State's thirty three Vocational Education Committees (VECs) are to be given sole responsibility for the administration of third level student maintenance grants for all new applicants with effect from the 2007/08 academic year. The change in the administration arrangements are part of my overall plans to introduce service improvements in the...

Written Answers — School Evaluations: School Evaluations (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, I have taken action, through the initiative to publish school inspection reports, to provide more information, for parents in particular, about our schools, in a way that I believe ensures a fair and comprehensive picture of all the different activities in a school. In contrast to school league tables, I believe that school inspection reports from Whole School...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department allocates additional teaching hours to VECs to support the delivery of education programmes in a range of facilities. Such allocations are made under the heading Co-Operation Hours with Other Institutions and are made in response to specific applications which are submitted by the VECs in advance of the commencement of the school year to which they relate. The Co-operation...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: With effect from 6 March 2003, responsibility for the operation of the State certificate examinations transferred from my Department to the State Examinations Commission. The majority of key personnel who had worked on the certificate examinations within my Department transferred to the Commission in 2003. This retention of experience and expertise ensured a seamless transition to the new...

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Early Years Education in Ireland covers the period from birth to six years. Almost all five year olds and half of four year olds attend junior infant and senior infant classes in primary schools. Outside of the junior classes in primary schools, my Department's main role in the area of early years education encompasses targeted pre-school provision for children from disadvantaged areas, for...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I assume the Deputy is referring to figures published in the 2006 OECD Education At A Glance report. It is important to note that this report draws on 2003 data in most instances, and that as a result significant advances in Ireland's performance on a number of fronts over the last three years is not reflected in this report. For example, total expenditure by the Department of Education and...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Unfortunately up-to-date figures on pupil:teacher ratios across the EU are not available. The most recent OECD 'Education At A Glance' report for example provides figures for 2003/04 which are now considerably out of date and fail to reflect the major increases in primary staffing in particular in Ireland in recent years. As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In order to ensure that children who do not have English or Irish as a first language are not at a disadvantage in educational terms, my Department gives additional support to schools which can take the form of financial assistance, additional temporary teacher posts or portions of teacher posts. The level of extra financial or teaching support provided to any school is determined by the...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Meetings are continuing at an official level between my Department, the Department of Health and Children, the Higher Education Authority and the Health Service Executive in relation to a proposed School of Podiatry. Pending the finalisation of these discussions it is not possible to advise when a call for proposals to establish the School will issue. No decisions have been taken on the...

Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I understand from the Higher Education Authority that the UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science currently offers an undergraduate course leading to the award of an MB BCh BAO honours degree in medicine. This degree has been accredited by the Medical Council. As a pilot initiative this academic year, the School has enrolled 14 students with high grade honours degrees and high scores in a...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (24 Oct 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...