Results 12,441-12,460 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Children's Health: Children's Health (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 — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: There are no tribunals of inquiry relating to my Department to which the Tribunals of Inquiry or Commissions of Investigation legislation would apply. However, as the Deputy will be aware, my Department is responsible for sponsoring the legislation governing the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. The terms of reference of the Commission are set out in the 2000 Act and amended by the...

Written Answers — Home-School Liaison Scheme: Home-School Liaison Scheme (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Home/School/Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL) is a major mainstream preventative strategy targeted at pupils at risk of not reaching their potential in the educational system because of background characteristics which tend to affect adversely pupil attainment and school retention. The scheme is concerned with establishing partnership and collaboration between parents and teachers in the...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is aware that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological services either directly from assigned psychologists based in the National Educational Psychological Service or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments, details of which are available on my Department's website and which is administered by NEPS. There has been some movement of...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 644 and 645 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the information requested is not available within my Department. The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local special educational needs organiser (SENO), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special needs supports such as resource...

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

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a formal letter of approval to rent a mainstream temporary classroom issued to the school in question last week.

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

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the School Building Unit of my Department has recently approved funding for the works in question.

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Oct 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. 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...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Oct 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...

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 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 one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc. Children...

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

Mary Hanafin: The School Planning Section of my 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 (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a site has recently been acquired for the provision of a new building for the school in question. Progress on the building project is now being considered in the context of the School Building and Modernisation Programme from 2007 onwards.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (24 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of a new school for the area in question is a priority for the Department and it is actively trying to resolve site issues in relation to this provision. He will also appreciate, however, that due to the commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisition, I am unable to comment on the specifics of individual sites.

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

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that my Department supports a multi skills approach in regard to the education of children with autism where a range of teaching methods are available e.g. Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACH), Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). My Department supports the training and...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (24 Oct 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 extend the capacity to 1000 pupils. A formal planning application has been lodged with the Local Authority. In September of 2006, the Vocational Education Committee notified my Department that the site had just received full planning...

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

Mary Hanafin: My Department funded an extension at the school in question and this was completed in 2005.

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

Mary Hanafin: The building for the School referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. The School in question was listed in my announcement of April 2005 to progress through the architectural planning process and was given approval to proceed to stage 3 ( Developed sketch scheme with costings) of architectural planning in May of this year. When the stage 3 submission is...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Department has no application for large scale capital investment from the school to which the Deputy refers although it was requested by the Department to submit one. In the meantime, additional temporary accommodation has been provided to cater for its immediate needs.

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

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware the new school to which he refers opened in September 2005. The school was given approval to enrol two Junior Infant Classes per year and, when fully occupied, will operate as a two-stream 16-classroom school. This incremental development is common to all newly established schools to ensure that a shortage of accommodation at the school is avoided by an over enrolment...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Oct 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.