Results 12,561-12,580 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: There has been substantial progress made in the funding of our schools since 2003, the financial year indicated in the OECD Report referred to be the Deputy. Spending by my Department on second level education increased by 17% between 2003 and 2005. In 2005 €2.7 billion was spent on second-level education — up from €2.3 billion in 2003 and €1.25 billion in 1997. These increases have...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has given a very high priority to the provision of resources to address the learning difficulties of children with low levels of achievement in reading. As the Deputy is aware, my Department implemented a general allocation system in all primary schools with effect from the start of the 2005/2006 school year. The general allocation scheme is designed to ensure that each school...

Written Answers — Third Level Grants: Third Level Grants (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of grants schemes administered by the VECs on behalf of my Department, the position is that, generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age, residence, means, nationality and previous academic attainment. The candidate's reckonable income for the purposes of the...

Written Answers — Special Savings Incentive Scheme: Special Savings Incentive Scheme (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Since SSIAs were introduced, the amount of income to be included in respect of them is the government grant earned on the savings in the relevant tax year plus, in the case of savings accounts, the gross interest earned in the relevant tax year, and, in the case of investment accounts, the investment profit earned in the relevant tax year. Investment losses sustained in the relevant tax year...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 517, 524 and 530 together. The Department acknowledges the need for a permanent solution to meet the long term accommodation needs of the school to which the Deputy's refer. The Department is actively looking at proposals regarding an alternative site for the school. However, due to the sensitivities surrounding site acquisitions, I am unable to comment on...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs (SEN) supports from primary and post primary schools. The teaching and special needs assistant (SNA) support allocated are intended to enable schools to meet the needs of...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: 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 needs of Gaelscoil Dara are being addressed as expeditiously as possible and the provision of a permanent building for the school will be progressed in the context of the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The School Building Unit of my Department approved funding in May 2006 for the provision of a ramp at the swimming pool at this school. There is no record of an application from the school authorities for the provision of a hoist for the lifting of disabled pupils into its swimming pool. Officials of my Department have been in contact by telephone with the school advising them of the...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Section 4 of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 provides that the Minister for Education and Science may, by order, insert additional institutions in the Schedule to the Act. For an institution to be considered under Section 4, it must be an industrial school, a reformatory school, an orphanage, a children's home, a special school for children with a physical or intellectual...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy is part of an amalgamation project with the SN Peadar agus Pol to provide a new 16 classroom school. The new school will be known as Scoil Mocheallóg. The project is currently at an early stage of architectural planning. A full Design Team has recently been appointed for the project. My Department, in a letter dated September 28th, 2006, authorised the...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The assessment of projected enrolments, which includes inter alia the consideration of demographic trends and housing developments in the area, is currently underway in my Department and will assist in determining the long term projected enrolment for the school on which the school's long term accommodation needs will be based. When the long-term projected enrolment has been finalised and...

Written Answers — School Services Staff: School Services Staff (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services in primary schools under two separate schemes. One scheme is the 1978/79 scheme for the employment of full-time secretaries and caretakers in primary schools, under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. This scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being created....

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, sites that may be used for school projects in future would include those that are owned by schools, those in the ownership of local authorities and those in private ownership. The Department considers the need for sites at both the level of individual schools and those of particular geographical areas as part of the new process of publishing Area Development Plans...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that there are currently 58 special classes for children with specific speech and language disorder in primary schools nationwide. The classes operate at a pupil teacher ratio of 7:1. The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from...

Written Answers — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In response to the Deputy's question, I am not aware of any cases taken by Civil Servants, in which the Courts have made an order against my Department in relation to the payment of damages, compensation or legal costs arising from a Plaintiff contending that my Department had not honoured contractual rights and entitlements during the period in question.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Contract documentation for the acquisition of the site for the school in question is currently with the Chief State Solicitor Office. The matter of the transfer of the legal title is currently being examined by the Chief State Solicitor Office.

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including issuing the results of examinations and determining procedures to enable the review and appeal of results of examinations at the request of candidates. In view of this, I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An application has been received in my Department from the school referred to by the Deputy under the Summer Works Scheme 2007. My Department is currently assessing all applications received from schools. I intend to announce details of the approved schemes by the end of the year.

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: NEPS does not keep waiting lists for assessments of children but in common with other psychological services encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention, in consultation with their assigned NEPS psychologist. Only if there is a failure to make reasonable progress in spite of the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department is delivering a record school building programme which is transforming the standard of school accommodation throughout the country. Between 2000 and 2005, over €2 billion was spent on educational infrastructure on over 6,500 individual school building projects. In 2006 my Department is funding the delivery of circa. 1,300 school building...