Results 12,621-12,640 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (12 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: A Notice of Intention to Apply for the recognition of a new primary school to commence operation next September in the area to which the Deputy refers has been submitted to the New Schools Advisory Committee (NSAC). As with all such applications, a full application must be submitted to the NSAC no later than 31st of January 2007. Following the NSAC's report to me in the matter, I expect to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (12 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the Department is in receipt of an application for major capital works from the management authority of the school to which she refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale projects and has been assigned a Band 2 rating. Progress on the proposed works is being considered in the context of...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (12 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: For the purposes of determining grant eligibility under my Department's Maintenance Grants Schemes, all investments must be declared, including deposit accounts, savings certificates, life assurance bonds and other financial instruments where the interest/profit is accumulated and paid out as a lump sum at the end of the investment period. The amount of income to be included in respect of...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has provided funding of in excess of €34 million for the construction of nine dual use halls with enhanced facilities, attached to post-primary schools. Eight of the halls, including the hall referred to by the Deputy, are in Dublin and one is in Cork. The halls in question have been built as part of a joint programme to develop community sports facilities in drugs task...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Teacher allocations to second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. Each school management authority is required to organise its timetable and subject options with regard to pupils' needs within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The rules for allocating teaching resources provide that where...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, through the local special educational needs organiser, is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports from primary and post-primary schools. In the case referred to by the Deputy, an application for resource teaching hours was made to the relevant special educational needs...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The School Planning Section of the Department works with the Planning Department of Fingal County Council for the purpose of reserving sites for primary and post primary school provision. It is the Department's aim to deliver infrastructure commensurate with the delivery of housing developments. As a general rule, the Department will always seek to maximise existing facilities ahead of...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) came into operation on 1st January 2005. One of the specific functions of the NCSE, through its network of local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is to identify appropriate educational placements for all children with special educational needs. The SENO is a focal point of contact for parents and schools....

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, my Department's preferred approach to the provision of appropriate education for children with autism, is through the primary and post primary school network, whether through placement in mainstream classes, in special classes or in special schools, a view that is supported by the findings of the Task Force Report on Autism. My Department supports a multi-skills...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to advise the Deputy that the home tuition scheme provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a variety of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for pupils awaiting a suitable educational placement. As the tuition takes place outside of the school supervision, the...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I take it that the Deputy is referring to the ABACAS autism specific facility, based in Kilnamanagh, that has been established to cater for children on the autistic spectrum on a pilot basis. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has not received a formal request from this centre for additional funding to increase the number of places available for children with autism. Any...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of my Department's Third Level Maintenance Grant Schemes, which are administered on behalf of the Department by the Local Authorities and the Vocational Education Committees, 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 residence, age, means,...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (11 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. Children with special needs and those from...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of my Department provides an educational psychological service to primary and post primary schools. NEPS also offers support and advice to all schools in the context of traumatic incidents, including suicide. The level of support offered depends on the needs of individual students and the capacity of the school to respond. A school may,...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Department acknowledges the need for a permanent solution to meet the long term accommodation needs of the school to which the Deputy refers. 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 specifics at this time.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works, which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisitions generally, has been requested to source a site for the school referred to by the Deputy. On foot of advertising, a number of proposals were received by the OPW. A Technical Assessment has been carried out on all site proposals and OPW are currently awaiting...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that on 03 August 2006 my Department gave devolved authority for the project in question to proceed to Planning Permission and for the preparation of tender documentation. My Department is currently awaiting confirmation from the school that they have completed this process.

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has provided funding in excess of €34m for the construction of nine dual use halls with enhanced facilities, attached to post-primary schools. Eight of the halls, including the hall referred to by the Deputy, are in Dublin and one is in Cork. The halls in question have been built as part of a joint programme to develop community sports facilities in drugs task force areas. ...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (11 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...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: With effect from 1 January 2005, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has taken over key functions from my Department in relation to special educational provision. The NCSE was formally established as an independent statutory body on 1 October 2005 under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004. The Council acts under the broad policy direction of my...