Results 12,661-12,680 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Insurance: School Insurance (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Responsibility for arranging insurance cover, including the specific requirements of insurance cover for school property and against public liability is a matter for the managerial authorities of primary schools and would fall to be met from the capitation funding which schools receive from my Department. My Department provides funding to primary schools by way of per capita grants, which...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An assessment of the school's application for capital funding for a new school has been completed and a decision taken to provide a new 16 classroom school to meet the school's long term accommodation needs. My Department met with the school authorities in relation to this project in June 2005 and advised, upon receipt of a further request for a meeting, the school in October 2005 that a...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of my Department's Higher Education Grants Scheme, maintenance grants are not payable to candidates who already hold an undergraduate degree and are pursuing a second undergraduate degree. Similarly tuition fees, under the Free Fees Initiative, are not payable in respect of a second period of college attendance on a course at the same level. These restrictions apply to every...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The information on pupil teacher ratio by school or County as requested by the Deputy is not readily available. As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary and post-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...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 505 and 506 together. 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...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (10 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 overall provision for expenditure on education has more than doubled since 1997. The allocation for that year was €3.2 billion as compared with €7.9 billion in the current...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (10 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 exploring the possibility of acquiring a site for Ballinamore Community School. A number of options have been considered including the possibility of using one of the sites of the existing schools as the site of amalgamation. The preferred...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My officials are in the process of drawing up a detailed accommodation brief for this school. A site visit is required in order to inform the final brief for the project and officials will be in contact with the school authority in the coming weeks in order to arrange a mutually convenient time for this site visit. Following the site visit, the brief will be completed and the project will...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 510 to 512, inclusive, together. 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...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (10 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 time-table and subject options having regard to pupils needs within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The rules for allocating teaching resources provide that where...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is included in the table. As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary and post-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...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the Higher Diploma in Education course, a student must undertake a certain number of hours teaching practice under supervision in a recognised second level school and this teaching practice is supervised directly by the relevant University. Arrangements in this regard are therefore a matter between the individual student, the university and the school and does not involve my Department.

Written Answers — Science Education Facilities: Science Education Facilities (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the multi-annual school building programme my Department has invested heavily in modernising school facilities throughout the country including science facilities in post-primary schools. Typically this investment involves the provision of modern science facilities in new post-primary schools or the upgrading of science facilities in existing schools either as part of a school...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Oct 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 in April of 2005 to progress through the architectural planning process. On the 20th March 2006 a letter issued to the School Authorities with revised schedules of accommodation requesting them to get their Design Team to revise...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the expansion of the devolved scheme for primary school building works, a grant of €275,000 was sanctioned in March 2006 to enable the management authority of the school in question to extend and refurbish their school. I am pleased to inform the deputy that an additional grant has recently been sanctioned for this school.

Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The appointment of a visitor to a university is outlined in Sections 19 and 20 of the Universities Act, 1997. It provides that "where the Minister is of the opinion that there are reasonable grounds for contending that the functions of a university are being performed in a manner which prima facie constitutes a breach of the laws, statutes or ordinances applicable to the university, the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department does not offer a specific scholarship to pupils who obtain 600 points in their leaving certificate. However, my Department offers 50 Third Level Scholarships annually under three scholarship schemes as follows: Scéim Scoláireachtaí Tríú Leibhéal do Mhic Léinn ón nGaeltacht Scéim Scoláireachtaí Tríú Leibhéal (Trí Ghaeilge Teoranta) Scéim Scoláireachtaí Ghaeilge...

Written Answers — Radon Gas Levels: Radon Gas Levels (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 524, 526 and 527 together. The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. The position generally regarding my Department's Radon Remediation Programme is as follows. In 1998 my Department commissioned the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) to conduct a survey of radon levels in all primary and post primary...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with Autistic Spectrum Disorders receive an education appropriate to their needs and in this regard my Department has established: 170 Special Classes for children with autism, attached to special and mainstream schools; 5 special Classes for children with Asperger's Syndrome; 16 preschool classes to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 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.