Results 12,821-12,840 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has been operational since 1st January 2005, and is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs (SEN) supports through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs). I can confirm that an application for SEN support was received for the pupil in question by the local...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The application for capital funding towards the accommodation needs of the school referred to has been assessed by my officials and a decision taken to provide funding towards a new 24 classroom school to replace the existing school building, on a site to be provided by the Patron for that purpose. As part of the Patron's plans for future primary education provision in Ennis, a...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Part-time courses are not approved courses under the terms of the Maintenance Grant Schemes. Any extension of the student support schemes to part-time studies would have significant cost implications. I have no plans at present to extend the grant schemes to include part-time students. Under my Department's Free Fees Initiative the Exchequer meets the tuition fees of eligible students who...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Sep 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 my Department will be in contact with the school authority in order to arrange a mutually convenient time for this site visit. On completion of the brief, the project will be considered for progression in the context of...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides a range of supports to second level school management to enable schools to cater for pupils with special educational needs including the needs of pupils with autism. The supports in question include remedial and additional teaching support, special needs assistant support and funding for the purchase of specialised equipment. As the Deputy is aware, there has been...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department is committed to providing a new 1,000 pupil post primary school for Donabate. This will be delivered by way of a Public Private Partnership (PPP). I can confirm that arrangements are in place for the transfer of the designated site from Fingal County Council to my Department. Once the site is acquired, the project can then be included in a bundle...

Written Answers — Capital Expenditure: Capital Expenditure (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1285, 1320, 1326, 1395, 1406 and 1409 together. The OECD Report examined changes in expenditure since the mid-1990s. It shows that expenditure on education in Ireland has increased substantially between 1995 and 2003 at all levels, even when allowing for inflation. I am pleased to say that investment in education has also increased substantially since 2003,...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The schools to which the Deputy refers have agreed to amalgamate into a single girls' school, to cater for a long term projected enrolment of 700 pupils. Amalgamation is dependent on the availability of suitable accommodation and a decision has been taken to provide a new school on a new site. The Property Management Section of the OPW, which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The schools to which the Deputy refers have agreed to amalgamate into a single boys' school, to cater for a long term projected enrolment of 700 pupils. Amalgamation is dependent on the availability of suitable accommodation and a decision has been taken to provide a new school on a new site. The Patron of the proposed amalgamated school has offered to provide a site to accommodate the new...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Following a detailed assessment of the school's long term accommodation needs, a decision was taken to provide a new six classroom school. In order to facilitate this development, the Office of Public Works, which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisition, is at an advanced stage of the acquisition of land adjacent to the existing site. When the site acquisition process...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The review to which the Deputy refers in nearing completion and contact will be made with the schools concerned as soon as the matter has been finalised.

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The details for the amalgamation of the schools to which the Deputy refers are being finalised. The next step in the process is to carry out a technical inspection of the buildings concerned to determine the scope of works required to facilitate the amalgamation and to accommodate another school in one of the buildings which will be vacated post amalgamation. A date for this visit will be...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, it is the Department's intention to permanently accommodate the school to which he refers in a building which it expects to be vacated post an amalgamation of three other primary schools. To progress this matter, the next step is to carry out a technical inspection of the buildings concerned to determine the scope of works to facilitate both the amalgamation and...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1295 and 1404 together. As previously outlined to the Deputy, it is my Department's policy to ensure that schools in an area can between them cater for all pupils seeking places. This not alone maximises the use of available accommodation in the interest of tax payer expenditure but also ensures that no school is developed to the detriment of another....

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department is delivering a record school building programme which, since 2005, involved giving approval to proceed to tender and construction of over 1,450 building projects in primary schools throughout the country. In recent years my Department has streamlined the delivery process for school building projects so as to ensure, to the greatest extent...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The assessment of means under my Department's Third Level Student Maintenance Grant Schemes is based on gross income from all sources, with specified social welfare and health board payments being excluded from the calculation. Under the schemes reckonable income is defined as income from Employment/Pensions; Self Employment/Farming; Rent and income from Land/Property; Deposit/Investment...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An official from the School Building Section of my Department contacted the school in question by telephone recently concerning the issues raised by the Deputy. The school authorities were requested to complete and return an application form in respect of funding under the Emergency Works Scheme to address these issues. As soon as the completed application form is returned it will be...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The School Planning Section of my Department is in receipt of an application for major capital funding from the management authority of the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and has been assigned a Band 2 rating. The school, however, has indicated a preference for...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: School authorities need to take account of Circulars SNA 15/05 and 0059/2006 which deal with contracts of employment and seniority issues for special need assistants. The revised contract has regard to the fact that all newly approved special needs assistant posts are related to the special needs of one or more pupils in respect of whom the posts are sanctioned, and may be utilised by the...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (27 Sep 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that in accordance with the commitment in the Agreed Programme for Government I plan to introduce a single unified scheme of maintenance grants for students in higher education with effect from 2007/08 academic year. This will, I believe provide for a more coherent administration system which will facilitate consistency of application, improved client accessibility...