Results 13,081-13,100 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 31 together. My Department has not received a written complaint about this issue. Under Section 15 of the Education Act 1998, the board of management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school and is therefore responsible for making decisions on the types of activities in which the school gets involved. Clearly there are two different...

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: It does a grave disservice to those who have been sexually abused to compare it to commercial abuse. I am appalled to hear Deputy Gogarty make the comparison.

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Circulars on the promotion of commercial products have been issued by the Department since the early 1980s. One addressed the promotion and marketing of commercial products throughout schools and asked boards of management to be careful in this regard. My Department met the INTO prior to this matter arising and discussed in detail the need to consider guidelines for schools, particularly for...

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I agree with Deputy Enright's point that one would have more faith in an institute of technology. The Dublin Institute of Technology Food Product Development Centre is highly regarded. It supports the Irish food industry in analysing current trends. It tests food in a variety of ways but I do not accept that it must do so in schools. Pupils may have allergies and may be tempted by certain...

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My understanding is that these tests were carried out during school time. The Dublin Institute of Technology indicated the schools used the tests as an introduction to science and scientific research. I do not approve of it and it is unnecessary. Many opportunities exist where parents are present, particularly given the sensitivities involved.

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I will leave nutrition advice to the experts in nutrition. It is certainly a key element of social, personal and health education, with much input from various dietary experts who have given great support to schools in this regard. I understand that a general approval was given rather than a specific approval for individual events. This testing does not appear to have gone through the board...

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: No, one tries to get them to understand it. Their lives are not blocked off from advertising on television. That is the commercial world. Many children will go on to work in business and benefit from business. They need to understand the business world. There can be positive links between schools and businesses. One sees it particularly at second level, through work experience, the schools...

Commercial Research. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: What is important, with regard to any activity in which children are, is that parents do not feel under undue pressure to become involved. With regard to funding for schools, the capitation grant has increased substantially in recent years and is very generous now compared to what it was just a few years ago.

School Staffing. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Ensuring that all children get the support they need to do well at school is a major priority for this Government. To ensure that children whose first language is not English can succeed at school, my Department gives additional support to their schools, which can take the form of financial assistance, additional temporary teacher posts or portions of teacher posts. The level of extra...

School Staffing. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Based on the figures provided by the Deputy, it is three teachers for 210 pupils, which does not come out at 110 each. Second, the Deputy should acknowledge that the provision of 800 teachers whose sole responsibility is teaching English to non-national children is a significant investment. That investment has grown substantially in recent years. I hope the acceptance and approval of the...

Garda Vetting Services. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: It is a very fine town.

Education Welfare Service. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 34, 54, 84 and 94 together. The National Educational Welfare Board, NEWB, was established under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework to promote regular school attendance and tackle the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general...

Education Welfare Service. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The educational welfare officer should be the last port of call. It is only when a case has been dealt with by all the other bodies in respect of a particular child that the educational welfare officer should be called. That would allow them to look at the general position. A substantial number of groups have a direct involvement with the child and his or her family but it would not be...

Leaders' Questions. (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: This is aimed at Deputy English.

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 38 together. Student practical work has been a major feature of science syllabi at both junior and senior cycle levels for many years and science teachers have long experience of carrying out programmes of practical work with their students. Up until now, this practical work has been assessed through the medium of written papers in the Certificate...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As I have told the House before, I am acutely aware that west Dublin — Dublin 15 in particular — is one of the most rapidly developing areas in the country and, that as a result, there has been a marked increase in the demand for primary school places. I have also outlined the significant interventions being made by my Department to tackle this issue. These include measures to increase...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37, 132, 763 and 772 together. Since the establishment of my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) in 1999, the number of psychologists in the NEPS has increased from 43 to 122 at present. A number of these posts are filled on a work-sharing basis. The Public Appointments Service recently concluded a new recruitment competition for the...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I share the Deputy's concern that any child would feel upset in school because of bullying — be it physical, verbal or cyber and I assure him that supports are in place to enable schools both to prevent bullying and to deal with cases that may arise. For a start, each school is required to have in place a policy which includes specific measures to deal with bullying behaviour, within the...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The assessment of Irish for the Junior Certificate includes provision for an optional Oral examination which is conducted by the class teacher in accordance with guidelines issued by the State Examinations Commission. The decision on whether, or not, to avail of this option is taken at school level. In 2005, some 339 candidates in 13 schools took the optional Oral examination in Irish. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 129 together. My Department continues to urge the management authorities of both primary and second level schools to put in place book rental schemes, at both primary and post-primary level, to the greatest extent possible. At primary level schools that opt for book rental schemes are allocated enhanced grants to encourage them to participate in such...