Results 13,121-13,140 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

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

Mary Hanafin: The matter referred to by the Deputy is the subject of an ongoing Garda inquiry. In addition, my Department's internal audit unit is conducting a full investigation into the issue. When the investigation has concluded, I expect to be in a position to comment further.

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

Mary Hanafin: I am happy to take this opportunity to clarify for the Deputy the practice of my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) in relation to the assessment of children. In common with other psychological services, NEPS encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention, in...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in primary school staffing in recent years. Next September there will no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. Not only is the average class size in our primary schools down to 24, but there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc. Children with special...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The policy of my Department is to provide for the delivery of a broad and balanced physical education curriculum in our schools and to support this with the provision of appropriate infrastructure. In general, at primary level, many schools have a general purposes room for play and PE facilities. In addition practically all schools have outdoor play areas which are utilised for teaching...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has not issued guidelines to schools in relation to the inclusion of children with special needs in various school activities such as those outlined by the Deputy. It is, however, the case that schools should ensure the maximum possible inclusion of such pupils in school activities.

Written Answers — Postgraduate Education: Postgraduate Education (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: On the 1 February 2006 the Tánaiste and I published the report of the Fottrell Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education and Training. In addition the Tánaiste published the report of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Group. These reports represent the most significant review of medical education and training ever undertaken in Ireland and are aimed at responding to the...

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

Mary Hanafin: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including organising the holding of examinations and issuing the results of examinations. In view of this, I have forwarded the Deputy's query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to him.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The details of the number of Speech and Language Therapists who graduated in 2005 is not fully available. However, in 2004 the number who graduated from the Speech and Language Therapy programme was 21. As the Deputy may be aware, in May 2002 my Department approved the provision of 175 additional therapy training places to tackle shortages of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in primary school staffing in recent years. Next September there will no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. Not only is the average class size in our primary schools down to 24, but there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc. Children with special...

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

Mary Hanafin: Subject Inspections are not carried out at present in primary schools but are carried out in post-primary schools. Up-to-date information on the numbers and types of inspections that have been carried out in primary and post-primary schools and the list of published reports are available on the website of my Department (www.education.ie) at any time.

Written Answers — University Recognition: University Recognition (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Section 52 of the Universities Act,1997 states that except in relation to an educational institution or facility established and described as such before the 30th day of July, 1996, (in which case it may continue to be so described), a person shall not, without the approval of the Minister, use the word "university" to describe an educational establishment or facility. My Department conducted...

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

Mary Hanafin: I wish to advise the Deputy that approximately 370 pupils who have reached the age of six and who are awaiting a school placement were provided with home tuition during the 2005/2006 school year. The breakdown of these numbers by county is not readily available. It is not possible to indicate the numbers requiring a home tuition grant for the 2006/2007 school year as applications for the...

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

Mary Hanafin: The demand for additional accommodation in schools has risen significantly over the last number of years mainly due to the rapid expansion in teacher numbers particularly in the area of special needs, the growth in the school-going population in rapidly developing areas including the impact of inward migration and the demands to cater for diversity through the recognition of new...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides additional teaching resources to schools, both in the Gaeltacht and elsewhere, where the medium of instruction is Irish. Under current arrangements, the enrolment figures required for both the appointment and retention of a mainstream class teacher in a Gaelscoil and for the retention of a mainstream class teacher in a national school in the Gaeltacht are lower that...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in primary school staffing in recent years. Next September there will no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. Not only is the average class size in our primary schools down to 24, but there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc. Children with special...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 138 together. Last month saw a major advance in terms of the transparency of our education system, as school inspection reports became available to the general public for the first time. The publication of whole school evaluation reports in particular will ensure that parents and other stakeholders have access to balanced and fair information on the...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The purpose of the Summer Works Scheme is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small scale building works which, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. Under the terms of the Scheme, school authorities are empowered to manage these works with guidance from and minimal interaction...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 113 together. The two reports recently presented by the Inspectorate — "An Evaluation of Educational Provision for Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders" and "An Evaluation of Special Classes for Pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorders", are under active consideration within my Department. The recommendations contained in the reports...

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (4 Jul 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 109 together. There is no up to date research on the number of children who do not transfer from primary to post-primary education on an annual basis. My Department is currently planning the development of a Primary Pupils Database, which will facilitate the collation of much more accurate and comprehensive data on transfer rates in the future....

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

Mary Hanafin: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including organising the holding of examinations and making arrangements for the marking of work presented for examination. I understand from the State Examinations Commission that all observations received by the Commission in relation to the Leaving Certificate...