Results 1,301-1,320 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Management: School Management (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: In accordance with section 14 of the Education Act, it is the duty of a school patron, to appoint where practicable a board of management the composition of which is agreed between patrons of schools, national associations of parents, recognised school management organisations, recognised trade unions and staff associations representing teachers and the Minister. Under the existing agreed...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that I previously announced 78 projects to progress to tender and construction and all these projects are proceeding. The current position of these projects is as follows; 10 projects have reached practical\substantial completion 28 projects are under construction 23 projects are at tender stage 17 projects are at pre-tender stage I expect the 23 projects currently...

Written Answers — School Funding: School Funding (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: As I stated in my reply to the Deputy in Question 326 on Wednesday 20 January 2010, dialogue with the Protestant community about issues of concern is ongoing. The Deputy will be aware that I have repeatedly stated my, and the Government's, commitment to supporting Protestant education while at the same time ensuring that funding arrangements for schools under Protestant management are in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and has been assigned a band rating of 3. There is no deficit of mainstream accommodation at the school and the application relates to...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Details on prefab units for County Cavan and Monaghan are provided in the table below. The overall policy goal is to ensure the highest standard of permanent accommodation for all schools. However, I'm sure the Deputy will appreciate that in the context of a rapidly increasing school population, the necessity to put additional accommodation in place in a short time-frame and competing...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Local Authority recently advised my officials that the negotiations with a land owner have concluded and they are now exchanging contracts to complete the sale of a site. My Department, as sought by the Local Authority, has arranged to provide the funding to the Council to enable the transaction to be concluded. The Department has already commenced preliminary work on master-planning the...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 596 and 597 together. Fingal County Council has recently advised my Department that negotiations are continuing in relation to a site for the school referred to by the Deputy. The matter of submitting a planning application will be dependent on the successful completion of the site acquisition by the Local Authority. As the Deputy will appreciate, due to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The proposed project for the school to which the Deputy refers has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned 1.4 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for major capital works, including the project referred to by the Deputy, is now available on my...

Written Answers — Student Support Schemes: Student Support Schemes (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 599 and 600 together. The total number of students who have received financial assistance from the Millennium Partnership Fund, by county, in the academic year 2008-2009 is set out below.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 601 and 602 together. The information requested by the Deputy is set out below, on a county basis, and has been supplied to my Department by the local authorities and the Vocational Education Committees. Students in Receipt of Maintenance Grant for 2008/09 Academic Year on County by County Basis County Number of Students Carlow 815 Cavan 985 Clare 1,596...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos 605 to 609, inclusive, together. At the end of 2008 there were 247 major capital projects in architectural planning up to and including stage four (in construction). Currently there are 226 major capital projects in architectural planning up to and including stage four. There were 33 major school projects completed since December 2008. There were 39 major...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The opening of the pedestrian entrance for access to the school in question is being addressed at local level. I understand that there are insurance issues which have to be resolved before the pedestrian access will be permitted by the landowners and that discussions on the matter are ongoing.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that an application under the Summer Works Scheme 2010 has been received from the School to which the Deputy refers. Following an assessment process, projects will be selected for funding from all valid and approved applications on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria published with the Scheme. The timetable for the Summer Works Scheme 2010 has been...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The number of permanent teaching posts available in second-level schools at any one time is determined in accordance with the agreed criteria relating to the application of the pupil teacher ratio. It is a matter for each school authority, as employer, to determine whether any particular post when vacated may be filled on a permanent basis. When deciding on the number of teaching posts, if...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: There were 261 Special Needs Assistants (whole time equivalents) employed in County Clare on 31 December 2009 and paid on payrolls operated by my Department. Two hundred and twenty were serving in primary schools and forty one were serving in secondary and community/comprehensive schools. The Deputy should contact Co. Clare Vocational Education Committee in relation to the number of special...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is at present carrying out a review of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations in all schools with a view to ensuring that the criteria governing the allocation of such posts, as outlined in my Department's Circular 07/02, are properly met....

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Department is currently awaiting receipt of the Supplementary Tender Report from the school's Design Team. Assuming that there are no issues arising from that Report, the project will be authorised to proceed to the award of a contract.

Written Answers — Departmental Projects: Departmental Projects (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 616 and 622 together. My Department provides funding for thirty eight projects in Local Drugs Task Force areas, including the project specifically referred to by Deputy McGrath. These projects, through a variety of programmes and activities, seek, in the main, to encourage young people not to engage in drug-taking. My Department originally took on...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I assume that the Deputy is referring to special needs assistant (SNA) support in the school in question. My Department does not fund classroom assistant posts. As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and SNAs to schools to support...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension and refurbishment project. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band 2.1 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme...