Results 13,861-13,880 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The School Planning Section of my Department is in receipt of an application for major capital works 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 projects and progress on the proposed works is being considered in the context of the School Building and...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An application form for emergency works has been issued to the school in question. As soon as the completed form is returned to the Building Unit of my Department, the matter will be considered as a matter of urgency and the outcome will be notified to the school without delay.

Written Answers — Education Provision: Education Provision (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: When the draft North Drogheda Environs Local Area Plan was forwarded to my Department by Louth County Council for initial comment on the extent of educational provision required, my Department considered that it would be prudent to plan for 4 primary and 2 post-primary schools. While only 3 primary school sites are reserved in the Plan itself, my Department is satisfied that further school...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department allocates additional teaching hours to Vocational Education Committees (VECs) to support the delivery of education programmes in a range of facilities including special schools under the heading Co-Operation Hours with Other Institutions. These allocations are made in response to specific applications which are submitted by the relevant VEC in advance of the commencement of the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An application for capital funding towards the provision of a general purpose room, staff room, multipurpose room and storage capacity has been received from the school to which the Deputy refers. The project has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects, which was revised following consultation with the Education Partners. The...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, I recently made an announcement giving recognition to six new Primary Schools with effect from September, 2006. As part of that announcement, I indicated that I had deferred a decision regarding three other schools including the one to which the Deputy refers. My Department is in correspondence with the patron about a matter of concern raised by the New Schools...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that, having regard to the circumstances, my Department has decided to approve payment of the appropriate grant in this case. Arrangements are accordingly being made by my Department to have payment made to the school concerned.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (23 May 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 — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: There are over 70 Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) employed by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) since September 2004, who have been deployed on a nationwide basis, with at least 1 SENO being deployed in each county. The SENO acts as a focal point of contact for parents and schools in relation to the education of children with special educational needs. In advance...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides a range of supports to second level schools to enable them cater for students with special educational needs transferring from primary level. The supports in question include remedial and resource teaching support, special needs assistant support and funding for the purchase of specialised equipment. As the Deputy is aware there has been enormous progress made over the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of my Department's Higher Education Grants Scheme and the Vocational Education Committees' Scholarship Scheme, grant assistance is available to eligible students attending approved third level courses in approved institutions. An approved course for the purpose of the schemes means a full-time undergraduate course of not less than two years duration and a full time...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The post primary school relevant to the Deputy's question is heavily oversubscribed as a result of a significant number of pupils enrolling from outside its catchment area. The cumulative effect of the development of this type of situation over a number of years can impact negatively on pupils from within the catchment area who are entitled, as of right, to a place in a particular school. It...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of the Department's maintenance grants schemes, and in accordance with the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Act 1992, a mature student is defined as a candidate who is at least 23 years of age on the 1st January of the year of entry or re-entry to an approved course. Under the terms of my Department's 2005 Third Level Student Maintenance Grant Schemes the position...

Written Answers — Local Authority Levies: Local Authority Levies (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Primary schools' running costs are met by my Department's scheme of capitation grants. These grants are intended to contribute towards the general operating costs of national schools. The capitation grant has been increased substantially in recent years. Since 1997 the standard rate of capitation grant has been increased from €57.14 per pupil to €133.58 with effect from 1st January, 2005...

Written Answers — Whole School Evaluations: Whole School Evaluations (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: 65 whole-school evaluations were undertaken in 2004, 53 in primary schools and 12 in post-primary schools. At primary level the Tuairisc Scoile model of school inspection was phased out during 2004 and 2005. There were 336 such inspections in 2004 and 90 in 2005. In 2005, 216 whole-school evaluations were undertaken, 163 at primary level and 53 at post-primary level. A total of 273...

Written Answers — School Procedures: School Procedures (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In April, 2003, following careful consideration of material that had been submitted concerning a complaint, my Department issued a letter to the Board of Management of the school referred to by the Deputy. Subsequently, teachers at the school wrote to my Department in relation to the content of this letter. My Department assured the teachers as recently as April, 2006 that the content of the...

Written Answers — Official Hospitality: Official Hospitality (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department does not maintain a stock of wine and has no plans in this regard.

Written Answers — Education Centres: Education Centres (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The part-time Education Centre covered by the Deputy's question is part of a network of twenty-one full-time and nine part-time Education Centres which are located throughout the Country. The defined role of these Education Centres is to provide professional development and support for teachers and the wider education community, through meeting locally researched and identified teacher and...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (23 May 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 requested to source a site for the school in question. A number of issues need to be clarified in relation to the site options being considered at present. As soon as these issues have been resolved the matter of the site acquisition can be...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (23 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department still awaits a response from the School Authorities to the letter of the 15th February 2006 as outlined in the PQ response of Tuesday the 23rd May 2006 as follows. The application for additional facilities referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. In October of 2005 my Department wrote to the School Authorities with issues that needed addressing...