Results 13,921-13,940 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: According to my Department's records, there are 720 Primary teachers and 406 Voluntary Secondary, Community and Comprehensive teachers on career break for the 2005/2006 school year. Details of the number of vocational teachers on career break are not available in my Department. The figures given do not include teachers on secondment. A career break is designed to provide eligible teachers...

Written Answers — In-service Training: In-service Training (18 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Primary Curriculum Support Programme (PCSP) provides on-going in-service and support to teachers in schools covering the revised Primary Curriculum which was introduced in 1999. The in-service provided annually is also available to teachers on secondment. The PCSP, through its Cuiditheoireacht service, provides support to individual teachers, including those returning from absence. The...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (18 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The report "Criteria and Procedures for the Recognition of New Second Level Schools" is currently being examined in my Department in conjunction with another of the Commission's reports entitled "Criteria and procedures for establishing and maintaining provision through the medium of Irish in second level schools or clusters of schools". Both reports are being considered together because many...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Discussions are ongoing among the parties concerned to agree the structure of the amalgamation of the schools to which the Deputy refers. In the meantime, officials in the School Planning Section of my Department are in the process of drawing up a brief for the Design Team which will be appointed for the refurbishment project at the schools. A timeframe has not yet been agreed for the...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has provided funding in excess of €34m for the construction of nine dual use halls with enhanced facilities, attached to post-primary schools. Eight of the halls, including the hall referred to by the Deputy, are in Dublin and one is in Cork. The halls in question have been built as part of a joint programme to develop community sports facilities in drugs task force areas and,...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An application for capital funding towards the provision of additional accommodation has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. The project has been assessed in accordance with the prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. The long term projected staffing figure, on which future accommodation needs will be based, has been agreed with the school authority and...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Applications for special need assistant support are now dealt with by the National Council for Special Education (through the local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), who process all applications for support from schools and communicate the decisions directly to the schools. The responsibility for the recruitment and employment of individual special need assistants is a matter for...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An appeal under section 29 of the Education Act 1998 has been submitted to my Department on behalf of the person referred to by the Deputy. Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, provides parents with an appeal process where a Board of Management of a school or a person acting on behalf of the Board refuses enrolment to a student. An appeal under section 29 must be dealt with within a maximum...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: There are no funds allocated within my Department to meet requests of this nature.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 269 and 272 together. The school to which the Deputy refers has applied for a new 8 classroom school. The application has been assessed in accordance with the Department's criteria for prioritisation of largescale projects and has been assigned a Band 2 rating. Progress on the project is being considered in the context of the School Building and Modernisation...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I met with representatives of the Union of Secondary Students last year and amongst other things, we discussed the question of financial support from my Department for the Union. I have informed the Union of Secondary Students that I am willing to consider requests from their organisation for financial assistance for specific projects such as their annual general meeting or the hosting of...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware the general allocation of learning-support/resource teachers (LS/RTs) caters for pupils with learning support and high-incidence special educational needs. The system was constructed so that LS/RT allocations would be based on pupil numbers, taking into account the differing needs of the most disadvantaged schools and the evidence that boys have greater...

Written Answers — Vaccination Programme: Vaccination Programme (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The current Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland, published by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, recommend vaccination against TB of teachers in training. It is understood that these guidelines are being revised at present. The Department's medical advisor has written to the Chairperson of the National Immunisation Committee seeking advice on whether or not the current practice...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I recently announced the appointment of Mr. John Fitzgerald, City Manager, Dublin City Council as Chairman of the Grangegorman Development Agency and I am now actively considering the other appointments to the Agency. The Deputy will be interested to know that Section 22 of the Grangegorman Development Agency Act 2005 provides for the establishment, by the Agency, of a consultative group that...

Written Answers — Student Support Schemes: Student Support Schemes (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 275, 276, 279 and 280 together. 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. This will, I believe, provide for a more coherent administration system which will facilitate consistency of application,...

Written Answers — Student Support Schemes: Student Support Schemes (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 277 and 278 together. The Student Assistance Fund is available to students experiencing particular or unexpected hardship during their course of study. The fund is allocated on a per capita basis to publicly-funded higher education institutions. In 2005-06, 35 institutions received funding totalling €5.8m. Over 12,000 students benefited from the fund during...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I have no plans at present to extend the free tuition fees schemes to include part-time students. I wish to advise the Deputy of the provisions under Section 473A, Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997. This provides tax relief for eligible persons, at the standard rate of tax, for tuition fees paid in respect of approved courses at approved colleges of higher education including certain approved...

Written Answers — Third Level Enrolments: Third Level Enrolments (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The admission of students to higher education institutions level is a matter for the individual institutions and the Central Applications Office and I have no function in relation to same.

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: There are six primary Gaelscoileanna in County Kildare. The number students enrolled in each Gaelscoil for the 2005/06 school year is set out in the table. My Department does not hold information on the future enrolment for any of the Gaelscoileanna in County Kildare. Gaelscoileanna in Kildare Enrolments 2005/2006 school year School 2005/2006 Scoil C. Uí Dhálaigh (19680G) ...

Written Answers — Irish Language Education: Irish Language Education (17 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Two all-Irish schools currently serve the needs of County Kildare at post primary level, Coláiste Cois Life in Lucan and Gaelcholáiste Chill Dara in Newbridge. The latter commenced operation in September 2004 having received temporary recognition from my Department for a three year period. A new state of the art building is currently being built for Coláiste Cois Life. When completed it...