Results 14,061-14,080 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Institutes of Technology Bill 2006: Second Stage. (16 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Not any more.

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In the early stages of primary schooling activities related to the child's immediate environment are central to teaching and learning. Through these, children learn how to interact fairly with others along with the importance of sharing, of accepting differences and of treating people with dignity and respect. As the curriculum progresses, broader community issues are brought into play in...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Maintenance Grant Scheme for Students attending Post Leaving Certificate courses is administered by the Vocational Educational Committees on behalf of my Department. Under the Scheme eligible students may continue to receive grant assistance for the normal duration of an approved course subject to the usual terms and conditions of funding. In this regard clause 6.3 provides, inter alia,...

Written Answers — Applications for Assistance: Applications for Assistance (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has approved the application in relation to the person referred to by the Deputy. Approval was conveyed by letter dated 11th August 2005 to the authorities of the school in which the pupil is enrolled. In accordance with the terms of the scheme under which applications for such assistance are processed, schools are required to submit receipted invoices in order to receive...

Written Answers — Sexual Offences: Sexual Offences (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In the short period of time available I have asked my Department to examine records available for the 20 year period as thoroughly as possible and as a result of that examination no records have been found of allegations of child sexual abuse in the school mentioned by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 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. 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 past number of...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Major improvements in school staffing have been made in recent years with the hiring of more than 5,000 additional primary teachers. This represents the largest increase in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. Today, there is one teacher for every 17 children, the lowest pupil-teacher ratio in the history of the State. Aside from decreasing average class size, the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to inform the Deputy that contracts have been signed for the acquisition of a school site in the area referred to, for the provision of a new school building. The long-term projected staffing on which the long-term accommodation needs of the school will be based has recently been finalised and notified to the school authority. The next step in the process is the appointment of a design...

Written Answers — Departmental Communications: Departmental Communications (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Staff in my Department aim to provide high quality services to all customers, including schools and to continually improve the standards of service provided. My Department's Customer Charter, published in October 2004, sets out the standard of service customers can expect to receive. Over 80% of customers prefer to make contact with the Department by telephone, resulting in over one million...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: When undertaking building projects in schools, my Department generally makes provision for office accommodation for school principals. It is generally my Department's experience that it is the smaller primary schools that do not have dedicated offices for principals. In these schools the Principal has full-time teaching duties and has a number of days per year for administrative work....

Written Answers — Education Schemes: Education Schemes (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Amended Action 32 of the National Drug Strategy 2001-2008 (June 2005) recommends that the support services provided to Local Drug Task Force (LDTF) area schools, through the existing "Walk Tall" Support Service, should be extended to other areas of disadvantage. I understand that the Steering Committee of the Substance Misuse Prevention Programme (SMPP) or "Walk Tall" Programme has submitted...

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Retention data on individual schools or on schools in a particular local area are not made available by my department. However, as the Deputy will be aware a lot of investment is being made by the Government both in initiatives to encourage more young people from disadvantaged areas to finish school and in providing greater second chance opportunities for those who left school early. The...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The School Planning Section of my Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding from the schools to which the Deputy refers. Officials recently requested the school authorities to provide updated information on their request. The project will be considered for progress when this information has been received.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The process of appointing a design team to the building project referred to by the Deputy is underway. An advertisement seeking design team consultants will be posted on the public procurement portal, www.etenders.gov.ie, shortly.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The new school to which the Deputy refers was provided to meet the growing need for primary education in Naas. It was not provided to replace prefabricated accommodation in the existing schools. Therefore the question of transferring pupils to the newly built school does not arise. Only one of the existing schools has applied for the replacement of temporary accommodation. The Boards of...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the Board of Management of the school to which the Deputy refers has agreed to the long term projected enrolment for its school. Progress on the project is now being considered in the context of the School Building and Modernisation Programme from 2006 onwards.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: A letter of intent issued to the main contractor on 4 April, 2006, requesting sight of his bond, Tax Clearance Certificate, CI Pension/Sick Pay Scheme and details of his Employer and Public Liability Insurances. These documents, excluding the bond, were received in my Department on Monday 8th May 2006, and are currently being examined. Once all the documentation requested meets my...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the School in question was authorised to proceed to stages 4/5 (Planning Permission / Fire Certification, Bill of Quantities / Tender Documentation) of architectural planning on 14 March 2006 following a review of their revised Stage 3 documentation which (subject to a number of issues being addressed in the next stage submission) was sufficiently...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. My Department's officials received the stage 2 (Outline Sketch Scheme) for the school in question in March of this year and following an in-house collaborative meeting decided to meet with the School Authorities and their Design Team in Naas on the 5th May 2006. When the issues...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 May 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Officials in my Department are currently examining the demographics of the Kill area to determine the optimum school size required to meet the long term accommodation needs of the school to which he refers. This matter will be finalised as quickly as possible. With regard to the site issue, the Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works was requested to source a site for the...