Results 14,341-14,360 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Whole School Evaluations: Whole School Evaluations (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: During the summer of 2005 I announced that the Department of Education and Science would publish inspection reports arising from the general programme of school inspections. I believed that the publication of future school inspection reports would go a significant way to addressing the real needs of parents, students, teachers and others for better information on schools. I stated that...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 146 together. The information is not readily available in the format requested by the Deputy. I assure the Deputy, however, that my Department fully recognises the crucial role of physical exercise within the school environment and continues to respond to the need to improve sporting facilities and in particular, indoor facilities. As a consequence of...

Written Answers — Multi-Denominational Schools: Multi-Denominational Schools (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As I indicated in my statement on the publication of the Estimates for 2006, extra funding is being made available to the primary school management bodies. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the funding being provided to Educate Together is being increased to €120,000. This represents an almost threefold increase over the level of the grant allocation for this body under the 2005...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The major focus for my Department under the ICT in schools programme at present is the roll-out of broadband connectivity to all recognised schools. This project is being undertaken in partnership with industry, following the establishment of a three year €18 million joint Government and IBEC-TIF, Telecommunications and Internet Federation fund to fund local connectivity at school level....

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is currently engaged in the roll-out of broadband Internet connectivity to all recognised primary and post-primary schools. This project is being undertaken in partnership with industry, following the establishment of a three year €18 million joint Government and IBEC-TIF, Telecommunications and Internet Federation, fund. Following a competitive public procurement process,...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Departments of Health and Children and Education and Science are in discussion regarding the establishment of a pre-employment consultancy service, similar to that in operation in the UK. Work on the preparation of a general scheme of a Bill is dependent upon the outcome of these discussions, legal advice on the complex issues involved and the deliberations of the implementation group on...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 72, 128 and 149 together. The Early Start pre-school project was established in 40 primary schools in designated areas of urban disadvantage in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Drogheda and Dundalk during 1994 and 1995. There are 1,680 places in these centres. Targeted early childhood education provision is a key element of the school support...

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: 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. Together with the current post-primary pupil database, this...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Twenty-three new post-primary schools and four primary schools will be delivered under my Department's new public private partnership programme, PPP. While the National Development Finance Agency, NDFA, has responsibility for the procurement of the projects, timing and the grouping of projects into bundles will be determined by my Department in consultation the NDFA. The first project bundle...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Significant changes have taken place in the teaching of Irish in recent years. Following revisions, the curricula in Irish are all now based on internationally recognised language learning principles that have been identified and developed through research work under the auspices of the Council of Europe and other international bodies. In line with these principles, the curricula place a...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: DEIS, delivering equality of opportunity in schools, the new action plan for educational inclusion, which I launched last May, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated school support programme, SSP. The school support programme will bring together, and build upon, a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The new school referred to by the Deputy is one of 62 major school building projects that I announced in January to commence architectural planning in 2006. This is a ten classroom school project and my Department intends to use an existing design that was previously used to ensure that the new school will be completed in the earliest possible timeframe. Work is now commencing on this process...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 80, 86 and 137 together. All primary and post-primary schools have access to psychological assessments for their pupils, either directly through my Department's National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, psychologists or through the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, SCPA, that is administered by NEPS. Schools that do not currently have...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I am aware of the document referred to by the Deputy. My Department supports the principle of co-operation between schools. This matter is specifically referred to in the circular on the ancillary services grant which states that schools may wish to cluster for the purposes of employing a person or persons who could undertake secretarial, caretaking or other ancillary work on behalf of all...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The number of National Educational Psychological Service psychologists has increased from 43 on establishment to 122 at the moment. The Public Appointments Service recently concluded a new recruitment competition for the appointment of educational psychologists to NEPS and regional panels have been established to allow my Department give greater priority in filling vacancies to areas with the...

Written Answers — Languages Programme: Languages Programme (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is referring to the report published in 2005 by Eurydice on key data relating to the teaching of modern foreign languages in schools in Europe. The data do not take account of the fact that Irish is compulsory for students up to the end of post-primary education. The learning of Irish represents a significant focus on the language learning for students in Ireland. Countries such as...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In accordance with the rules and programme for secondary schools, the approved course for the established leaving certificate must include not less than five approved examination subjects, of which one must be Irish. The exception to this is where a student has been granted an exemption from the study of Irish. I do not propose to make any change in respect of the Irish requirement for...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The first primary school will commence operation in Adamstown in September 2007. This is in line with the phasing arrangement set out in the strategic development zone planning scheme. The remaining schools are due to be delivered at the end of phases four, six and eight of the scheme. The precise timing of these is dependent on the rate and pace of the delivery of the housing phases themselves.

Written Answers — State Claims Agency: State Claims Agency (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 95 together. The State Claims Agency has responsibility for deciding on the issue of costs in the case to which the Deputy refers. The SCA has stated that it deals with each case on an individual basis and that its approach here will be measured and sensitive. The SCA will consult my Department on the issue of costs. I agree with its opinion that the...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Information on the number of classes of over 20 pupils in the current school year is not yet available in my Department. This Government's commitment to improving the staffing in our primary schools has been unprecedented. We have put over 5,000 more primary teachers in our schools in the last few years. These have been targeted at pupils with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas...