Results 14,721-14,740 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Ministerial Responsibilities: Ministerial Responsibilities (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I launched, School Matters — The Report of the Task Force on Student Behaviour in Second Level Schools, at 12 noon on Tuesday, 14 March 2006. All the partners in education were invited to this launch. A media briefing was held in the Department, in advance of the launch from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, with the chairperson of the task force, Maeve Martin, and me. The report was posted on my...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 798 and 802 together. An application for capital funding towards the provision of an extension has been received from the school referred to by the Deputies. Additional information on the school's application has recently been received and this will enable a thorough assessment of the school's requirements in order to determine the projected long-term staffing...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding towards the accommodation needs of the school referred to by the Deputy. I understand that the school authority is in the process of acquiring additional land adjacent to the existing site in order to facilitate any development required. My officials are in the process of assessing the school's likely long-term projected...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The primary school to which the Deputy refers has accepted an invitation to participate in the new school support programme, SSP, under DEIS, Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools. Officials from my Department will contact the school authority directly to discuss the learning support-resource teacher staffing for the coming school year.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The information sought is not readily available in the format requested by the Deputy as the costs involved for individual schools are site specific. However, if the Deputy wishes to request details on a specific school or schools, my officials will provide the required information. The expenditure on prefabricated buildings by my Department represents less than 5% of the total expenditure on...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which was established recently, and which has been operational since 1 January 2005, is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs' supports. My officials have been advised by the NCSE that the matter has been referred to the local special educational needs organiser, SENO, for attention. I...

Written Answers — School Evaluation: School Evaluation (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Whole-school evaluation, WSE, was introduced in the school year 2003-04 as a new model of inspection designed to monitor and assess the quality and effectiveness of educational provision in schools and centres for education. The evaluation procedure covers five main areas of a school's work: quality of school management; quality of school planning; quality of curriculum provision; quality of...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm for the Deputy that disadvantaged schools that satisfied my Department's criteria for additional staffing under the urban dimension of the Giving Children an Even Break scheme, which helps schools with high levels of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, availed of a preferential pupil-teacher ratio of 80:1 under the general allocation system. The general allocation system is...

Written Answers — Teacher Secondment: Teacher Secondment (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is aware that my Department is reviewing the arrangements applying under the various national education initiatives following the implementation of the seconded teachers arbitration award. This review is considering the position of the person concerned and I expect that this review will be completed shortly.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As I advised the Deputy in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 501 of 7 March, the person in question should make contact with the relevant special educational needs organiser, SENO, who can assist her in accessing an appropriate educational placement for her child. As the Deputy is aware, the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is now operational. A specific function of the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Mar 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 wrote to the school authorities in September 2005 advising them that they should now proceed to prepare and submit a stage 2 submission, outline sketch scheme. The school authorities had expected to have the submission with my Department by the end of...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy made an application to my Department for extra accommodation for next September under my Department's additional accommodation scheme 2006. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the application has been successful and officials in the school planning section of my Department will be in contact with the school authorities shortly in regard to this matter.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Mar 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. Building projects are examined within my Department in order of priority.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 811 and 828 together. Following examination of the contract documents for the purchase of a site for the school in question, the Chief State Solicitor's office has raised a number of queries. These queries are now being addressed.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In January of this year, I announced details of 62 projects which were being given the go-ahead to proceed with major works such as new school building projects, extensions or refurbishment. The first step for these schools is the appointment of an architectural team that will design and plan the works. As a result of changes to the EU directive for the appointment of consultants, effective...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under the traditional method of procuring school buildings, design team procedures comprise nine stages. During the early stages of architectural planning of projects, stages 1 to 3, the design and planning of the project is developed from the assessment of site suitability through to the detailed design. Stages 1, 2 and 3 are combined for many projects. The more advanced stages of...

Written Answers — Summer Works Scheme: Summer Works Scheme (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers applied for an external environment project under the summer works scheme 2006, SWS. As the Deputy was previously informed, the school planning section of my Department also had on hand at that time an application for additional accommodation from the management authority of the school. This proposed building project was being considered under another...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school planning section of my Department has received an application for major capital funding from the management authorities of the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale projects. Progress on the proposed works is being considered in the context of the school building and...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school in question has been invited to participate in the 2006 permanent accommodation scheme. This scheme is intended to provide a permanent long-term solution to a school's accommodation needs, as opposed to the provision of temporary accommodation. It devolves a guaranteed level of funding to school management authorities and allows them to have control of their projects, assists in...

Written Answers — School Inspections: School Inspections (21 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that an inspection of the school to which the Deputy refers was conducted in the school year 2001-02 as part of the regular programme of school inspections conducted during that year. As the Deputy may be aware, I signed the Education Act 1998 (Publication of Inspection Reports on Schools and Centres for Education) Regulations 2006 and placed these regulations before the...