Results 1,521-1,540 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Information in respect of all Major Capital Applications currently with my Department from schools for extensions, refurbishments and improvements are available on the Department's website at www.education.ie. The information is available on a county by county basis rather than by Dáil constituency. The projects are broken down into the following categories: Projects on site or...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENO) for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. SENOs also make recommendations to my Department where assistive technology is required. The NCSE operates within...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: A reply has issued to the correspondence referred to by the Deputy by the Higher Education - Equity Of Access Unit of my Department.

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 401 to 404, inclusive, together. There are currently two Special Advisers working in my Department as follows: - Ms. Deirdre McDonnell, Principal Officer, is a Special Adviser on a salary of €108,207 per annum - Mr. Bernard Mallee, Special Adviser with responsibility for Press and Communications, is on an annual salary of €86,188. The salaries paid to...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information is not readily available in the format requested by the Deputy. However the following information is currently to hand. For period from June 14 2007 until end 2007 a total of 101 payments relating to translations were processed by my Department at a combined cost of €124,723.59. Of these payments one was for a figure exceeding €10k, four were for amounts greater than €5k...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for capital funding. The application has been assessed in accordance with published prioritisation criteria for large scale projects and assigned a band 2 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for major capital works, including the project referred to by...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Planning permission was granted in November. Representatives from the VEC, the school and the design team attended a stage 2(b) briefing which was held in my Department's Offices in Tullamore on 9 December 2009. The school has now been authorised to progress to stage 2b (detailed design). The proposed...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As I outlined to the Deputy in my reply of 1 December 2009 in relation to this case the initial award of pension to retiring vocational school teachers is calculated by the VEC concerned. The payment function is performed by the appropriate local authority following receipt of the approved rates from the VEC. My Department has made further enquiries with County Mayo VEC which has...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In June 2009 my Department received an application from the school referred to by the Deputy for funding to allow for the replacement of a newly acquired prefabricated unit with a permanent structure. The prefabricated unit was installed in 2007 and was rented by the school authorities. Following an assessment of the school's accommodation needs, with due regard to the quotation for the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that the Department has received a request from the school referred by the Deputy to review their band rating under the prioritisation criterion. This request is currently being considered and a reply will issue to the school shortly. As the Deputy will be aware, the school's application for major capital works is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In 2000, the School to which the Deputy refers made an application to my Department for capital funding to provide a multi-purpose room, an administration room, a Library/Resource area, a general purpose room, a storage/circulation area and ancillary facilities. The application was assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In 2008, the School to which the Deputy refers made two applications to my Department for capital funding. The first application, in February 2008, was for large scale capital funding to provide a classroom, a resource room, a GP room and ancillary facilities. The application was assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 413, 415 and 418 together. The Taoiseach and I recently announced a €150m plan for 'smart schools'. Under this scheme, as a first step, €22m in ICT grants was provided to primary schools in November. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the schools referred to by him all received funding for investment in ICT. A letter outlining the terms and...

Written Answers — School Services Staff: School Services Staff (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: A grant of €3,982.94 for the purchase of ICT equipment for the school referred to by the Deputy was paid by my Department on 19th November last. Funding is provided by my Department to primary schools for secretarial and caretaking by means of the ancillary services grant. The ancillary grant will be paid to all primary schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, in March 2010.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has no record of an application for funding for major capital works scheme from the school to which the Deputy refers. If the school has accommodation needs they may contact the School Planning and Building Unit in the Department who will arrange for the appropriate application forms to be issued. Alternatively the relevant forms are available on my Department's website at...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (16 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The total overall cost of commercial flights for Ministerial travel on official business in my Department for the period 2006 to 2009 is as follows: 2006: €17,480 2007: €25,428 2008: €17,497 2009 (to end September): €7,709.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the deputy refers, was included in the list of 25 major school building projects which I announced on the 12 of February last to enter into architectural planning. Officials in my Department are currently assessing the most appropriate construction model for this project. I anticipate that my officials will be in contact with the school authorities shortly.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (15 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The decision on eligibility for student grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority - i.e. the Local Authority or VEC. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department except, in exceptional cases, where, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular clause in the relevant scheme is required. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project for the school referred to by the Deputy has been approved to progress to tender and construction and is currently at stage 2a of architectural planning. In late April, the Department issued detailed comments on the stage 2a submission (developed sketch design) and requested additional information from the design team relating to the project. This was received in June and...

Written Answers — Summer Works Scheme: Summer Works Scheme (15 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The closing date for the receipt of applications under the summer works scheme 2010 was 27 November 2009. Following an assessment process, projects will be selected for funding from all valid and approved applications on a top down basis, in accordance with the prioritisation criteria published with the scheme. In keeping with the timetable published with the governing circular letter, I...