Results 16,881-16,900 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Individual officers of the Department of Education and Science are entitled to view their own personnel file on request and to receive a copy of any or all of the contents of the file. Personnel files are made available to the chief medical officer in certain sick leave cases. It would be general practice that information on personnel files for individual officers would be treated as strictly...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Four members of my Department's staff have received leave of absence in excess of two months for educational purposes since 2002. One staff member participated in the visiting research fellowship programme at the Policy Institute, Trinity College Dublin — TCD — from September to December 2004 — four months. The Policy Institute is a multidisciplinary public policy research institute...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 758 and 759 together. Details of refund of fees in respect of night-time or weekend study courses attended by staff in my Department over the last three years, 2002-2004, are in the following tables. Some 80 members of staff applied for a refund of fees in respect of courses undertaken at night or evenings in 2005. The value of refunds expected to be made in...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Since 1 January 2003 the Department of Education and Science spent €888.70 on briefcases. The amount refunded to staff in respect of purchases of briefcases in this period was €888.70. The number of staff who received briefcases and received refunds for the briefcases they purchased was seven. The largest single amount paid or refunded in respect of one briefcase was €150.00.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Some 20 personal digital assistants have been provided to staff in the Department. The total cost was €5,073, including VAT. The cost of the most expensive PDA was €361, including VAT. The devices were issued on a limited basis to the Secretary General, members of the management advisory committee, ministerial staff and IT support personnel. Personal digital assistants are not allocated...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Department of Finance issues instructions to all Departments from time to time on the arrangements for sick leave for civil servants. Instances of sick leave for officers within my Department are monitored in accordance with such instructions and, where necessary, the advice of the chief medical officer is sought in individual cases. The welfare and recovery of an officer on sick leave is...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 763 and 764 together. This company was appointed by the Department in 2002. The appointment was as a result of a tender competition. It was appointed to provide consultancy assistance and advice on the implementation of a new financial management information system. The contract was completed on time during 2003 at a total cost of €99,950 and I am satisfied...

Written Answers — Schools Evaluation: Schools Evaluation (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: In the first half of 2005 there were 141 whole-school evaluations of primary schools. A further 130 whole-school evaluations are planned at primary level for the rest of 2005. At post-primary level there were 21 whole school evaluations in the first half of 2005. A further 32 evaluations are planned for the remainder of the year. There were 399 subject inspections at post-primary level in the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I assure the Deputy that I am most anxious that children with disabilities should have their educational needs addressed within the jurisdiction. Decisions to place children in facilities outside the State have only been taken in exceptional circumstances and would usually have arisen because of the very specialised educational or health care-medical needs of the children involved. As the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The cost of employing a newly qualified primary school teacher with a pass degree allowance is €34,276.29. The cost of a newly qualified primary school teacher with an honours degree allowance is €38,485.75. These costs are inclusive of employer's PRSI and are based on the current pay rates applicable from 1 June 2005. Details of basic pay and allowances for teachers are set out in...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Arts education, including visual arts, music and drama, is one of the seven subject areas that comprise the primary curriculum, which was revised in 1999 and is being implemented on a phased basis. The primary curriculum support programme, PCSP, provides professional development support to teachers to assist them in implementing the curriculum. The PSCP is engaged in a wide-range of support...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department, has confirmed that applications in respect of a number of pupils attending the school referred to by the Deputy were received by the relevant local office. However, as the pupils do not reside at least two miles from the school concerned, as required under the terms of the primary school transport scheme,...

Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department allocates funding under the youth service grant scheme on an overall national basis to youth work organisations. It is then a matter for each national organisation to allocate funding on a regional basis as it considers appropriate. Many of these organisations are active in Cork and include the YMCA, Macra na Feirme, EIL Intercultural Learning, Scouting Ireland and the Catholic...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The decision on eligibility for third level grants is a matter for the relevant 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 desired. No such advice or instruction has, to date, been sought in the case of the student...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: An application for a new PE hall at the school to which the Deputy refers has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. The project has been assigned a band four rating and its progress will be considered in the context of the school building and modernisation programme from 2006 onwards.

Written Answers — Schools Funding: Schools Funding (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 and 172 together. The funding my Department provides to Educate Together as a school management body is on a par with that provided to Foras Patrúnachta na Gaelscoileanna, the Church of Ireland Board of Education, the Islamic Board of Education and the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education. However, following discussions with...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The specific details requested by the Deputy are not available as my Department does not have an aggregate record of the number of complaints it has received regarding the new general allocation system. While it has received many inquiries from both schools and parents, the vast majority of these inquiries would not have been complaining about the new system but rather seeking clarification...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The property management section of the Office of Public Works, OPW, which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisitions generally, has identified a suitable site for the school referred to by the Deputy. The OPW has been in contact with the vendor regarding the acquisition of the site and is now awaiting a response. While my Department has received a copy of the health and...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy has made an application for capital funding towards the provision of additional classroom and ancillary accommodation. Enrolments at the school have increased in recent years and therefore the school is not suitable for delivery under the small schools initiative. As result of the increasing enrolments it is necessary to re-examine the school's long-term...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy has applied for additional accommodation. As part of the assessment of the application in accordance with the prioritisation criteria, an examination of the accommodation needs of all schools in the area is under way in my Department. The long-term needs of the school referred to will be addressed as part of this review and contact will be made with the...