Results 16,921-16,940 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The overall cost arising from the public consultation process is €760,142.20. This is broken down as follows: Carr Communications — advice, assistance with publicity and practical support at events — €114,574.31; printing, launch and distribution of discussion document Your Education System — €109,051.53; all costs associated with 17 public meetings, this includes cost publicising...

Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department allocates funding on an overall basis to youth work organisations. It is a matter then for each national organisation to allocate funding on a regional basis as it considers appropriate. As a member organisation of the National Youth Federation the organisation in question receives funding from the national office. In addition, it receives grant-in-aid from the youth affairs...

Written Answers — School Discipline: School Discipline (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The task force on student behaviour will present a final report and recommendations later this year. Since the task force was established early this year, it has come to grips with the breadth and complexity of this vitally important area. In tackling its job, it has consulted widely and built upon submissions, research and its own analysis to define sharply the areas where in, its final...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Since the introduction of the ICT in schools initiative in 1998, with the schools IT2000 programme, there has been significant progress in the development of the ICT infrastructure in our schools, in the enhancement of teachers' skills and pedagogical practice and in the development of curriculum and learning resources. My Department has provided capital grants to schools to enable them to...

Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am arranging to have my officials collate the information sought by the Deputy and will have it sent on to him as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The academic requirements for entry to the postgraduate primary teacher training programme is set at honours bachelors degree or level 8 in the national framework of qualifications. The entry requirement for the programme is set at this level to maintain and enhance the quality of teaching and learning in our schools into the future. This entry requirement, together with other criteria, is...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The person in question does not hold relevant teacher qualifications and is employed as an unqualified regular part-time teacher in a secondary school. It has for many years been a condition for membership of the secondary teachers' superannuation scheme that the teacher should be fully qualified. The admission of unqualified teachers to membership of the scheme is being addressed by my...

Written Answers — Educational Projects: Educational Projects (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The project to which the Deputy is referring was established in 2001 as a pilot project to provide assessments for children between the ages of 12 and 16 years from the Finglas and Ballymun areas of the northside of Dublin who had been referred by the courts. The project was a co-operative venture between my Department and the probation and welfare service of the Department of Justice,...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The information which the Deputy has sought is being collated and will be forwarded to him as soon as it becomes available.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The correspondence to which the Deputy refers relates to legal proceedings taken against my Department. In that context, I cannot comment on the individual circumstances of the case other than to say that the letter in question was sent by the Chief State Solicitor's office on the instructions of my officials in response to a letter from the plaintiff's solicitors.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department operates two bonus or merit schemes for all staff — a performance-related awards scheme for posts at the level of assistant Secretaries General and a merit scheme that recognises exceptional performance for all other grades up to and including principal officer and equivalent in the Department. Civil Service posts at the levels of assistant secretary and deputy secretary are...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The following consultancy contracts were awarded to Deloitte & Touche since 1 July 1997 in my Department. All were fixed price contracts: Year Project Cost 2001 Initial phases of the Management Information Framework (MIF) incorporating Financial Management System (FMS) â'¬88,853.73* 2001 2001 To specify and select a FMS system â'¬42,409.25, excl VAT. ...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: In the five years since 2000 my Department has spent €39.2 million on the rental of temporary school accommodation, mainly in primary schools. In addition, my Department spent €73.5 million over the same period, on the purchase of prefabricated buildings in the primary and post-primary sectors. This expenditure was for the supply and installation of prefabricated buildings including...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 95 together. Installation of the management information system for the 14 institutes of technology and the Tipperary Rural and Business Development Institute has been completed. The MIS system comprises four integrated elements — a student registration system, a financial system, a payroll-human resource system and a library system. The system tracks...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 107 together. Third level student support is currently provided through three means-tested maintenance grant schemes. The higher education grants scheme operates on a statutory basis, while the vocational education committees' scholarship scheme and the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees operate on an administrative basis. The statutory...

Written Answers — Educational Services for People with Disabilities: Educational Services for People with Disabilities (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: At present, there is a range of support services for students with a disability in the institute of technology sector. These include learning support, including needs assessment and support for students with learning difficulties; assistive technology services and the provision of additional support staff such as sign-language interpreters or note takers. Students who have difficulty with...

Written Answers — Technology in Education: Technology in Education (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am very committed to supporting the use of ICT in higher education, as a means to enhance teaching and learning, to widen and increase participation in higher education, and to allow the institutions to develop excellence and international reputation in this area. The Deputy will be aware that ICT is becoming an increasingly important part of the process of teaching, learning and research...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 provides a statutory scheme of financial redress for persons who, as children, were abused while in residential institutional care for which the State had a regulatory or supervisory responsibility. The scheme applies in respect of institutions specified in the Schedule to the Act. Section 4 of the Act provides that the Minister for Education and...

Written Answers — School Vending Machines: School Vending Machines (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 64 together. Vending machines may be placed in schools at the discretion of the board of management and are currently in most post-primary schools. In the case of the existing five PPP schools while the operator is responsible for vending machines, the location, content and availability of vending machines were agreed through discussion between the...

Written Answers — Third Level Funding: Third Level Funding (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: In 2005 I have provided recurrent funding of €671 million to the university sector and €475 million to the institute of technology sector. This represents an increase of approximately €41 million or almost 6.5% on the 2004 provision to the university sector and more than €30 million or 7.5% in 2004 comparable funding for the institute of technology sector. The additional funding being...