Results 17,101-17,120 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Education Welfare Service. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. To discharge its responsibilities, the board is developing a nationwide service that is...

Education Welfare Service. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: It is important to have more co-ordination between these services. For example, there are 40 visiting teachers for Travellers. One of the groups with whom the National Educational Welfare Board works closely is Travellers, yet there are 40 people who do nothing else but visit schools where there are Travellers. We must ensure there is not an overlap in this type of work. These services should...

School Curriculum. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 72 together. At primary level, physical education is one of the seven curriculum areas within the primary school curriculum which was revised in 1999. A minimum of one hour of physical education per week is recommended for all primary school pupils. The curriculum has been structured to allow individual schools a high degree of flexibility and choice in...

School Curriculum. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: No, I do not envisage Jamie Oliver entering the school system. However, I envisage capital investment in schools, which amounts to €500 million this year, will provide for the construction of new schools and extensions as well as physical education halls and outdoor play areas. For example, outdoor play areas were upgraded under the summer works scheme this year. Every primary teacher is...

Garda Vetting Procedures. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The difference between the two working groups was that the first set out recommendations, and the second is deciding how to implement them. It is very much an action group, being chaired by the Garda Síochána, and has representatives of the Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Education and Science and Finance, as well as the Office of the Attorney General and the chief...

Garda Vetting Procedures. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Our aim is to establish a register that will cover both jurisdictions. Progress can be made in this regard when the Northern Ireland system is back on track and a full working relationship between authorities on both parts of the island is restored. In the meantime, the vetting unit will be doubled in size and will be capable of vetting increased numbers.

Garda Vetting Procedures. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: One hopes it cannot recur but we are dealing with a situation involving a number of bus companies, private contractors and large numbers of individual drivers. The important issue is that Bus Éireann will, on our behalf, ensure the correct procedures are put in place. Where issues have come to light, the company has dealt with them efficiently. I did not mean to imply that the system in...

Third Level Fees. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has approved the drafting of the institutes of technology Bill to transfer responsibility for the day-to-day management of the institutes of technology sector from my Department to a reconstituted Higher Education Authority. This will facilitate the gradual devolution to the institutes of technology of greater academic and managerial autonomy. This...

Third Level Fees. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The intention is to publish the legislation during this session so I hope it will be enacted next year. I also hope to do the transfer next year so the institutes of technology come under the HEA. The period of office of most of the membership of that board will expire at the end of this month, but under the new legislation it will have to be reformed. It is my intention to ensure that the...

School Attendance. (11 Oct 2005)

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...

School Attendance. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: While I am reluctant to give a timescale for completion of the database, it is a priority for the Department, not only because of the valuable information but also because it will substantially reduce the workload for school principals. We are keeping the matter under constant review. We have no evidence to show that the numbers transferring from first to second level has increased as the...

School Attendance. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy mentioned the very real issue of children dropping out after first year. The Economic and Social Research Institute analysed the experiences of first year students in post-primary education in 2004 and highlighted the children at risk. Arising from this analysis we are targeting particular effective transfer programmes. This year I allocated an additional 100 guidance counsellors...

School Attendance. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Implementation of the DEIS report which I launched, arising from a survey carried out for the Department, will probably begin in December. We recognise there are disadvantaged schools now that were not previously recognised as such. New schools not included in previous programmes have developed in various areas, so they must be included. That investment will involve an extra €40 million...

School Attendance. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: All schools have responded to the survey which is being independently assessed by the Educational Research Centre. That standardised system will then identify the level of disadvantage. It will draw together a new integrated school support programme building on all the existing supports across the sector. As a result of that identification about 600 primary schools — 300 urban and 300 rural...

Special Educational Needs. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 20 and 90 together. Since 8 April 2003 the State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The statistical issues raised by the Deputies have been forwarded to the commission for direct reply. The commission operates a scheme of reasonable accommodations for candidates with special...

Special Educational Needs. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: One of the key recommendations by the expert group on the certificate exams which reported in 1989 with regard to reasonable accommodations was that it should be noted on certificates or results if an element or elements of an examination have been omitted, or the method of examining has been altered in a substantial way. The idea was to strike a correct balance between ensuring that...

Special Educational Needs. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: This matter relates to ensuring the integrity of the exam and the exam results. I have yet to meet an employer who actually sought to see anyone's exam certificate. A student may have been unable to complete a full section of an exam. He or she for example might not have been able to do the aural or oral section. It would then be indicated on the certificate that such a student was marked out...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The most recent data on class size available to my Department show that in the 2004-05 school year 72,581 pupils were taught in classes of more than 30 pupils. This is less than half the number of children who were in classes of 30 plus when this Government took up office. Major improvements in school staffing have been made in recent years with the hiring of more than 4,500 additional...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The only way to ensure that schools due to gain a teacher next year gain that teacher now would be by ensuring that schools which are due to lose a teacher next year would lose that teacher now. This is a result of the panel system, whereby schools must take their staff from the panel. That would not be fair either. The current system is probably a good way of dealing with this, as long as...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio. (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: It was the year I was elected.