Results 17,261-17,280 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1107 and 1131 together. I understand the family referred to by the Deputy reside 5.4 miles from Drumslide national school and that there is no service operating to that school from their area. I further understand that the pupil concerned previously attended Shranamonragh national school and after the closure of this school in June moved to Drumslide national...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of my Department's school transport scheme, transport may be provided in respect of catchment boundary pupils, subject to there being room available on a service after all fully eligible children have been accommodated, and provided there is no additional cost involved by way of extending a service, or introducing a larger bus. My Department recently received a report from the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The fund for students with disabilities, which is ESF-aided, was introduced in 1994. It provides funding to students with disabilities attending courses in third level institutions and, since 1998, in post-leaving certificate centres. This fund is administered by the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education. The purpose of the fund is to provide students with serious physical...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Registration Council is the statutory body responsible for the recognition of qualifications for the purposes of post-primary teaching here. The council stipulates that to be eligible for recognition as a post-primary teacher, a person must hold: a suitable degree or equivalent award, not including a training-in-teaching qualification, but with recognised post-primary subject(s) taken as...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The assessment of means for all applicants under my Department's third level student maintenance grant schemes is based on gross income from all sources in the immediately preceding tax-year, with specified social welfare and health board payments being excluded from the calculation. The general position in regard to once-off payments is that part or all, as the case may be, of the payment...

Written Answers — Modern Language Teaching: Modern Language Teaching (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department launched a pilot project for modern languages in primary schools in September 1998. The aims of the pilot project included the development of communication skills in four target languages which are French, German, Spanish and Italian, the fostering of positive attitudes to language learning and the diversification of the languages taught in schools. To achieve these aims in the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 Sep 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. It appears that no such advice or instruction has, to date, been sought in the case of...

Written Answers — Third Level Completion Rates: Third Level Completion Rates (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The statistical information requested by the Deputy in respect of individual third level institutions is not available in my Department. The most recent figures on general attrition rates for third level education are the result of research carried out, at the request of my Department, by the educational research centre at St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin which published surveys of...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1115 and 1116 together. As the Deputy is aware, a new general allocation system has been introduced under which schools are being provided with resource teaching hours, based on their enrolment figures, to cater for children with high incidence special needs such as dyslexia and those with learning support needs. My Department has issued a comprehensive...

Written Answers — Vocational Education: Vocational Education (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Vocational preparation and training programmes, VPT, must be full-time and of one or two years duration only. Courses must conform with the format set out for VPT programmes as follows: Area of study and hours as a percentage of time; vocational studies, 400-480 hours, 50-60%, 5-6; general studies, 160-240 hours, 20-30%, 2-3; preparation for work-work experience, 160-240 hours, 20-30%, 2-3;...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is responsible for the regulation of the professions of primary school teacher, community and comprehensive school teacher, vocational school teacher and teacher or lecturer in the institutes of technology. These are regulated professions under the EU directive on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and the requirements for recognition of qualifications in...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Responsibility for the award of pensions and retirement gratuities to former staff of institutes of technology, IOTs, and vocational education committees, VECs, is a matter for either the VEC or IOT, which decides the level of gratuity and rate of pension payable to each individual, and by the associated local authority, county council or borough authority, which makes the actual payments. As...

Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1121to 1123, inclusive, and 1125 together. Third level education in the south-east region is provided by the institutes of technology at Waterford and Carlow. In 2004, an expert group from the OECD carried out a major review of our higher education system. In the course of its review, the expert group visited Ireland and consulted extensively with all the...

Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1124 and 1126 together. The most recent evidence available on participation in higher education by county background comes from the HEA review of participation in higher education in 2003. This report shows very encouraging levels of participation in the south eastern region. 2003 1998 Tipperary .61 .49 Waterford .58 .41 Wexford .57 .44 ...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Sep 2005)

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 recently wrote to the school requesting a condition report on the existing mechanical and electrical services as a matter of urgency together with a revised stage 1-2 submission, outline sketch scheme, and a response is awaited before further progression of...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of the post-primary school transport scheme, a pupil is eligible for transport if he or she resides 4.8 km or more from her or his local post-primary education centre, that is, the centre serving the catchment area in which he or she lives. In addition, an eligible pupil may be allowed the concession of transport, known as catchment boundary transport, to a centre other than...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The total amount paid by my Department to Bus Éireann in 2004 in respect of the school transport scheme was € 94.6 million. The company is paid on the basis of monthly accounts submitted to my Department. Additional funding is being provided to increase capacity on school transport services in order to provide one-for-one seating and seat belt equipped buses. The additional costs are as...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of my Department's 2005 third level student maintenance grant schemes the position is that, generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for grants where they satisfy the prescribed conditions with regard to age, residence, means, nationality and previous academic attainment. The condition relating to residency requires, in the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, a new general allocation scheme has been introduced under which schools have been provided with resource teaching hours, based on their enrolment figures, to cater for children with high incidence special needs such as dyslexia and those with learning support needs. My officials have been in contact with the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which has...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school in question progressed a capital project without the approval or agreement of my Department. Retrospective funding was subsequently sought. Since the introduction of the school building programme, it is not possible to consider applications for retrospective funding. Accordingly, the grant sought in this case was not approved.