Results 17,681-17,700 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Education Fund: Education Fund (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of the indemnity agreement concluded between the State and religious congregations on 5 June 2002, provision was made for a fund of €12.7 million to be used to assist former residents of institutions and their families in pursuing educational programmes. Pending the establishment of this fund on a statutory basis, my Department introduced an administrative grants scheme for...

Written Answers — Education Fund: Education Fund (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Amendment) Bill 2005 provides for the establishment of a statutory education finance board to administer an education grant fund for former residents of certain institutions and their families. Section 23 of the Bill provides for an order to be made by me within one year of the enactment of the Bill appointing an establishment day for the board....

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The project referred to by the Deputy is one of a number of dual use halls being funded as part of a joint programme to develop community sports facilities in drugs task force areas. Preliminary discussions have taken place with the other Departments which were part of this joint programme and the relevant local authorities in relation to the management of the community aspect of these...

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

Mary Hanafin: The pre-school referred by the Deputy appears to be a privately operated facility and is not funded by my Department. In the circumstances, it is not possible for my Department to sanction a teacher for the child in question while he is attending this facility.

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Since the launch of the Giving Children an Even Break programme in 2001, my Department provides support that is commensurate with the levels of concentration in schools of pupils with characteristics that are associated with educational disadvantage and early school leaving. The levels of disadvantage were established as a result of a comprehensive survey of primary schools carried out by the...

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

Mary Hanafin: In the 2004-05 school year, there are 82 mixed primary schools in County Roscommon with an enrolment of less than 105 pupils. Each of these schools has benefited from the special favourable ratio for small mixed schools introduced recently under the general allocation scheme for providing resource teachers to schools to meet the needs of pupils with high incidence special needs, such as...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The application for works required at the school to which the Deputy refers has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria which was revised last year following consultation with the education partners. Detailed examination of a feasibility study regarding the options for provision of the required level of accommodation is underway to determine the best way...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: A major focus for my Department at present is the roll-out of broadband internet connectivity to all recognised primary and post-primary schools. This project is being undertaken in partnership with industry, following the establishment of a three year €18 million joint Government and IBEC — TIF fund. In this context, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Communications,...

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

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 762 and 763 together. My Department funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students. These are the higher education grants scheme, the vocational education committees' scholarships scheme, the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees and the maintenance grants scheme for students attending post-leaving certificate...

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

Mary Hanafin: With effect from the next school year, pupils eligible for school transport residing in the Limerick city catchment area who have enrolled for the first time in the school referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied may avail of catchment boundary transport under the terms of the post-primary school transport scheme.

Written Answers — Departmental Revenue: Departmental Revenue (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department.If the Deputy requires details in regard to a particular charge I would be happy to have my officials provide the information concerned. Details of appropriations in aid collected in the years 1995 to 1998 are as follows: 1995 €226,892,454; 1996 €237,514,333; 1997 €251,718,370; 1998 €268,186,632.

Seanad: Grangegorman Development Agency Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The chairperson will be designated by the chief executive of the agency or a person nominated by him or her, not the Minister. I do not have a role in this, good, bad or indifferent. In the election of such bodies, one sector of a vested interest could come together to ensure its man gets the job whereas I hope the chief executive, if he takes the position, will be above all that and will see...

Seanad: Grangegorman Development Agency Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I thank Senator Fitzgerald for his kind comments. He and I soldiered together in the VEC and DIT, starting exactly 20 years ago this month. Coming from the perspective of the Department of Education and Science, we probably treated the chief executive of the agency as a teacher who could be seconded while a member of the Oireachtas. While that does not apply generally across the Civil Service...

Seanad: Grangegorman Development Agency Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Department of Education and Science is much more generous in the way it treats people.

Seanad: Grangegorman Development Agency Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: From the outset I was conscious of ensuring we got the balance right in the definition of the Grangegorman neighbourhood. There was a long debate about this in the other House because there was concern to ensure that those in closest proximity to the site would have a greater say than those who live further from it. In response to that debate we tabled an amendment to the definition of the...

Seanad: Grangegorman Development Agency Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I thank Members for their careful consideration of the Bill. It is the better for the debate that took place here and in the Dáil and some important sections have been improved by virtue of the points raised in both Houses. I join Senators in thanking my departmental officials who have put an enormous amount of time into consulting with interested parties on this and ensuring the legislation...

Seanad: Grangegorman Development Agency Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: It is interesting to see how the academic world will support the Dublin Institute of Technology. The major difficulty between a plan for Adamstown and a plan for the Grangegorman site is that Adamstown is a town. It is largely made up of residents and the facilities needed by those residents, which is why consultation with the major stakeholders, the community, is important. In Grangegorman...

Seanad: Grangegorman Development Agency Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: It is not intended that there be inappropriate commercial activity on the site. Commercial activity would be related to the Dublin Institute of Technology and the HSE. That might include enterprise incubatory units or research activities ancillary to the health or wider education services. The scale and site of the development has already been referred to. Between students and staff there...

Seanad: Grangegorman Development Agency Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Senator Henry took the words from my mouth in saying the board is a very disparate group. It arises because the members represent very different interests. We need as a chairperson somebody who can be above any of the individual interests but who has a vision for the whole area. We need somebody who will not represent solely the education, health or residents' interests but a person with an...

Seanad: Grangegorman Development Agency Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I consulted the Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel in anticipation of this learned debate, which I did not expect to be so flattering. I was informed that it would be inappropriate to change the wording of this section because it is a "standard provision". This section should not be amended because the proposed agency will be bound by the rules of administrative law and the principles...