Results 18,261-18,280 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: A report on this case has been requested from the transport liaison officer in the County Kilkenny VEC. The Deputy will be advised of the position when the report has been received and assessed.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 421 and 443 together. The most recent professional report indicates that the pupil's special educational needs, SEN, fall within the high incidence disability category. These SEN will therefore be catered for from within the general allocation system of resource teaching support recently communicated to all primary schools. The introduction of this new system...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 422 and 423 together. I will arrange for a response to these queries to be forwarded to the Deputy.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Teacher allocations to second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. Each school management authority is required to organise its teaching time-table and subject options having regard to pupils' needs within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The rules for allocating teaching resources provide...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy received a teaching allocation based on its status as a mixed school, that is, the first post is allocated at 145:1. Schools whose allocations are based on 80:1 are those disadvantaged schools eligible for additional staffing under the urban dimension of the Giving Children an Even Break scheme. My Department has now issued a letter to all primary schools...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The RAPID programme is designed to harness the opportunities and resources of the national development plan through the front-loading and prioritisation of investment to the 45 most deprived communities in the country, 25 urban areas and 20 provincial towns. This does not involve additional funding over and above that being provided under the NDP. In accordance with the aims of the RAPID...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 428, 436 and 444 together. My Department is considering a number of options regarding safety on school buses including the wearing of seat belts. The Deputy will be aware that legislation in this area is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Transport, but my Department is working closely with that Department regarding this and other safety issues. My...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy has an application with my Department for a new school building. This application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and its progress is being considered in the context of the school buildings and modernisation programme from 2005 onwards.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has not received any application for the provision of additional accommodation at the school to which the Deputy refers. If there is a need for additional accommodation at this school then the school authority should contact the school planning section of my Department.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 431 and 433 together. The system for allocating teachers to primary schools is based on ensuring an overall maximum class of 29 in each school. Where some classes in a school have class sizes of greater than 29, it is generally because a decision has been taken at local level to use their teaching resources to have smaller numbers in other classes. The...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year and by reference to a staffing schedule. This staffing schedule is outlined in primary circular 15/05 which issued to all primary schools recently. This is in line with guidelines agreed between my Department and the education partners. In the current school...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: According to the payroll records held by my Department in respect of 26,393 teachers employed in primary schools, 212,584 days of sick leave occurred in the calendar year 2004. This represents an average rate of sick leave of 8.05 days per teacher in 2004 and, in annual percentage terms, 2.2% overall. Payroll records held in respect of 17,206 teachers employed in voluntary secondary,...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My officials have recently been in contact with the school in question concerning the matter referred to by the Deputy. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which became operational on 1 January 2005, now processes applications for special educational needs, SEN, supports. The NCSE has outlined this process in its circular 01/05 which issued to all primary schools. Currently, 71...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Giving Children an Even Break scheme introduced in 2001 subsumes the previous process of designation of primary schools that serve areas of educational disadvantage and my Department's approach is now refined to ensure that individual "at risk" pupils are targeted. Rather than the old method of designating additional schools, my Department provides support that is commensurate with the...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: A report on this case has been requested from the transport liaison officer of the County Kilkenny VEC. The Deputy will be advised of the position when the report has been received and assessed.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The draft area development plan for the north Dublin, east Meath and south Louth area is nearing completion in the school planning section of my Department and I hope to be in a position to publish it shortly. Following publication of the draft plan, the commission on school accommodation will conduct a public consultation process where parents, trustees, sponsors of prospective new schools...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department recently sanctioned a home tuition grant for the pupil in question. This decision has been conveyed to the pupil's parents.

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Since its formal launch in December 2003, the aim of the National Educational Welfare Board has been to provide a service to the most disadvantaged areas and most at risk groups. Five regional teams have been established with bases in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford and staff have been deployed in areas of greatest disadvantage and in areas designated under the Government's RAPID...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The extension project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at the early stages of architectural planning. Given a significant decrease in enrolment at the school since the project was first approved, my officials need to engage with the school authorities on its precise accommodation requirements at this time and to cater for the long term projected enrolment. When this matter is...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 May 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year and by reference to a staffing schedule. This staffing schedule is outlined in circular 15/05 which issued to all primary schools recently. This is in line with guidelines agreed between my Department and the education partners. In the current school year the...