Results 19,341-19,360 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The National Educational Welfare Board has indicated to my Department that the average caseload of each educational welfare officer as at end January 2005 was 168 based on a staff complement of 63. In November last, my Department conveyed approval to the NEWB for the recruitment of a further ten educational welfare officers. These additional posts will enable the board to further roll out its...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Every effort is made to ensure that children with special educational needs receive an education appropriate to their needs and in recent years significant additional resources have been made available to schools to enable them to provide for children with such needs. In this regard, the following dedicated resources are now deployed to support children with special educational needs in the...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The number of primary schools, including special schools, that have NEPS psychologists directly assigned to them is 1,766. All schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, whereby the school can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and...

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The specific information requested by the Deputy is not available at present. However, the National Economic and Social Forum report of 2002 on early school leaving cited, as a broad estimate, that around 1,000 children do not transfer from primary to post-primary on an annual basis. There is some doubt attaching to this estimated figure of 1,000, which may be an over statement of the true...

Written Answers — Literacy Levels: Literacy Levels (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Reading literacy achievement in primary schools is measured using standardised reading tests. Children's achievement scores on these tests are expressed in percentiles from 1 to 99. Those who score at or below the tenth percentile are generally regarded as having serious literacy difficulties and would be given additional supports in school, such as learning support teaching. At second level,...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 110 together. There is provision in the National Development Plan 2000-2006 for funding in the education sector through the employment and human resources development operational programme, the productive sector operational programme, the two regional operational programmes and the Peace II programme. This provision is targeted at measures to promote...

Written Answers — Substance Abuse: Substance Abuse (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is aware of the concerns which have been raised about young people's behaviour with alcohol and drugs. For most young people, it is the misuse of substances — particularly alcohol — which is the greatest threat to their physical and emotional health and to their well being. As a consequence, students' engagement with their studies can be seriously affected. While education...

Written Answers — Schools of Music: Schools of Music (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Government decided last July that my Department should finalise contractual negotiations with Jarvis Projects Limited with the view to commencing construction of the Cork School of Music as soon as practical. Shortly thereafter Jarvis Plc, preferred bidder for the CSM project, announced a profit warning on the London Stock Exchange. To help solve its financial difficulties the company...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 79 and 118 together. The terms of the Government decision of February 1999 to establish the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, allowed for the number of psychologists in the educational system to increase gradually to 200. It was envisaged that approximately 180 psychologists would be in NEPS and the balance elsewhere, for example, in the VECs...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 80 and 89 together. The Residential Institutions Redress Board was set up under statute in 2002 to provide financial redress to victims of child abuse in State regulated residential institutions with the aim of assisting them in their recovery and enhancing the quality of the remainder of their lives. The board provides an alternative to victims having to...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: It is important to recall the context in which children in many European countries learn foreign languages. Many countries, for example, Belgium, Luxembourg and Finland, have a significant historic presence of other languages within their borders or in close proximity. This has created an imperative within those countries to learn those foreign languages. In other regards, far and away the...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Many primary schools have a general purposes room for play and PE facilities during inclement weather. In addition, practically all schools have play areas which are utilised for teaching different aspects of the physical education programme. A similar situation with sports halls and outdoor facilities applies at second level. Many schools have the use of adjacent local facilities, including...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The number of students expected to graduate from the five colleges of education, both the undergraduate Bachelor of Education degree course and the 18 month postgraduate course for primary teaching, is 1,280. The number of teachers expected to retire in the current year is 500.

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 and 112 together. It is assumed that the Deputies are referring to the position at primary level. The pupil-teacher ratio as published in my Department's annual statistical report is calculated by dividing the total enrolment in all primary schools by the total number of full-time teaching posts. The total enrolment includes all children in ordinary and...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The review of the school transport scheme within my Department is at an advanced stage. As an immediate priority, the steps required to bring the matter to an early conclusion are under active consideration at present.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: According to my Department's records, in the current school year 144 male teachers have been appointed for the first time as permanent or temporary qualified teachers at primary level. This represents 10.6% of the total number of such teachers appointed for the first time at primary level. A total of 279 male teachers have been appointed for the first time to posts in voluntary secondary,...

Written Answers — School Libraries: School Libraries (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87 and 116 together. At primary level it is a matter for each local authority to provide a library service for schools in its area. While my Department has no involvement in the actual operation of this service, it makes a grant available to each local authority on an annual basis to enable local authority librarians select, purchase and deliver books to the...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Significant improvements have been made in the pupil-teacher ratio at both primary and post-primary levels in recent years. At primary level, the ratio has fallen from 22.2:1 in the 1996-97 school year to 17.44:1 in the 2003-04 school year. At post-primary level, the pupil teacher ratio has been reduced from 16:1 to 13.6:1 in the same period. In line with Government policy, my Department will...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: A cross-governmental working group was established to put forward proposals for reform of vetting by the central vetting unit run by the Garda Síochána. Among its recommendations was the proposal that the Departments of Education and Science and Health and Children explore the possibility of developing an employment history register, similar to the PECS system in Northern Ireland. An...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The loading of all school buses is determined by the relevant sections of the Road Traffic Regulations (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) which are laid down by the Department of Transport. In accordance with those regulations, the licensed carrying capacity of all vehicles engaged in school transport is based on a ratio of three pupils for every two adult seats. Safety on school...