Results 1,921-1,940 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department proposes to structure a consultation process through meetings with the education partners in the coming weeks in accordance with the commitment to consultation as set out in the renewed Programme. In advance of such discussions it has written to the education partners to seek any observations or suggestions they may have in relation to the implementation of the commitment. This...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 128 together. As the Deputies are aware, the commitment in the renewed Programme for Government is to develop, in consultation with stakeholders, a costed multi-annual plan to implement some priority aspects of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, focussing on measurable, practical progress in education and health...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Grangegorman Development Agency was established under Section 8 of the Grangegorman Development Agency Act 2005. The general aim of the Agency is to oversee the development of the lands at Grangegorman on behalf of the Departments of Education and Science, Health and Children, Dublin Institute of Technology and the Health Services Executive. Section 12 of the Act provides that the...

Written Answers — Teacher Training Colleges: Teacher Training Colleges (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware, the Report of the Special Group recommended that my Department should decide on how to manage the supply of teachers, i.e whether the 5 teacher training colleges should continue to be funded to a lesser extent or whether to concentrate resources on a smaller number of colleges. This proposal, like other proposals made by the Special Group, is currently being considered...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Clustering arrangements exist within the primary system for the sharing, in certain instances, of specific resources such as resource teaching posts and also rural coordinator support. While there are currently no formal arrangements for the sharing of general resources or facilities it is open to schools to enter into local arrangements themselves e.g. in relation to pooling of existing...

Written Answers — Community National Schools: Community National Schools (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 133 together. It is important that the decision endorsed by the Government to implement a new model of primary school patronage is adequately supported both in financial and policy terms. In general, the opening of the two new community national schools has not given rise to any expenditure over and above that normally associated with the establishment...

Written Answers — Schools Patronage: Schools Patronage (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 130 together. Senior officials of my Department met with Archbishop Martin and other representatives of the Roman Catholic hierarchy separately in late 2007 to discuss a number of issues relating to patronage of primary schools. They discussed the different issues that might arise where one or more schools under Roman Catholic patronage might transfer...

Written Answers — Information and Telecommunications Technology: Information and Telecommunications Technology (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The ICT Strategy Group Report, "Investing Effectively in ICT in Schools" .which was published in July 2008, provides a clear direction to inform actions to further the integration of ICT into teaching and learning in our schools. The Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal, Building Ireland's Smart Economy, re-iterates Government policy to enhance the role of ICT in the education system,...

Written Answers — Programme for Government: Programme for Government (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The renewed Programme for Government commits the Government to no further increase in the pupil teacher ratio in primary and second level schools for the lifetime of this Government. It also states that we will provide 500 teaching posts between primary and second levels over the next three years. While the precise costs of the additional teaching posts cannot be determined until the...

Written Answers — University Rankings: University Rankings (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am aware of the world university rankings that were widely published in the media last week and I am pleased to note the positive progress of a number of Irish institutions on the basis of the measures involved. The institutions concerned are to be commended on their achievements. While any single ranking system needs to be carefully interpreted and the use of ranking systems of this...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers is recognised by my Department. In common with all schools, when initially established, the school was granted temporary recognition to allow it to demonstrate its viability. With regard to the criteria for permanent recognition, my Department is guided by a Commission on School Accommodation (CSA) Report produced in 2004 on the "Criteria and...

Written Answers — Languages Programme: Languages Programme (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: 81.2% of second level pupils study three languages, Irish, English and a continental language, to completion of upper second level, and over 70% of schools offer two foreign languages or more. The languages available as part of the post primary curriculum in schools include French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Arabic. The post primary language initiative provides supports...

Written Answers — Schools Patronage: Schools Patronage (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Government approved the scheme of the Education (Patronage) Bill 2009 on 23rd June 2009. The scheme of Bill has been referred to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government for drafting and it is expected that the Bill will be published during the current session. Pending enactment of the Bill, I as Minister for Education and Science, am acting as Patron of Scoil Choilm...

Written Answers — Inquiry into Child Abuse: Inquiry into Child Abuse (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138, 156 and 559 together. The Deputies will be aware that following publication of the Ryan Report, this House passed a unanimous motion on 28th May, 2009 calling on the congregations to commit to making further substantial contributions by way of reparation, in the context of discussions with the State, including to a Trust to be set up and managed by the...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In 2007, a decision was taken to secure the long term viability of this programme by increasing Ireland's contribution to the Fund for the programme by €20 million to be paid over a number of years conditional on matching funding being raised by the US-Ireland Alliance. Implementation of this decision requires, inter alia, amendment of the George Mitchell Scholarship Fund Act, 1998 and a...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The commitment in the Renewed Programme for Government to review the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) is intended to ensure that the policy of allocating SNAs to support children with special educational needs is working and to provide a basis on which more informed policy decisions can be made. The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE)...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In order to improve the information systems available to my Department in relation to primary and post-primary schools, my Department's Forward Planning Section uses Geographical Information System technology which contains a certain level of information on all schools in the country, at both primary and post primary level. To further expand and improve the capabilities of the system,...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the number of births in this country continues to rise, my Department is faced with the challenge of providing accommodation to cater for a ten percent increase in school-aged children, and to establish where, throughout the country, this accommodation will be required. In 2000 there were 54,789 births in Ireland, while the 2008 figure is 75,065, a 37% increase over the period. The...

Written Answers — Schools Patronage: Schools Patronage (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Officials in my Department are currently updating the register of Patrons provided for under Section 8 of the Education Act and will be verifying the Register details directly with all school Patrons very shortly. A substantial amount of work has already been done on this exercise and I expect that the list will be completed and made available to the Deputy in the very near future.

Written Answers — Parent-Teacher Meetings: Parent-Teacher Meetings (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: While I have not met with the association concerned in relation to the matter raised by the Deputy, I am aware that this and related matters have been raised by my officials in discussions under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council. While I acknowledge that there has been upset and anger at some of the measures introduced to stabilise the public finances, I would re-iterate that...