Results 1,941-1,960 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 145, 569 and 570 together. The precise level of additional grant support will be considered in the context of the estimates and budgetary process for 2010.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 589 together. For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or guardians, dependent mature students or as independent mature students. An independent mature student is defined as a mature student who was not ordinarily resident with his or her parents from the October...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147, 153 and 577 together. My Department is currently considering a number of broad policy issues relating to the recognition process for second level schools. The application from Educate Together to be recognised as a patron body at second level is being fully examined within the context of legal, financial and other factors that I must consider.

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware the student services charge is levied by third level institutions to defray the costs of examinations, registration and students services. These services may include on-campus medical and counselling facilities for students, access and disability services, careers office, student facilities, student clubs and societies etc. Currently, the student services charge is...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that a number of amendments to the Student Support Bill in relation to legal and policy issues which have arisen since Second Stage are being advanced by my Department in close consultation with the Office of the Attorney General. The Bill makes provision for the transfer of responsibility for student grants to the VEC sector. In the existing budgetary situation,...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The OECD PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2006 survey of 15 years olds across 57 countries showed that Ireland's mean score in mathematics was not significantly different from the OECD average. We ranked 16th of 30 OECD countries and 22nd of 57 countries. There were fewer lower achievers and higher achievers than the OECD average, with the majority of pupils scoring in...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware, I had previously signalled my intention to bring the technical report that my officials prepared, at my request, on 'Policy Options for New Student Contributions in Higher Education', to Government for consideration and decision. However, in light of the changed economic circumstances that have given rise to the commitment contained in the new Programme for Government,...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The National Braille Production Centre (NBPC) is a national service which provides access to educational materials by transcriptions through a range of formats, accessible for children with a visual impairment. The formats currently catered for are: Braille, tactile diagrams, Large Print and text-only files on computer disk. The NBPC is funded by the Department of Education and Science and in...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: In relation to the Programme for Government commitment to provide 500 teaching posts over the next three years, 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...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The decision on eligibility for a higher education grant is a matter for the relevant county council as appropriate. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a maintenance grant, or that the rate of maintenance grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to the relevant county council. Where an individual applicant has had...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 554, 576, 619 and 620 together. I wish to reassure the Deputies that I, along with my colleagues in Government, recognise the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant background can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos. I have met with representatives of both the Church of Ireland Board of Education and the Grand Orange Lodge...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENO) for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with autism. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. Another function of the NCSE is to...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: An application from the school in question for an energy efficiency grant was received in my Department and approved. The school applied for the draw-down of the first portion (70%) of the approved grant and arrangements have been made to issue payment to the school. Payment of the remaining 30% will issue to the school upon further application, provided all terms and conditions, as set out...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers recently applied to my Department for funding under its temporary accommodation scheme. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that funding has been approved for the school under this scheme to either purchase or build 2 x 80 square metre classrooms. This will allow the school to replace existing prefabs and to re-configure the use of its existing mainstream...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school is being procured on a design and build basis, in which tenders are requested from contractors based on an initial design. The tender process for the building project is nearing completion. A letter of intent for the project issued to the preferred bidder in July. This requires the preferred bidder to respond with certain important information. There is process of due diligence...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band 2 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is at an early stage of architectural planning. This project has a band 1.1 rating and includes the provision of an enhanced community facility in conjunction with Fingal County Council. The developed sketch scheme has been received by my Department and in order to avoid unnecessary delays, officials from my Department intend meeting with the school's...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The statistical data sought by the Deputy in relation to post primary school population in each of the 33 VEC's are outlined in the following spreadsheet for the 2008-2009 school year. It also includes statistical data for the non VEC schools i.e voluntary secondary schools, community and comprehensive schools on a county by county basis for the same period. The statistics are broken down...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 563 to 565, inclusive, together. I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service currently employs 156 psychologists, of whom some 15 have been appointed since the 1 October, 2008. I can confirm that the 28 psychologists referred to in the Renewed Programme for Government are taken within the context of an overall...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 566 and 567 together. The 500 posts provided for in the reviewed Programme for Government are intended to be additional to those required to accommodate the increase in student population. My Department is keeping projections for future enrolment under constant review as the precise impact of net migration levels is somewhat uncertain. My Department is...