Results 19,821-19,840 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Where a pupil with special educational needs enrols in a post-primary school, it is open to the school to apply for additional teaching support and-or special needs assistant support for the pupil. My Department allocates additional teaching support and special needs assistant support to second level schools and vocational education committees to cater for pupils with special educational...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Financial assistance is available to students under the higher education grants scheme, which is administered by the local authorities under the aegis of my Department. The position is that, generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age, residence, means, nationality and previous...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Pursuant to section 7 of the Vocational Education (Amendment) Act 2001, the revised composition of the new vocational education committees provides, for the first time, for the election of members by parents and VEC staff. In addition to members elected by the local authority from among the members of the local authority concerned, the Act provides for the appointment by the local authority...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has no current application for capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. In 2001, however, my Department provided grant aid of almost €43,000 to facilitate an extension project at the school comprising a classroom and ancillary accommodation.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (8 Feb 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. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule and is finalised for a particular year following discussions with the education partners. The mainstream staffing of the school referred to by the Deputy for...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the expansion of the devolved scheme for primary school building works a grant of €100,000 was sanctioned to enable the management authorities of the school in question to provide an additional classroom. The initiative allows boards of management to address their accommodation and building priorities with a guaranteed amount of funding and gives boards of management control of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers has submitted an application for grant aid under the summer works scheme 2005, SWS, for an upgrade of toilet facilities. The scope of the scheme covers this work type. All SWS applications are currently being assessed in the school planning section of my Department. I intend to publish the list of successful applicants shortly.

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the pupil referred to in the details supplied has been facilitated with transport to the school in question since September 2004.

Written Answers — Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The vocational training opportunities scheme, VTOS, is a second chance education and training programme of up to two years duration, for adults aged 21 years and older who have been unemployed for at least six months. The scheme is one element of my Department's provision for further and adult education, delivered by the vocational education committees. Course content is decided upon by the...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The property management section of the Office of Public Works, which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisitions generally, is in negotiations for the purchase of a site for the primary school referred to by the Deputy. A new post-primary school to serve emerging needs in the Dublin 15 area will be located at Phibblestown. Negotiations regarding the acquisition of a site...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for capital grant aid for a major refurbishment project. Its application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria, which were revised following consultation with the education partners. Progress on this project is being considered in the context of the school building programme. In this...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that construction is expected to commence in the coming weeks on the new school in question.

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department operates four student maintenance grant schemes which comprise the post leaving certificate scheme and three schemes which relate to third level courses. The schemes are administered by the VECs and local authorities on behalf of my Department. Under the prescribed conditions of all four schemes maintenance grants are payable at either the adjacent or the non-adjacent rate. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Dáil Select Committee on Education and Science concluded Committee Stage of the Grangegorman Development Agency Bill on 16 December 2004. The purpose of this Bill is to establish an agency whose function, in the first instance, is to prepare a strategic planning scheme for the Grangegorman site. The plan must provide for the needs of the Dublin Institute of Technology, the Health Service...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Under my Department's guidelines on countering bullying behaviour in schools, all schools are recommended to have in place a policy which includes specific measures to deal with bullying behaviour, within the framework of an overall school code of behaviour and discipline. Such a code, properly devised and implemented, can be the most influential measure in countering bullying behaviour in...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (8 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: With regard to internal promotion for administrative grades in my Department, since December 2003 all office notices inviting applications for promotion have referred to the Government's decentralisation programme and have stated that the acceptance of an offer of promotion from the competition may be conditional on the outcome of discussions taking place between the Department of Finance and...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (3 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 30 and 81 together. The NCCA proposals set out a vision for the type of school system which might exist by 2010. The proposals envisage a re-structured senior cycle curriculum consisting of transition units, short courses and subjects. The option of a two or three year cycle would be retained and the leaving certificate applied programme would continue as...

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (3 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school...

Written Answers — School Discipline: School Discipline (3 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has provided guidelines to boards of management to assist them in discharging their obligations in the area of school discipline. These guidelines, which issued in 1991, were drawn up following consultation with representatives of management, teachers and parents, and are sufficiently flexible to allow each school authority to adapt them to suit the particular needs of the...

Written Answers — Third Level Sector: Third Level Sector (3 Feb 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 73 together. The OECD review on the future of higher education in Ireland makes far reaching recommendations for reform and development of the sector. The extensive consultation undertaken by the OECD team with all the key stakeholders in the sector and their own undoubted expertise lend considerable weight to these recommendations. It is important to...