Results 81-100 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: One cannot win on this issue as one either provides too much or too little. The information was provided. It was not a case of providing it and bringing it over in wheelbarrows. It was carefully copied, indexed, catalogued, put on a database and provided to the commission. All information was supplied. The commission began using discovery orders later on because it felt that, as it was using...

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I said yesterday and will say it again that I find the fixation with the statement made by the previous Minister mysterious. I have not spoken to Deputy Woods on this issue. However, I believe that, in that radio interview, Deputy Woods said what we in this House all believe, what any Member would have said when asked such a question and which is now proved in the report——

Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse: Statements. (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The Deputy asked the question and I will give him the answer. What Deputy Woods said has been now proved by the third interim report and will be proved again with regard to other institutions. I surmise that Deputy Woods based his opinion that the State was liable on the information that we all had and knew through the television programmes and from various victims' groups and individuals...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Officials of my Department have had a preliminary meeting with the Higher Education and Training Awards Council and other bodies under the aegis of my Department regarding decentralisation. The purpose of these meetings was to facilitate an exchange of information. The decentralisation policy decided by the Government and announced by the Minister for Finance on budget day 2003 provides for...

Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The person referred to by the Deputy has not been given access to records of my Department. In considering how access is to be granted to the records and to whom, my Department has to be mindful of key priorities at this time. High on the list of priorities is the Department's obligation to provide information and records as so ordered by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. Another...

Written Answers — Educational Projects: Educational Projects (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Officials of my Department met representatives of the national congress of Catholic Secondary School Parent Associations, CPSA, last December. At that meeting it was agreed that CPSA would provide my Department with details of its vision for increasing the voice of parents at second level, the promotion of parents associations in schools and the level of support required to achieve those...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: A report has been received regarding the heating system in the school referred to by the Deputy. The project is being considered in the context of the summer works scheme, details of which will be announced shortly.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 296, 297 and 338 together. I am most anxious that all children, including children with autistic spectrum disorders receive education appropriate to their needs. There are seven facilities in the State operating on a pilot-project basis and using alternative educational methods for teaching children on the autistic spectrum. Three of the seven are CABAS...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The Higher Education and Training Awards Council was established on 11 June 2001 and was located at 26 Mountjoy Square Dublin 1 on an interim basis pending a decision on the permanent location of the council. On 9 November 2001, HETAC was notified by letter of the decision of the then Minister for Education and Science that HETAC be based in Dublin. On foot of this, HETAC moved to new...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The report of the task force on dyslexia contains more than 60 individual recommendations ranging across a wide variety of issues from identification and assessment, to models of service delivery, specialist training for service providers, to issues relating to structural reforms. Since the task force reported, a number of initiatives have been taken in the area of dyslexia. These include the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The third level maintenance grant schemes, which my Department revises annually, are administered by the local authorities and VECs. The arrangement for the payment of grants under the grant schemes are a matter for the local authorities-VECs. The terms of the higher education grants scheme and the VEC scholarships scheme for the 2003-04 academic year provide for the payment by the local...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: An application for capital grant aid for additional accommodation has been received from St. Columba's College, Whitechurch, Dublin 16. The application is being assessed in the school planning section of my Department. As soon as the assessment is completed, contact will be made directly with the management authority of the school with a decision in the matter.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Special educational resource, SER, applications received between 15 February and 31 August 2003, are being considered at present. In all, more than 5,000 such applications were received. Priority was given to cases involving children starting school last September and all these cases were responded to at or before the commencement of the current school year. The balance of more than 4,000...

Written Answers — Statutory Instruments: Statutory Instruments (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: While I have no reason to believe that any statutory instrument made by me pursuant to primary legislation is in any way invalid I have not had an opportunity to consider the judgment of the court in this matter or consult with the Attorney General. Until I do so I cannot make a decision as to the action which should be taken in response to it. Accordingly I am not yet in a position to...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment ofthe school on 30 September of the previous school year. The number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule and is finalised for a particular school year following discussions with the education partners. The only deviation from the agreed staffing arrangements is in the case...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: My Department is considering options to address the long-term accommodation needs of Scoil Bhride, Kill, County Kildare, including the option to acquire a site for the school. In this regard, the property management section of the OPW, which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisitions generally, is exploring the possibility of acquiring a site for the school in question....

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The decentralisation policy decided by the Government and announced by the Minister for Finance on budget day 2003 provides for the transfer of some 10,300 civil servants to various locations outside of Dublin. Included in this policy is the transfer of the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, HETAC, and its staff to Edenderry, County Offaly. It is not open to me to make an exception...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Tralee Educate Together national school, located at Collis-Sandes House, is operating with provisional recognition from my Department since September 2002. An application for permanent recognition has not been received from the school authority. If such an application is received it will be given due consideration and a decision will be notified to the school authority.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The level of capital funding to be provided for the primary and post-primary school building programme for 2004 amounts to €387 million and in excess of €200 million of this will be targeted at primary school projects. This compares very favourably with the €342.9 million available in 2003. In addition to the 2004 school building programme, which I published last December, a further...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (3 Feb 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the PE hall at Firhouse community college is one of a number of such projects that are included in the 2004 school building programme as part of a joint programme to develop community sports facilities in drugs task force areas. The tendering process for these PE halls has commenced and the school authorities will be kept advised of developments.