Results 3,301-3,320 of 17,498 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am aware of the matter referred to by the Deputy and can confirm that the department recently wrote to a cohort of fifty-eight retirees regarding an error which occurred due to the incorrect application of a reduction to pensions known as the public sector pension reduction (PSPR). PSPR was introduced under the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) legislation....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 153 and 154 together. The campus on which the school referred to by the Deputy is located, was completed in Q4 2023 and delivered a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school and two 24 classroom primary schools and accommodation, including 14 classrooms across the three projects, for children with special education needs. The campus project also delivered 3 GP...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: This Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning. My Department regularly consults with key stakeholders to address critical issues like teacher supply. Further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce are being considered. The objective of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the school in question was recently approved additional accommodation under the Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme. In October last year funding was approved for reconfiguration works to the school to provide for a special class as well as a traditional build of one mainstream classroom and one special education tuition...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: Officials from my Department are working with Meath County Council in relation to this former school premises. The matter is being progressed and, pending the receipt of additional information requested from the local authority, I expect the issue to be resolved in the near future.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (26 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, is an important piece of legislation which has introduced a more parent-friendly, equitable and consistent approach to how school admissions policy operates for the almost 4,000 primary and post-primary schools. The legislation is part of a suite of measures taken to take greater account of the needs of parents and students in the school system....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for the Department of Education. Since 2020, my department has invested over €5.7 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: In relation to the first school referred to by the Deputy, I can confirm that the department received an application under the Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) scheme for funding for the provision of eighteen special education classrooms. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department is liaising directly with the patron of the school in question relating to the matters referred to by the Deputy. A new school building is being provided as part of a two phased development on a Department owned site for the post primary school in question. The school has already occupied the element constructed in phase one and phase two is due to be completed shortly. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: This Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning. This remains a top priority. My Department regularly consults with key stakeholders to address critical issues like teacher supply. Further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce are being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department has not been notified of any school using capitation grant funding to hire private therapists for children in their school. The Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS) was established in June 2024 within the NCSE and will comprise 39 therapists, initially. The ETSS provides 2 strands of support. Strand I involves Regional Therapy Support and includes Teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day-to-day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general up-keep, and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: The furniture and equipment (F&E) area within my Department deals with the provision of furniture and equipment across a number of different streams including the replacement of specialist F&E, to which the issue the deputy has raised refers. As part of the planning for the provision of F&E generally, there has to be a balance between the volume of demand, and the ability of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Council registers teachers under five routes of registration: Route 1 - Primary, Route 2 - Post-primary, Route 3 - Further Education, Route 4 - Other and Route 5 - Student Teacher. The minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm that officials from my Department have made contact directly with the Deputy and the officials have provided details of the necessary steps required in relation to the query.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my department has invested over €5.7 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 1,150 school building projects.? Between projects currently under construction and projects moving to construction in the coming months, investments by the Department of Education are adding over 550,000 square metres of new and modernised capacity to our...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: There is a curricular subject requirement for registration under ‘Route 2: Post-primary’ which falls under the Teaching Council’s statutory functions set out in Section 31(5) of the Teaching Council Act 2001 and Route 2 of the Teaching Council [Registration] Regulations 2016: ‘A person who applies to be entered on the register on the basis of qualifications as a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Teaching Council is the regulator of the teaching profession in Ireland. Their role is to protect the public by promoting and regulating professional standards in teaching. They do this through the statutory registration of teachers, ensuring a highly qualified teaching profession, whose members meet and uphold high standards of professional competence and conduct. All initial teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (25 Feb 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department’s Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 articulates that the education system must equip children and young people with the appropriate knowledge and competence as they navigate the online world, supporting them in the safe, ethical use of the internet Online safety and the safe and ethical use of digital technologies is a key component of the Department’s...