Results 341-360 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that the schools in question submitted applications for capital funding under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The purpose of my Department’s ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health and Safety (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Safety, Health, and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 299 of 2007) place an obligation on the employer, as soon as it is notified by the special needs assistant that she is pregnant, to assess any specific risk in the workplace to that special needs assistant and to ensure that the pregnant, post-natal, or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: This Government is 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. A range of measures have been introduced to support schools in their recruitment efforts. One such measure is the PME Fee Refund Scheme. The Department published Circular 0069/2024 Professional Master of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department is in receipt of an application, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school referred to by the deputy.The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school in question. The accommodation being considered by my officials is to cater for 2 Special education classes. I can confirm that my officials have been engaging with the school directly and will continue to do so with a view to providing the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system, using data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Attendance (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), which includes the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS), is under the remit of my Department and operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000. The primary role of the EWS is to ensure that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives a certain minimum education, to ensure and secure every child’s entitlement to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: At primary level, circular 11/95 “Time in School” paragraph 3 states that a typical school day for Junior classes is 4 hours and 40 minutes and Senior classes 5 hours and 40 minutes with appropriate recreation i.e. 30 minutes. The circular provides that the minimum time allocated for the ‘Recreational interval’ must not be less than 30 minutes. ?Under the Rules...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The School Meals Programme is under the remit of the Department of Social Protection. I have asked the Minister for Social Protection to reply to this query directly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred to by the deputy was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme for a project providing 1 SET Room (prefab replacement), 1 SEN classroom and 1 Central Activities Space. The project is devolved to the school authority for delivery. I can confirm that the Stage 2b (post planning) report was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school in question submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for universal access works. The school in question in question have been granted funding for these works and the project is currently with the school to progress further.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (18 Sep 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 of mine. Since 2020, my department has invested over €224 million in school infrastructure across County Galway. The department is continually planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (18 Sep 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 of mine. Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (18 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The rollout of the pilot Single Online Application for Schools marks a significant step towards improving the school admission system and fulfilling the Programme for Government commitment to introduce a nationwide common application system. As the Deputy will be aware, the pilot will involve five towns: Athenry, Celbridge, Clonakilty, Greystones, and Tullamore. Other areas will be taken...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (17 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 434 and 435 together. The Department is actively engaged in reviewing and strengthening youth work services to ensure they are responsive to the evolving needs of young people, inclusive in their reach, and effectively resourced. As part of this work, the Department is examining existing schemes to ensure they are positioned to meet current challenges,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 436, 459, 460 and 475 together. Recognising the vitally important role of secretaries and caretakers within school communities, I and my officials have been working intensively with stakeholders, with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, to establish a platform for meaningful discussion and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the deputy will be aware, my department is constantly reviewing demographics areas to analyse further accommodation requirements or projects that need to be added to our building programme. My department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System (GIS), using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirement for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system, using...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (17 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling education disadvantage and helping students reach their full potential is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth, and for the Government. Currently, the DEIS programme supports almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools, reaching approximately 260,000 students, with an annual investment of over €180 million. The DEIS programme is targeted at schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (17 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred to was approved to enter the Departments pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide 4 Mainstream classrooms and a 2 Classroom SEN base. The project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. Approval to Stage 2B (planning) of the architectural design process was granted to the school authority in Q4 2023. A Stage 2B report was received in Q4...