Results 4,961-4,980 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education Policy (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: No, and I appreciate that.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education Policy (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge the excellent engagement from everyone here, including Deputy Gannon, and how supportive and helpful they have been to the local community, including the school community. I recognise in particular Deputy Gannon's personal engagement with me. On the wider issues the Deputy has raised, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Garda Commissioner have already...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Facilities (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The Department recognises the importance of the minor works grant to primary schools. This funding provides good flexibility at local level to assist schools to manage and undertake works that support the daily operation of the school. Under Project Ireland 2040, a commitment was given that the minor works grant would be paid in either December or January of the school year to all primary...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Accommodation (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €3.5 billion in our schools, involving the completion of more than 690 school building projects, and with construction under way at approximately 300 other projects. School building projects at construction involve an overall State investment of in excess of €1.2 billion. We also have 200 modular...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Accommodation (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I acknowledge the Deputy's personal engagement on this topic. I acknowledge the public representatives in the area, who have been really active in this space. As the Deputy is aware, following the technical assessment, it is evident there are complexities with the existing school properties. There is a particular challenge to identifying a solution to the school's accommodation needs that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Accommodation (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The Deputy is right. We operate school planning areas. There are 314 of them in the country, and we also have a GIS system that has particular information from the CSO. This is for future planning. We also engage with the local authority, and the Deputy is right that it will be cognisant of where there are existing or, more importantly, where there will be future housing developments....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Accommodation (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I just know the request has been lodged with the patron, but I imagine it will be happening fairly speedily.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education Policy (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, the use of mobile devices and smartphones has increasingly become a part of the daily lives of our children and young people. While this can be a positive experience, we must also consider the potential harm associated with the misuse and-or overuse of these devices and associated social media platforms, particularly for younger children. While smartphone usage is,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Teacher Training (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I thank Deputy Clarke and I appreciate her personal engagement on this issue. More than 10,700 places have been provided by State-funded providers. There are 1,800 places with a private enterprise. With regard to the point made about fees and the difficulties with them, I was very pleased in budget 2024 to announce that, for those taking a postgraduate course in teaching, a bursary of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin. I acknowledge his personal engagement with me, and the engagement from throughout the House, on the incident on Parnell Square. Ensuring every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them is a priority. Budget 2024 contains a range of measures that demonstrate commitment to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin. I want to be very clear that I do not underestimate the extraordinary challenges, in particular areas, and it is in particular areas, for school leadership to fill posts. There is no doubt about this. We are a country at near full employment. The issues we face in education are reflected in so many other areas, whether it be hospitality, health or...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin. I reiterate that we are being proactive and very open to working with partners in education for other initiatives. We are open to looking at everything. For example, I record our gratitude to the more than 3,400 trainee teachers who have registered with the Teaching Council and made themselves available for substitute cover in schools. This is a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Teacher Training (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I know we took the opportunity to do so yesterday at the education committee, but I again offer what I know is the unified solidarity, support and sympathy of the entire House. We are particularly mindful of the children and their carer who were involved in an incident in proximity to a school on Parnell Square. I can confirm for the House that our NEPS psychologists, our school...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Teacher Training (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: At post-primary level it is the higher education institute that determines the number of places in accordance with its own available resources and arrangements. A total of 1,650 teachers graduate from these programmes each year. As regards the overall enrolments on the initial teacher education programmes, 2022-23 is the most recent year for which confirmed data is available. There were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Kolbe Special School is part of a large-scale capital project, located in Portlaoise. I want to reassure the Deputy that this project is a key priority for the Department. The project brief is to provide a new eight classroom special school and appropriate ancillary accommodation. The School Authorities also recently received approval for the installation of modular accommodation on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Domestic Violence (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Domestic Violence Leave is a statutory leave regulated by the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. With effect from the 27th of November 2023, all employers are required to provide up to five days paid domestic violence leave over a period of 12 months. Ireland is one of the first countries in the European Union to introduce this right and with the government of Ireland,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers is a two-classroom school that is in the Department’s pipeline for a modular accommodation project. The current enrolment at the school is 40 pupils which is a decrease of two pupils from last year. The project is being managed on a devolved basis by the school authority. The brief for the project is to replace the existing accommodation with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The designation of school sites to serve existing, expanding and new communities is the function of local authorities, in consultation with my Department, through the statutory development plan process. My Department’s Statutory Plans Co-ordinating Unit actively engages with the statutory planning process to ensure that sufficient land is zoned to provide appropriate sites for new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. Budget 2024 contains a range of measures that demonstrate my commitment to continued investment in our education system. In addition to numerous actions I have taken in recent years to address...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (30 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Earlier this year the Department received a report from a Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) working group. The report proposed the creation of a national relocation scheme whereby teachers would identify the locations that they would like to relocate to through a portal and then effectively “swap” with teachers in that location. The proposal included findings from a...