Results 5,541-5,560 of 19,968 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/2023 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Freedom of Information (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department reports annually to both the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Office of the Information Commissioner on Freedom of Information activity. The Office of the Information Commissioner publish this data in its annual report and the annual reports up to 2022 are available on the OIC’s website - www.oic.ie/publications/annual-reports/. In 2022 my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (28 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: 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. As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: 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. As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers, is devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA). This project is part of the bundle referred to as ‘Project Liffey' I am pleased to advise that the procurement for the design team is currently underway and is nearing completion. Following completion of the procurement process, the design team will be formally appointed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I wish to confirm to the Deputy that the majority of schools have a general purpose room / Physical Education hall and practically all schools have outdoor play areas. In addition, many schools, use adjacent local facilities, including community halls, public parks, playing fields and swimming pools. Investment and expenditure on sports facilities is an element of the overall expenditure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The installation of sensory play equipment is site and project specific, often funded directly by schools and selected based on the individual school requirements. Where play equipment is installed as part of a building project the school will be assisted by the appointed design team. Appropriate provision for external play will be provided within school site constraints and this is set out...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a mandatory part of the primary curriculum, which provide vital opportunities for the development of children’s wellbeing in the physical, social, emotional and intellectual domains. Initiatives such as the Incredible Years Programmes and the FRIENDS Programmes which complement the curriculum are also available to schools. These...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: 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. As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: 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. As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses the Language Support (EAL) allocation that schools were allocated in previous years. All schools are advised in the first instance to review whether the needs of newly enrolled...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department has received an application, under the Additional Schools Accommodation Scheme, from the school authority in question. The purpose of the Additional School Accommodation 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Advertising (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department does not have a fixed annual advertising budget. As policy implementation dictates, advertising can be sought to deliver specific policy objectives or legal obligations. In the period of time in question, this has included awareness campaigns on school transport, promoting the teaching profession, the reopening of schools during the COVID-19...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Communications (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has no record of any payment being made to the companies specified in her question. On 10 May 2023, The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) presented to Department of Education officials on the topics of misinformation and disinformation. The topics presented were the following: - Introduction to the work of the Institute for Strategic...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The wider Palmerstown/Ballyfermot/Chapelizod/Cherryorchard area was one of 43 areas surveyed as part of the patronage divesting process in 2013. Analysis of the parental preferences expressed in each area surveyed indicated that there was sufficient parental demand to support changes in school patronage in 28 areas, including in this area. To date, it has not been possible to secure a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: 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 Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: 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. As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/2023 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services were provided...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (28 Nov 2023)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers has no outstanding application pertaining to the erection of a boundary fence under the Summer Works Scheme. The option is open to the school to make an application under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) for funding for this request. The purpose of the SWS is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works...