Results 541-560 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (8 Sep 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 is undertaking steps to address teacher supply across all subjects including STEM subjects, and to this end, I announced a measure to enable teachers gain permanent roles more...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government has now concluded the review of the National Development Plan which sets out the capital allocations for each Government Department for the 2026 to 2030 period. The NDP outcome involves an allocation of €7.55bn for the Department of Education & Youth for the 2026 to 2030 period. This equates to an average of €1.51bn per annum with some front-loading in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB). The project brief provides for the delivery of a new eight mainstream classroom school with three special education tuition rooms. The project commenced onsite in Q3 of 2024 and is estimated to be completed in Q1 of 2026. The CMETB are engaging directly with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs. The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years, including an over €30 million permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2011, arrangements have been in place for the establishment of new schools involving the forecasting of demand for school places based on demographic exercises carried out by my department. New schools are only established in areas of demographic growth, as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to ensure that every child has a school place. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs. The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years, including an over €30 million permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The brief for the school referred to by the Deputy is the development of a new 16 classroom Primary School and 5 classes for children with Special Educational Needs at Janeville, Carrigaline, Co. Cork. The project is currently at Stage 1 - Preliminary Design (assessment of site and location suitability and initial sketch scheme). As part of the Stage 1 process the Design Team submit...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: Changes to the duration and content of initial teacher education (ITE) programmes were made in response to recommendations in the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020 and were incorporated into the Teaching Council’s accreditation standards. What was previously the ‘H-Dip’ of 18 months for primary and one-year for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project referred to by the Deputy is devolved for delivery to Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB). It is a campus project. The project brief is for the construction of two new multi-storey school buildings for new post primary schools for Coláiste Pobail Osraí and Kilkenny City Vocational School. The project is currently at Stage 2b of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Misuse of Drugs (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1021 and 1022 together. My Department worked with the Department of Health and other government departments and agencies to support full implementation of the Government’s national drug strategy - Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017-2025 and is working with the Department of Health on the successor strategy. In line with the actions identified,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Strategies (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1023, 1024 and 1025 together. While there is no single school-based awareness programme in this area, there are a number of related ways in which my Department aims to support students. An Garda Síochána conduct programmes in both Primary and Post-Primary schools which include crime prevention. The Garda Primary Schools Programme, first launched...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) as part of a programme of school building projects. The project received full grant of planning permission and is currently at Stage 3 of the architectural planning design process - Tender stage. When this stage is concluded, the project will progress to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide 1 General classroom, 1 Music room, 1 Textiles room, 1 Art room, 1 Graphics room, 2 Multimedia rooms, 1 Science lab, 1 Science Prep area, 2 Technology and shared Prep areas and a 3 Classroom SEN base under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA)....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: In the lead up to the Budget, my Department receives a number of pre-budget submissions from a range of different stakeholders in the education sector and from organisations involved in other areas of public policy including INTO's pre Budget submission. As in previous years, relevant submissions continue to be reviewed and they will inform the specific budgetary priorities that I will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Tipperary Education and Training Board. The project recently commenced Stage 2b of the architectural planning design process. This allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining the necessary statutory permissions and the preparation of tender documents. The next stage is tendering for a contractor and then...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Strategies (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government Task Force on Emergency Planning, which is chaired by the Minister with responsibility for Defence, includes senior representatives from all government departments and agencies. It is responsible for the oversight and coordination of national-level emergency management. My Department continues to actively participate in the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG). ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers has been granted capital funding for the provision of two mainstream classrooms under my Department’s Additional School Accommodation scheme. On approval of the project the school authority was issued with detailed information on the delivery process which includes details on funding pathways. On initiation of the project the school authority...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The attached table contains the information sought by the Deputy for the school building projects under the remit of DDLETB. For projects at Stage 4 construction a predicted timeline for completion has been provided. However, for projects at Stage 1-2 of the delivery process it is not possible to give a time frame for when these school building projects will go to construction, nor when they...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, responsibility for delivering a major project for the school in question has been devolved to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education & Training Board (DDLETB). The Department of Education originally approved the partial refurbishment of the school referred to by the Deputy and the construction of a standalone extension of just over 4,000 square metres in area...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department is committed to ensuring that all learners, including those from ethnic minority backgrounds, migrant communities, and those with additional needs in primary and post-primary schools, have access to inclusive and supportive education. I am committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality, where every child and young person feels valued and is actively...