Results 7,021-7,040 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: The cost of restoring 100 guidance counselling posts is in the region of €5m. This will be considered in the context of future Budgets, however there are needs across the system which have to be balanced in the decisions made in each budget. Measures announced by my Department as part of Budgets 2016, 2017 and 2018 mean that 500 of the 600 guidance posts that were withdrawn in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Traveller Education (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: In May 2011 a range of functions under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, including the operation of the National Education Welfare Board (NEWB) and the services under its remit, including the Visiting Teacher Service for Travellers, were transferred from the Minister of Education and Skills to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. The Visiting Teacher Service for Travellers ceased in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grants Data (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Every 10% increase in the student maintenance grant would cost circa €17.3m. Therefore, the estimated cost of increasing the student maintenance grant rates by 10%, 20%, and 30% would cost in the region of €17.3m, €34.7m or €52m respectively.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts Data (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 to 75, inclusive, together. I refer to the Deputy’s PQ46276, 46277 and 46278 on the number of contracts tendered to businesses in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018; the contracts tendered to businesses of 50 employees and less and the number of contracts disaggregated by the value of the contracts awarded. Tenders for goods and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts Data (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 77 together. I refer to the Deputy’s PQ46279 and 46280 on the number of procurement officers and the annual cost of these officers with responsibility of preparing, tendering and awarding procurement contracts in the department. The Department does not employ whole time procurement officers. Procurement is undertaken throughout the department by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Administration (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: The measurement of the distances relating to the award of adjacent or non-adjacent rates of student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. The distance measurement for student grant rates is governed by Article 27(3)(a) and (b) of the Student Grant Scheme 2018. This provides that the relevant distance will be measured in line with agreed guidelines. The guidelines...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Funding for all primary schools in the free education scheme is dealt with on a per capita basis. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc., and the ancillary services grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. The school referred to by the Deputy received...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mobile Telephony Use (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Decisions on the use of phones in schools are taken at a local level by the Board of Management of a school, who under the Education Act 1998, have responsibility for the direct governance of a school. In developing policies on such issues, including bring your own device and smart phone usage, Boards of Management should consult with the wider school community, including parents. Earlier...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Springboard Programme (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Under Springboard+ 2018, the eligibility criteria for Springboard+ has been extended so that all courses will be open to people irrespective of their employment status. Returners and those in receipt of certain allowances, including Jobseekers Benefit, will continue to be able to access courses free of charge. Level 6 courses will remain free to all participants and for employed participants...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Skills Development (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Adults (%) who had engaged in lifelong learning in the preceding 4 weeks GEO/TIME 2014 2015 2016 2017 EU 28 10.8 10.7 10.8 10.9 Ireland 6.8 6.3 6.2 8.9* Source: Eurostat *Break in series due to change from CSO Quarterly National Household Survey to CSO Labour Force Survey; data before and after this point is not comparable The latest comparable (EU 28 vs Ireland) data is the annual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Any queries regarding the basis of assessing an individual student's eligibility for a student grant should be made directly to SUSI, the grant awarding authority, who are responsible for the processing of student grant applications. Enquiries may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. Staff in SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (8 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: The central grant awarding authority Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), a business unit of the City of Dublin ETB, administer the Student Grant Scheme on behalf of my Department. Enquiries regarding the status of an application on behalf of an individual applicant for a student grant should be made directly to SUSI. Enquiries may be emailed directly to SUSI at . Staff in SUSI are...

Apprenticeships: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: The Ministers of State, Deputies Mitchell O'Connor and Halligan, have been doing the heavy lifting on this issue since this Government was appointed in 2016. We thought about doing the usual tonight: voting against a motion because Government votes against an Opposition motion, until we realised there are certain elements of it where we are singing from the same hymn sheet. We are all...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: I will take the first question from Deputy Brassil. Deputies will find that when people come to me with suggestions and common-sense and practical solutions to issues, I am all ears. I thank the Deputy for raising that issue. It is one that came up in my own county when we were looking at closest distances and the nearest school rule. Roads that were virtually impassable for buses were...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Ba mhaith liom an cheist sin a fhreagairt don Teachta fosta. It is very important to point out that while the fire assessments were being carried out from quarter 4 in 2017 through to the end of August this year, concerns and potential concerns were being highlighted about fire safety issues, including fire walls, fire stops, door jams, etc. However, it was not until the physical invasive...

Structural Assessments of Schools: Statements (7 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Just to be very clear, we are not just looking at structural issues. We have been looking at the assessment of fire safety. We are taking that very seriously. That assessment was completed in August of this year. Works now need to be done. We have asked Western Building Systems, WBS, to look at four particular schools to see whether it will come forward and do the required work. The...

Structural Assessments of Schools: Statements (7 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: No, I have no concerns.

Structural Assessments of Schools: Statements (7 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Let us be very clear about the process. The process was set out very clearly in the immediate aftermath of Grenfell, which I believe happened in June 2017. These assessments in the fourth quarter of 2017 included 30 schools built by WBS because they were showing weaknesses in other assessments, along with another 25 schools. That assessment was completed in August of this year. A team and...

Structural Assessments of Schools: Statements (7 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy has covered a broad range of issues. I want to clear up the issue about the clerk of works. The clerk of works is involved on a permanent basis on each major build, be it a major extension or a major new school building, and that has been in place since 2017. That has acted with respect to, and added further, oversight. When examining this review, we have to take account of...

Structural Assessments of Schools: Statements (7 Nov 2018)

Joe McHugh: Yes. KSN was the project manager on up to 12 schools. To be clear on what a project manager does, the project manager does not certify any issues of compliance on the project. It went through a process to get the job with regard to the 55 school assessments, the 30 Western Building Systems, WBS, schools and the 25 other schools - a random audit. It got that, having gone through the...