Results 921-940 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 96, 97, 119 and 120 together. I propose to take PQs 40030/25, 40031/25, 39864/25 and 39865/25 and answer as one. My department is committed to supporting the participation, inclusion, and progression of all students in the education system. From September 2025, the capitation rate for Traveller supports will be €92 per pupil at primary level and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 100 together. 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. There are more qualified teachers than ever working in schools with recent analysis of payroll data showing over 79,000 teachers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101, 102 and 103 together. The school building project referred to by the Deputy is included in the Department of Education and Youths’ Construction Programme. The brief for the project is the delivery of a new replacement 1,000 pupil post primary school and accommodation including 6 classrooms for children with special educational needs as part of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 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: School Funding (16 Jul 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Professional Master of Education (PME) is a two-year, full-time Level 9 postgraduate professional teacher education programme designed to qualify graduates as primary and post-primary teachers. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Gross expenditure incurred by my Department last year on fee-charging schools was €144.8m. This includes salaries for teachers and special needs assistants of €142.9m for the 2023/24 school year and capital supports (building-related and ICT grants) of €1.9m in 2024. The allocation of teachers in fee-charging schools is outlined in Circular 0006/2025: Staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, Level 1 and Level 2 learning programmes were made available to students in Senior Cycle last September for the first time. I am aware that a number of both special and mainstream schools have begun to offer these programmes. As the Deputy is aware, in the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Implementation Support Measures document, published by my Department in May of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: School secretaries and caretakers are at the heart of the school and are the key interface between students, parents, school leaders and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. In supporting these vital school staff members, we also support the school community as a whole. Since September 2023 my department has been providing a payroll service for former grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. There are five routes of registration, the minimum registration requirements for each route...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I acknowledge the importance of increasing the supply of teachers with a high standard of Irish capable of teaching in Irish-medium setting. The Programme for Government (2025) also commits to increasing dedicated Irish-medium teacher training programmes. With regards incentives for students to pursue careers in Irish-medium education, funding is currently provided by my department to COGG...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I have received the Pre-Budget Submission for Budget 2026 from the National Youth Council of Ireland, and its contents have been noted. Budget 2026 will be considered by Government in the context of the annual estimates process. As this is ongoing, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage. However, I would like to note that we hope to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Ancillary Services Grant is payable to recognised primary schools and special schools in the Free Education Scheme. The grant is intended to cater for the cost of employing Secretarial and Caretaking staff. It is up to the Board of Management to allocate this funding as per their priorities. As per Circular 0040/2009 the capitation grant provided for general running costs and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Wildlife Regulations (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Issues concerning public health including those raised by the Deputy, are matters for the HSE Public Health. Specifically, the role of my Department is to communicate to the education sector, public health information and advice on public health matters as recommended by the HSE Public Health. Regarding health and safety generally the body which has statutory responsibility for ensuring...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Healthcare Policy (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department is not in a position to revoke the information provided by the person concerned on the S1 form. This form is used to provide details of previous service in the public sector. Under the provision of the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004 a "new entrant", in general, refers to individuals who started working in a public service body on or after...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the deputy refers was approved a school building project under the Department’s Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for one engineering room with prep area, one construction prep/store area and one home economics room. The project was devolved for delivery to the school authority. I can confirm that this project received my departments approval to...

Commission of Investigation (Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools) Order 2025: Motion (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank all Deputies. Over the past number of hours, many Deputies contributed to the debate on this motion and I want to acknowledge the constructive way in which they engaged and the input from all sides in assisting our deliberation and consideration of this motion on such a sensitive issue. It is important to see such strong support for making sure that accountability, which is rightly...

Commission of Investigation (Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools) Order 2025: Motion (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I move: That Dáil Éireann: — having regard to the conclusions and recommendations of the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools run by Religious Orders, published on 3rd September, 2024; — noting that it is the opinion of the Government that these matters of significant public concern require, in the public interest,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB). The project is currently at Stage 2b of the architectural planning process. This stage involves obtaining all statutory approvals, preparing a set of fully detailed Tender documents, and preparing an accurate pre-tender cost plan. My department manages the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Programme for Government (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The organisation in question has been awarded funding from my department under the Youth Services Grant Scheme (YSGS) pilot 2024-2025. It has been awarded a €125,000 grant for the funding period which runs to December 2025. With this grant, the organisation will work with young people and youth workers to explore social challenges, for example social justice, peace and conflict,...