Results 961-980 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme (CASWS) is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The CASWS operates on a multi-annual basis across a number of categories of works such as Climate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. The department uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: School secretaries 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 funded school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 471 and 472 together. Please find attached requested data. Data provided is for academic year 2023-2024 and we will revert to the Deputy with data for 2024-2025 when final data is published.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (15 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 BOM to allocate this funding as per their priorities. As per Circular 0040/2009 the capitation grant provided for general running costs and the ancillary services grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline for a project under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme to provide one Special Education Classroom. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery. My Department has been working closely with the school to ensure that this project advances as efficiently as possible, and the project has now...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department is in receipt of an application, for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question. As the Deputy will be aware the school have sought the advice of an independent consultancy firm in relation to their preferred location for the Modular building. I can confirm that my department has received the report...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline for a project under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme to provide one Special Education Classroom. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery. My Department has been working closely with the school to ensure that this project advances as efficiently as possible, and the project has now been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department’s Circulars 10/2001, for primary teachers, and 29/2007 and 29/2010, for post-primary teachers. The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers were agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC). These circulars may recognise prior teaching or relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline for a project under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme to provide one Special Education Classroom. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery. The Department has been working closely with the school to ensure that this project advances as efficiently as possible, and the project has now...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department is committed to supporting the delivery and development of youth work services and opportunities for young people across the sixteen education and training boards (ETBs), including Louth and Meath ETB. In 2025, €940,836 was allocated to Louth and Meath ETB under the UBU Your Space Your Place (UBU) scheme. This represents an increase of 4% on funding levels from 2024....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department provides grant funding to youth organisations to support a broad range of youth services which are delivered by both paid youth workers and volunteers. Youth workers are not employed by my Department. Youth workers and other staff involved in youth services in Meath are employed directly by the youth organisations in receipt of the grant funding. My Department does not currently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early School Leavers (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The most recent figures available concerns the students who began their post primary education in 2017. This cohort were due to complete their Leaving Certificate in the academic years 2021-22 or 2022-23. The 2016 cohort finished in the years 2020-21 or 2021-22. Figures for the 2018 cohort finishing in 2022-23 or 2023-24 are yet to be published. The following table shows the number for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Welfare Service (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), which includes the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS), is under the remit of my department since 2021. The primary role of the EWS is to ensure that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives a certain minimum education; to ensure and secure every child’s entitlement to education. Educational welfare officers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 of mine. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Most primary schools are State-aided parish schools, with the local Bishop as school patron. It is recognised, including by the Catholic school patrons, that an educational landscape is needed which more accurately reflects the reality of our increasingly diverse society and meets the expectations parents have for their children. The Programme for Government commits to seeking to...

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: Teacher Training (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department has adapted to the dynamic landscape of student enrolment and has prioritised enhancing English as an Additional Language (EAL) support, recognising the critical role of language. The Department's policies enable flexible resource allocation to ensure that the resources follow pupils in the event of them changing schools. These supports to schools, based on application...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline for a project under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme to provide one Special Education Classroom. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery. The letter issued to the school outlined the full four-step process typically followed for ASA projects. While this process remains accurate, it...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: There are commitments in the PSrogramme for Government to expand opportunities for pupils and students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, to establish Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand, and also, to support parents choosing Irish-medium education for their children. Work is currently underway in my department on the development of a new...