Results 11,661-11,680 of 19,632 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021. The purpose of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 491, 492 and 499 together. As the Deputy is aware, on 29 March I announced an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education where the student is at the centre of their Senior Cycle experience. The three tenets of Senior Cycle reform are to: - Empower students to meet the challenges of the 21st century - Enrich the student experience...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Flexible Work Practices (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: Phased return to a physical attendance in the workplace commenced for staff of my department following the easing of Government restrictions on 21 January and staff are currently attending the office for two days per week and working remotely for the remaining days. Following the recent publication of the Blended Working Policy Framework for the Civil Service by the Minister for Public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b) which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. A Brief Change request had been approved in principle by my Department and a Brief Change report was submitted by the school and its Design Team, which is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will be delivered under my Departments ADAPT Programme, which uses the services of a professional Project Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe to progress this project through the early stages of Architectural Planning. The tender process to appoint a Project Manager is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I recently announced that from next September the DEIS programme will be extended to an additional 310 schools. 37 schools will also benefit from additional supports following reclassification. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The main elements of the package offered to school secretaries include, in recognition of the invaluable work they carry out, moving their pay rates to a scale which is aligned with the Clerical Officer Grade III pay scale on a pro rata basis according to a secretary’s current working pattern. However, it is important to recognise that the majority of primary and voluntary secondary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021. The purpose of the Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation from the school in question. The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I recently announced that from next September the DEIS programme will be extended to an additional 310 schools. 37 schools will also benefit from additional supports following reclassification. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I recently announced that from next September the DEIS programme will be extended to an additional 310 schools. 37 schools will also benefit from additional supports following reclassification. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The joint building project for the two schools referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. This project is currently at an early stage of Architectural Planning, Stage 1 – Assessment of Site, Site Investigations and Initial Sketch Scheme. The Design Team had recently submitted a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: A number of additional measures have been put in place to enhance substitute cover. At primary level additional posts have been allocated to substitute teacher supply panels in areas where significant challenges in sourcing substitution continue, bringing the total to 680 posts on 142 panels, covering approximately 2,700 schools. The supply panels work alongside the existing methods of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your question to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that details of the salary rates, including increment scales, payable to teachers, are set out in my Department Circular 0056/2021. The relevant salary and increment scales apply where persons have fulfilled the required Teaching Council registration criteria which are applicable to the sector in which they are teaching. Where persons do not fulfil the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The Letter of Intent (LOI) issued on 15th of February 2022 to the preferred tenderer. This allows the preferred bidder to put in place the Bond, Insurances and confirmations of all legal arrangements required under the Contract. Following receipt of all the necessary documentation, the Department will be in a position to issue the Letter of Acceptance (LOA), which will allow the contractor...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your question to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department will be supporting schools by providing education resources for schools in Ukrainian which they can then provide to parents. It is not expected that schools will need to translate resources themselves. Included among the wide array of resources is information in relation to free digital tools, including apps that can assist with text and voice translation. These resources are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (5 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: Information in relation to consultancy expenditure in my Department is compiled annually in respect of the previous year and published online at www.gov.ie/en/collection/department-of-education-and-skills- expenditure-on-consultancy/. The data in respect of 2021 is being compiled at present and will be published online as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (31 Mar 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 270 and 271 together. As part of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030, my Department has committed to creating opportunities for expanding Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht in the context of the announcements since April 2018 on the establishment of 47 new schools from 2019, which affords particular consideration to the...