Results 1,241-1,260 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (5 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 those with special educational needs, is an absolute priority for my Department. As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Discipline (5 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: I launched Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying on 1st December 2022. Cineáltas is my department’s whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying in schools. Cineáltas is dedicated to the prevention and addressing of bullying, cyber bullying, racist bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (5 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: The school in question to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for roof works. The EWS operates on the basis of a minimal scope of works. During a recent visit to the school on 10 October 2024, the school were advised to submit a revised scope of works with an accompanying itemised cost breakdown. Once this is received the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (5 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department and its officials do not presently use AI to generate official text. My Department recognises the potential offered by AI and is aware of the Interim Guidelines for Use of AI published. My Department will continue to assess the suitability of AI on a solution by solution basis.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, my Department has invested over €5 billion in schools across the country, completing over 950 school building projects. Additionally, construction is currently underway on approximately 350 other projects, which includes 37 new school buildings. These ongoing projects represent a total State investment of over €1.5 billion. Table below outlines the distribution of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: My department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential. Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my department to address concentrated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: My department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential. Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my department to address concentrated educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department along with the Government is committed to supporting the provision of appropriate education to children with disabilities. Budget 2025 provides for a record level of investment in special education with €2.9 billion of my Department’s overall budget allocated for special education. This is a 6% of €159 million increase on the 2024 provision. School...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Insofar as existing schools are concerned the main funding pathways for external environment projects such as the one referenced by the Deputy are via either the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) or the Summer Works Scheme (SWS). Firstly in respect of the SWS, as the Deputy may be aware, the purpose of the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is to enable individual school authorities to undertake...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Transition Year is a valuable programme for students that offers opportunities for life skills, personal, social and academic development and experience of adult and working life. Transition Year has a unique and important value in the life of students. The management authority of each school carries responsibility for making decisions regarding the Transition Year programme in that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that an Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) application was received from the school in question. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that the school in question has submitted an application for capital funding, under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2023/24 school year over 163,800 children, including over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational needs, and 7,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that Budget 2025 provides an increase of €712 million in core current funding to my Department's Vote, as well as over €360 million in core capital funding. An additional €120 million is also being provided as part of Cost of Living supports and €140 million in Ukraine related supports. These additional funds build on significant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Please find attached requested information for the years 2015–2023 inclusive, 2023 being the latest year we have available class size data. The figures are based on mainstream classes in mainstream schools and were collated from the relevant Class Size tables. The tables are published on the Departments of Education's website and can be found at the link below; ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Just over 43,000 teachers have been allocated in respect of the current school year 2024/25, for which the allocation process has not completed yet. In previous budgets, I have prioritised reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools which has brought the teacher allocation ratio to an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools, the lowest level ever...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide 2 Mainstream classroom, 1 Technology room and a Preparation Area, 1 Science Laboratory and Preparation area, 1 Art room and Project Store and a 2 Classroom Special Education Needs Base under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme. A Stage 1 Design...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The joint major building project for the schools referred to by the Deputy is currently at the initial stage of Architectural Planning, Stage 1 – Preliminary Design, where the Design Team assess the site and current school buildings and prepare their initial sketch schemes. A preferred design option, including the scope and extent of works to be carried out, will be established during...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department of Education is in discussions with a developer on a potential disposal of the lands to the rear of the school referred to by the Deputy for the development of a public park and housing. These discussions to date have allowed for lands to be retained for the benefit of the aforementioned school. The sustainable development plan of a settlement area and the planned use of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, my Department has invested over €5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 950 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 350 other projects, which includes 37 new school buildings. These 350 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.5bn. The...