Results 14,541-14,560 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 Jul 2021)

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 query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: Design of ventilation in schools requires compliance with the Building Regulations and my own Departments Technical Guidance Documents. Managing classroom ventilation is one of a number of prevention and control measures in place to ensure schools are safe. Practical steps for the deployment of good ventilation practices was provided to the school system in the context of re-opening for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Social Welfare Benefits (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: Within my department, 33 employees have applied for Parent's Leave since its introduction. 14 of these applications have been since the expansion of the scheme in 2021. Any benefit payable to staff on Parent's Leave is a matter for the Department of Social Protection and my department does not hold any records in respect of this.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria, including a specific one aimed at small schools, to an independent Primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: A package of nearly €650 million has been provided to support the reopening of schools. This includes funding for PPE, additional teaching posts, sanitiser, enhanced cleaning, and also funding so that schools could employ replacement teachers, SNAs and administrative staff. It is acknowledged that the closure of schools for extended periods on two separate occasions, over the past two...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vaccination Programme (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The current vaccination roll out schedule, which was recommended to government by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), and endorsed by the NPHET, is that the remainder of the population will be completed on an age basis from those aged 64 years and younger. The recommendations from the NIAC have been published on the RCPI website:...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State. The Teaching Council registers teachers in line with the requirements set out in the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and the Teaching Council (Registration)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The current NDP, as part of Project Ireland 2040 framework, provides for €8.8bn investment in schools during the period 2018 to 2027. The increased investment under the NDP has positioned the State to focus on adding capacity to cater for increased enrolments and demographic needs. During the NDP period 2018-2020, there were 526 completed building projects under the Large Scale...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government states that ‘this Government will develop inclusive and age appropriate curricula for Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) across primary and post-primary schools, including an inclusive programme on LGBTI+ relationships and make appropriate legislative changes, if necessary’. In April 2018,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Citizens' Assembly (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: I am very pleased to see the inclusion of a Citizens’ Assembly on the future of education in the Programme for Government. Experience internationally and here at home of citizen’s assemblies as exercises in deliberative democracy have been extremely positive. Ireland is considered a leader in the use of deliberative democracy processes, having convened three in recent years:...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) is the main policy initiative of my Department to tackle educational disadvantage at school level. The DEIS Plan sets out the vision for interventions in the critical area of educational disadvantage policy and is based on the findings of an extensive review of the DEIS programme, which involved consultations with all relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Welfare Service (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. From 11 January 2021, all students, including students currently in fifth year and who are due to sit the Leaving Certificate examinations in 2022, engaged in a programme of remote learning with their schools. Students in fifth year were prioritised for a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Services (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: Schools have put significant infection prevention control measures in place to reduce the risk of coronavirus being transmitted to/within the school and significant funding of almost €650 million has been put in place by my Department to fund Covid-19 related measures, including funding for PPE, sanitation and additional cleaning etc. These measures will continue for the coming school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: In general, individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care, including traffic management measures. The issue of road safety measures outside the vested site areas of schools, such as road signage, traffic calming measures etc., is a matter that should be raised in the first instance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (1 Jul 2021)

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 114,100 children, including over 14,700 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 €224.7m in 2020. The purpose of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to all students because of school closures arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. From 11 January 2021, all students engaged in a programme of remote learning with their schools. Students who have just completed fifth year and who are due to take Leaving Certificate examinations in 2022 have experienced a degree of disruption to their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: On 17 February I confirmed that Leaving Certificate 2021 examinations would proceed, guided by public health advice, and that students would also have the alternative option of applying for grades accredited by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), to be known as SEC-Accredited Grades. This decision was taken by government to ensure for every candidate in 2021, a method to assess their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The school building project referred to be the Deputy has been assigned to my Department’s Design & Build delivery programme. This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Manager to progress the project through the relevant stages of architectural planning, tender and construction. This is a campus project which will deliver a 1,000 pupil post-primary school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The property referred to by the Deputy is not in my ownership as Minister for Education.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (1 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has been in contact with the school referred to by the Deputy in relation to their application for a new school building. A further meeting with the school authority to discuss their application will be arranged shortly.