Results 1,721-1,740 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Cur Chuige an Stáit i gCur Chun Cinn Chóras Gaeloideachais: An tAire Oideachais (25 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: I know. I should also say I acknowledge that Deputy Ó Cuív has indicated that he is stepping aside from his current role. I want to acknowledge that here. I acknowledge his fantastic engagement, particularly to do with all things educational. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that here.

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Cur Chuige an Stáit i gCur Chun Cinn Chóras Gaeloideachais: An tAire Oideachais (25 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: Similarly to Deputy Ó Cuív, I wish Deputy McHugh well and I acknowledge his great work when in the chair I sit in and in this committee. I am nearly reluctant to go near Deputy O'Sullivan or the Chair for fear that they will make a similar announcement. Guím gach rath air.

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Cur Chuige an Stáit i gCur Chun Cinn Chóras Gaeloideachais: An tAire Oideachais (25 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: We referenced Wales earlier. I visited there and was interested and keen to see how it was progressing on its ambitious targets. It is a programme for Government target. I believe Conradh na Gaeilge's view is that we should go from 6% to 20%. The programme for Government proposed 6% to 12%. I have not seen the draft. I made this point earlier. As it stands, it is just a framework. I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (25 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 26 and 27 together. The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. Bus Éireann manages the procurement tender process and contract management arrangements to include services provided by contractors under the School Transport Scheme. The school transport fleet is made up...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (25 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department funds the purchase of specialised furniture and equipment for children with special educational needs. A School can apply for specialised furniture or equipment for students with special educational needs who are enrolled in the school. This includes furniture for a particular child's postural and toileting needs which assists the students in managing their day to day needs and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (25 Sep 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: School Transport (25 Sep 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: School Staff (25 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: Caretakers are valued members of our school communities who carry out work vital to the operations of our schools. At present, the majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker services under ancillary grant funding. Under the February 2022 agreement the implementation of revised salary and annual leave entitlements for school secretaries is now...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (25 Sep 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 Curriculum (25 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at post-primary level, determined by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), the decisions on which textbooks, programmes and resources, if any, to use in primary and post-primary schools are taken at school level. Any concerns regarding material published in textbooks should be raised with the publisher themselves. One of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: The large scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning Stage 3 – Tender Action and Award. The Supplementary Tender report is under review by my Department. Discussions are ongoing with the Design Team to assist in the completion of the review. When this process is complete and subject to no further issues arising,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (25 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for the Additional Schools Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question for funding to reconfigure a classroom to accommodate a Special Education class. The main focus of the Department’s capital funding over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of critical additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (25 Sep 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: School Transport (25 Sep 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: School Admissions (24 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an admissions policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. Under the provisions of the Act, school admission policies are approved by the Patron, following consultation with staff and parents of children who are attending...

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

Norma Foley: Cleaners are valued members of our school communities who carry out work vital to the operation of our schools. The majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for cleaning services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a staff member to support those functions those staff members are employees of the individual schools and as such responsibility for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (24 Sep 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 Class SEN base unit. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery. A school building project has four points within the design and delivery process where approval from the Department to move to the succeeding stage is mandatory. These...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (24 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: A range of measures have been put in place to implement the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgement in the case referred to by the Deputy. These include the commencement of the Children First Act 2015 which provides for mandatory reporting by key professionals; Implementation of the Vetting Acts 2012 -2016 which set out statutory vetting requirements for persons working with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (24 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 established the Residential Institutions Redress Board (RIRB) to make financial awards to people who, as children, were resident in specified institutions and who had injuries consistent with abuse suffered while resident in those institutions. The Redress Scheme remained open to applications for almost nine...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (24 Sep 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department provides a payroll service to schools and acts on their instructions regarding the starting and cessation of salary for the teachers that they employ. The teacher referred to changed employments in mid-September which can result in delays to salary payments as payroll staff require notice from schools to affect change to salary. However, in this case, there will no disruption...