Results 2,861-2,880 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The safety of students, staff and the whole school community has been of paramount importance in the approach to the safe operation of schools during Covid-19, and i am acutely aware that this has been a very challenging time for many families.  My Department has engaged extensively with the HSE public health and the approach to the return to school has been led by the education specific...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: Each primary school receives a Special Education Teaching allocation.  The Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses the Language Support (EAL) allocation that schools were allocated in previous...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware I announced on Monday the 7th of December the provision of a funding investment of just over €31 million to facilitate the delivery of 275 projects under the 2021 Summer Works Scheme. A decsion has not yet been made in regards to Summer Works 2021 and schools will be notified via the Esinet Portal when this date is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Telecommunications Services (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The school referred to by the Deputy currently has the best available service of 20mbs DSL broadband, and was recently awarded to a provider of high speed broadband, however the installation  has been delayed due to a local issue accessing the high speed broadband infrastructure. The service provider continues to explore all options to roll out the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Telecommunications Services (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The delivery of high quality internet connectivity for all schools is a key objective of my Department. It is accepted that good connectivity is essential to ensure that schools are facilitated to progress the embedding of digital technologies in teaching and learning and for the implementation of new and revised curriculum. The policy of my Department is to offer the best...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. The starting salary for a new entrant teacher in 2012 was €30,702. As a result of the programme of pay restoration, the starting salary of a teacher is now €37,692. Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 provides that “the Minister [for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. The starting salary for a new entrant teacher in 2012 was €30,702. As a result of the programme of pay restoration, the starting salary of a teacher is now €37,692. Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 provides that “the Minister [for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I can confirm a potential permanent site option has been identified and discussions are ongoing with the landowner with a view to acquiring this site.  I can assure the Deputy that the acquisition of a suitable site for the school in question is very active on the programme of site acquisitions and every effort is being made to secure the suitable site for the school as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department is committed to providing permanent accommodation to meet the needs of the school to which the Deputy refers. A number of potential site options have been identified and officials from my Department are currently appraising same. Given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally, I am not in a position to comment further at this time.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. The starting salary for a new entrant teacher in 2012 was €30,702. As a result of the programme of pay restoration, the starting salary of a teacher is now €37,692. Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 provides that “the Minister [for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: It is my firm intention to operate the conventional 2021 state examinations, with appropriate contingency built in, in line with prevailing public health advice. This is shared by the SEC, which has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.  My Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school referred to has been approved for a project under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme 2015.  This project will provide for one mainstream classrooms with en-suite, a WC for assisted user and one SET room. This project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority.  This project was approved to go to Planning in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As you are aware I announced an additional €55 million in minor works grants for primary and post-primary schools to be paid in early December, 2020. The €55 million payments involves: - bringing forward from 2021 the standard €30m minor works grant at primary level - an additional €25m funding for Covid-19 related Minor Works at post-primary level; This payment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The current policy within the Department of Education is to not endorse any particular product, programme, or publication. The Department of Education does not have a role in approving, commissioning, sponsoring or endorsing any content in any private programme delivered in schools. The requirement from my Department, is that schools follow the curriculum as set out by the National...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: Action 88 of the DEIS Plan provides for a review of current out of school education provision. This review has been carried out by a Working Group chaired by my Department and including representatives from Tusla and the Education and Training Board sector.   This review has been informed through the use of questionnaires, submissions from stakeholders and a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department wrote to the school in June 2019 in response to its proposal to construct a new school on an alternative site in the ownership of the patron. There has been frequent telephone engagement between Department officials and school principal since then relating to the school's accommodation needs. The most recent contact was by telephone on 4th...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (8 Dec 2020)

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 and which led the decision not to run the state examinations this summer. In the context of the return to schools of students for the 2020/21 academic year my Department published a range of documentation and support material as part of the Roadmap for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The question of enrolment in individual schools, including central application processes, such as the one referred to by the Deputy, are the responsibility of the school authorities and my Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. It is the responsibility of the school authorities of schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (8 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 352 and 353 together. The centre referred to by the Deputy is not a recognised school, but provides education outside of the mainstream school setting for children who have become disengaged from mainstream education. While my Department primarily supports recognised schools, my Department does provide funding for a small number of alternative...