Results 3,881-3,900 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (11 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (11 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (11 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware and has been recently advised, work is progressing and is ongoing in respect of technical matters crucial to the delivery of the acquisition. This includes matters relating to traffic. My Department is continuing to actively engage regularly with Kildare Co. Co. and the Landowner, who is currently presenting a masterplan of the site as a whole. It remains a priority for...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the members for the opportunity to speak to them today and for the committee's consideration of my Department's Revised Estimate. I am accompanied by the Minister of State, who has responsibility for special education, and by officials from my Department. I am conscious that I have very limited time in which to deliver my opening statement so I will just give a brief overview of the...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: More than €639 million was made available for the entire school year, €331 million in 2020 and €308 million for 2021. On new mitigation measures or the processes for this part of the year, all the measures currently in place, and which we have been advised to put in place, have been overseen by public health. A stringent review of the mitigation measures in place was...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The outbreaks, as determined by public health, have been at a very low level. Close contact testing results have had a positivity rate of 2.4%, compared with the rate in the wider community which is in excess of 10%. Professor Philip Nolan has reported an increase among young people but we have not seen that detection or transmissibility within our school environments. That was confirmed...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The judgment on that must be left to the experts and it is the experts who are attesting to that, namely, public health. These are not statistics or figures that I am producing. They are being produced by the experts on the ground. Public health takes a rigorous approach when it is called into schools. We also have enhanced school teams. Public health has confirmed that it has extended...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: That committee has begun its work. My intention is that it will take a two-pronged approach, whereby there will be an interim report in the short term following by the final report. I hope and expect the interim report will be available in advance of the return to school in September. That is my objective.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The review is of the school transport system as provided for all.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: There has been an increase in capitation, albeit a steady and small one, over the last two budgets. My intention is to keep moving in that direction. The difference between primary and secondary education is largely due to the size of buildings, specialist rooms and so on. There is a difference in scale between the two but I intend to continue the increase in capitation as far as possible...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I do not have one to hand but I have no difficulty in making the information available to the Deputy. I will revert to him on the matter.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: There is provision in the budget for an additional 17 NEPS psychologist posts. There is also provision for 120 guidance counsellors to be made available in schools. Having worked in schools, I am very conscious of the importance of all kinds of well-being supports within schools, specifically guidance counsellors and NEPS psychologists, but also the wider context of well-being in school. I...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: To be fair, I think there is a very strong element of transparency in the information that is provided. I note that when specific issues were raised, the Department clearly made additional information available this year. For example, as the committee will be aware, there have been several reforms in the overall budgetary framework in recent years to provide greater transparency, including...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: There is extensive ongoing engagement between Bus Éireann and my officials. The Deputy is quite correct in saying that substantial additional funding was made available this year, much of it on the back of the requirement for school buses to operate at 50% capacity. For a variety of reasons, it is very important for that accountability between the Department and Bus Éireann to...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: On the catch-up fund and funding being made available to schools, the Deputy rightly made reference to disadvantaged children. Some €150 million a year is allocated to our DEIS schools. As I have said, in excess of €639 million has been expended on schools' reopening. We are working on an extended or enhanced summer provision programme which will help in compensating for a...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. She referenced the hot meal programme. I absolutely agree with her that it is a hugely important programme within our schools. It is funded through the Department of Social Protection and the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has responsibility for that programme. This obviously is done in co-operation with my Department but the funding actually comes from elsewhere. I...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: It has been determined that all new builds will have specific provision for special classes in the future.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: On the transport issue, as I have said, it is not without its difficulties and issues, hence we are involved in an entire review of the transport system. As I outlined, it my intention that an interim report would be published prior to the return to school in September. It is our intention that, as far as possible, children who are eligible, and who have paid on time and met the criteria,...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: In the first instance, I want to state there is a strong digital strategy within the Department with a clear focus on enhancing teaching, learning and investment. In excess of €210 million has been made available to promote digital learning within our schools. The purpose of that funding is to ensure there are platforms available across our schools but, equally, as the Chairman has...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 — Education (Revised)
Vote 45 — Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (23 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: -----analysis and review of how systems have worked. There was a very strong commitment from the Department to resource the purchase of any equipment needed, platforms and all of that. There will be a need now to review that to see how it has worked.