Results 4,001-4,020 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (24 Mar 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 113,100 children, including over 14,500 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 the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The Government has always been guided by public health advice in relation to what is safe in schools. The CMO has made it very clear in his advices to Government which are published on gov.ie, that schools are safe environments, with very little evidence of transmission within schools, and that the majority of infections of children and adolescents occurs outside the school setting. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, a site will be required for the subject school and the Department is presently at a very advanced stage in the process of acquiring a suitable site for the new school building. This site acquisition process has been progressed in respect of the requirement in question and in line with standard acquisition protocols. The Department are liaising closely with Clare...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (ETB).  I am pleased to confirm that the Stage 2A meeting involving my Department, the ETB and the Design Team is scheduled for mid April. Once the Stage 2(a) submission is approved by my Department, the next step for the ETB's Design...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: As part of the Roadmap for the Reopening Schools, an estimated €639 million in additional financial supports are being provided to schools for the 2020/2021 academic year.  Of this €639 million, €331 million was provided for the period August/September to December 2020 and €308 million for January to July/August 2021. Provisional outturn figures for 2020...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (24 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the applicable fines, charges or bills payable directly to my Department relate to Freedom of Information costs which can be paid via a cheque or bank transfer. In addition, public sector employees paid by the Department or the National Shared Service Office have the option to have 3rd party charges deducted from their pay and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Covid-19 Pandemic (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: Schools are obliged to submit school returns to Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) twice annually, providing information related to all students who have missed 20 or more school days. When submitting these returns schools are asked to outline if such absences are explained or unexplained. Explained absences are generally for reasons such as illness or bereavement. When a student is...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: School Enrolments (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. Under the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, all schools are required to have drafted new admissions policies, which have been...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Communications (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The details sought by the Deputy, in regard to dedicated email addresses for both my Department and in regard to the bodies under the aegis of my Department, are contained in the table below. Contact E-Mail Addresses for the Department of Education and Aegis Bodies under the Remit of the Department Name of Department Dedicated Email address for the Members of the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: School Staff (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 109 together. My Department has published guidance in respect of the COVID -19 operational supports for Primary and Post Primary schools to fully and safely reopen in a sustainable way while minimising risk associated with COVID-19. This is available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool/. The operational supports include funding of approx. €84.7...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Protected Disclosures (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The attached table gives a breakdown by year of the number of applications made to me and my predecessors as Minister under Section 8 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 from workers in the education sector.  There have been a total of 38 applications for Protected Disclosures made between 2017 and 2020 and to date in 2021. 15 applications were deemed to come under the ambit of the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Protected Disclosures (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: In accordance with Section 22 of the Protected Disclosure Act 2014, my Department publishes annual information on protected disclosures received.  Information on protected disclosures received during 2017, 2018 and 2019 is available at www.education.ie/en/Publications/Corporate-Reports/A nnual-Report/.   To date, my Department has received no protected...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Covid-19 Pandemic (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: Schools have put in place significant mitigation measures to reduce the risk of coronavirus within the school environment.  Minor works funding of €160m has been put in place to support these measures.  Practical steps for the deployment of good ventilation practices was provided to the school system in the context of re-opening for September 2020. This guidance was...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Covid-19 Pandemic (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 102 together. My Department has provided guidance to schools in relation to the recording and reporting of COVID-10 related absences. COVID-19 related absences arising from pupils/students who have been requested to self-isolate by a medical professional or for pupils/students who feel unwell with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 must be recorded...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: School Transport (25 Mar 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 113,100 children, including over 14,500 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 Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: DEIS Scheme (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: A detailed analysis of school enrolment data and the latest data available from Census 2016, using the HP Deprivation Index, has been carried out by members of the DEIS Technical Group. This group contains representatives of the Department’s Statistics and Social Inclusion Units, the Inspectorate and the Educational Research Centre. My Department commenced a consultation...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Schools Building Projects (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation from the school in question.  It is open to the school authority to make an application for additional accommodation through the 'Additional School Accommodation scheme (ASA)' which is available at www.education.ie. In regards to point number two,...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Covid-19 Pandemic (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) 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 Defence: School Transport (25 Mar 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 113,100 children, including over 14,500 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 Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Vaccination Programme (25 Mar 2021)

Norma Foley: The vaccine protocol devised by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), is endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and signed up to by Government. In the context of the recent planning for the return of schools the Department of Education has engaged with The Department of Health who have confirmed that those essential to Education are...