Results 5,601-5,620 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (15 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: I am conscious that students who are due to take their Leaving Certificate examinations in 2022 have experienced a degree of disruption to their learning. My Department co-chairs an Advisory Group on Planning for State Examinations in conjunction with the State Examinations Commission. The group was originally established to consider contingency arrangements for the 2020 Leaving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Priorities (15 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools and supporting small schools. As part of the Budget 2021 measures, the Government have sought to deliver on this commitment by the announcement of a 1 point change to the primary staffing schedule and the introduction of a three point reduction in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (15 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has recently received the correspondence referred to by the Deputy. The matters raised will require input across a number sections within the Planning and Building Unit within my Department. The necessary information is currently being collated and a response with issue in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (15 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: Languages Connect, Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017 – 2026 aims to increase and diversify the range of languages taught and learned in our schools and Higher Education Institutions. As part of the Strategy, four new Foreign Language curricula were developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) for Leaving Certificate following a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The HSE has a well-established protocol in place to support schools where there is a confirmed case of Covid-19 connected with a school.  HSE Schools Teams are in place, supported by over 100 Department of Education staff to support schools to deal with cases of Covid-19. There were some delays in making contact with schools in the first days after reopening but the backlog of cases have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Sep 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, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity, to identify where additional school accommodation is needed at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Uniforms (15 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: Under the Education Act 1998, all recognised schools are managed by the school board of management on behalf of the schools’ patrons or trustees or the relevant Education and Training Board (known as the management authority). Individual school authorities are responsible for the drawing up of a school policy in relation to the wearing of uniforms. My Department issued Circular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: As a consequence of the disruption to education caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, measures were put in place to seek to compensate for the loss of learning of this year's Leaving Certificate students. These students had the choice to sit examinations, (adjusted to take account of students' experience over their Senior Cycle), opt for Accredited Grades, or both, on a subject by subject...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: Officials from my Department have been working closely with Kerry Co Council under the Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of school sites in order to identify and procure a suitable site for the school.  A number of potential site options have been identified and investigated.  Unfortunately in the case of most of the options identified, either the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (16 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The Department expects to publish the transition rates from post-primary to higher education for years 2019 & 2020 as part of our annual Education Indicators for Ireland report which is in development and is scheduled to be published before the end of 2021. Transition data for the year 2021 will not be available until 2022. The last year we have published date for is 2018, from our...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (16 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: I refer to your recent e-mail to the Minister for Education, Ms. Norma Foley TD, in relation to a new secondary school for Kildare Town. As has been previously advised, while a site acquisition process is under way, given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally I am not in a position to comment further at this time. Please rest assured that this project is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (16 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The planned establishment of a new post-primary school in 2022 to serve the Drumcondra_Marino_Dublin 1 school planning area was announced in 2018 as a result of a countrywide demographic exercise. A further exercise has since been conducted on the necessity for the establishment of a number of planned new schools, including the school to serve this school planning area, taking into account...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department is aware of the challenging market conditions for tender processes that are currently under way. The school building project referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design and Build Programme. On June 14th 2021, this project was included in a bundle of projects which were tendered to a newly established Design & Build Contractors...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The response to confirmed cases or outbreaks of COVID-19 in the community or in a school is the responsibility of, and will be led and managed by, Public Health HSE. The Department of Education has always been guided by public health advice in relation to the infection prevention and control measures appropriate for schools. Current public health advice does not provide for saliva testing in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (16 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/21 school year there were over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were 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: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The safety and welfare of employees and the minimisation of the impact of COVID-19 in the workplace are important principles in the management of COVID-19. The Government published the ‘Work Safely Protocol’ in November 2020. It incorporates advice and guidance on the public health measures needed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace as issued by National Public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020. All children who are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Infrastructure (16 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: The policy of my Department is to offer the best quality connectivity to all schools in line with the technical solutions available in the market and within financial constraints. Currently investment of some €13m is allocated annually for the provision of internet connectivity to schools. Broadband capacity can vary across geographical locations and is dependent on local...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Flood Risk Management (22 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Senator. I will read into the record the reply that has been provided by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, on the issue raised by the Senator. I appreciate the importance and significance of this issue for the people of Galway. I am pleased to provide an update on the Coirib go Cósta - Galway City Flood Relief Scheme. Galway City Council, as project sponsor and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Flood Risk Management (22 Sep 2021)

Norma Foley: I will ensure that the Senator gets the reply. However, from my experience in my county, I appreciate the importance of projects of this nature and also the importance of speed, as the Senator outlined. I understand that, so I will certainly communicate that to the Minister of State.