Results 581-600 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the comments and thank Deputy Berry for his good wishes. The Deputy asked about clarity around the reopening of the schools. I have no wish to repeat myself again. I want to make it clear that there is no ambiguity on this issue. Importantly, from my point of view, there should be full and frank engagement with all stakeholders. There are many constituents in education and...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: To Deputy Crowe, I say well done. He raised quite a number of schools in his locality and I appreciate that. I recognise that the demands in schools can be as individual as they can be universal. The Deputy specifically named individual schools and I assure him my officials will engage. I will revert to the Deputy in due course with an update on those schools. Equally, I appreciate...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I acknowledge that the Deputy has previously raised the issue of Firhouse Educate Together school and I have referred it to the relevant officials. I appreciate the difficulties there are for all concerned and I am very aware of the preferences of the parents and young people, which the Deputy outlined. I guarantee that my officials will revert to the Deputy on that. On St. Paul's...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I again confirm, absolutely and unequivocally, that I am hugely committed to the safe reopening of schools. I acknowledge once again that there has been complete buy-in from all of the stakeholders, including parents, teachers, students, managerial bodies and the entire school community to ensure that what is now an objective will be a reality at the end of August, early September, or...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the Deputy's acknowledgement of the free books scheme. It is a great achievement and one that we hope to roll out on a wider basis going forward. On the issue the Deputy raised of the release of the leaving certificate results, the next step is that students will re-engage with the portal regarding their desire to receive calculated grades. At that time also, the date for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Establishment (16 Jul 2020)

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, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: At present there are 5 stages of architectural planning involved in the delivery of major school projects. The stages reflect the Capital Works Management Framework developed by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform. The stages are as follows: Stage 1 – Preliminary (Site Suitability and Investigations, Exploration of Design Options) Stage 2 – Design (which is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The Deputy will be aware that a building project to provide improved accommodation for the schools in question is included on the Department's Capital Programme to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan (NDP). The options for providing this accommodation are currently being explored with the Patron and my Department is awaiting further information from the Patron. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. 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 of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The tender process for this school building project is running as part of a wider process involving the tender of 8 major projects. The first phase of this tender process to create a shortlist of contractors is now complete. Stage 2 of the tender process is due to commence. The tender documents for this stage are currently being finalised for tenders to issue. This stage of the tender...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department published details of Summer Provision 2020 – Reconnecting with Education including a home-based programme for children with complex special educational needs. Parents/Guardians select and engage tutors/SNAs for the provision of the home based programme in a private arrangement which is then funded through the scheme. The role of Tutors and Special Needs Assistants engaged...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The student accommodation referred to by the Deputy is a private student accommodation development, and the refund or cancellation policies should be set out in the license agreement signed at the beginning of license term. In the first instance students should engage with their accommodation provider to see if an arrangement can be reached in regard to a refund. If this is not possible,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: If the school authority considers the works referred to by the Deputy to be a priority, it may use the minor works grant which all primary schools receive to carry out the works in full, or on a phased basis as the grant permits. Having said the above, it is open to the school to apply for funding for same under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme. It may do so if it believes that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The ex gratia scheme established in the wake of the ECtHR in the Louise O'Keeffe case was set up to deal with a specific cohort – people who had discontinued proceedings in the domestic courts following High Court and Supreme Court judgments. The review of the ex gratia scheme is ongoing. The issues involved are highly sensitive and complex and require very careful deliberation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: A system of Calculated Grades was put in place by my predecessor due to the inability to run the normal Leaving Certificate examinations this year. The purpose of this process is to allow as many students as possible to progress to employment, further education and training, or higher education in a way that is fair and equitable to all Leaving Certificate students. For the calculated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department's Design & Build programme and the project is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning. It is anticipated that the application for planning permission will be lodged shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pensions (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The statutory basis for Ill Health Retirement pension benefits for primary school teachers are contained in S.I. No. 434 of 2009 of the Primary School Teachers Pension Scheme 2009. Officials from the Pension Unit of my Department have notified the person to whom the Deputy refers that their application for retirement on grounds of permanent ill health has been granted, and that the date...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: After-School Support Services (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: There has been a lot of engagement between my Department and stakeholders in relation to reopening of schools in September and this engagement is on-going. My Department’s number one priority, and the wider school sector is to reopen our schools as fully, normally and safely as possible at the start of the new school year. The Department and stakeholders are collectively focused on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: For small works using the Short Form of Contract, PWCF6, (under €1m) the average annual turnover over the previous three years must be not less than 1.5 times the sum tendered for the project. These projects would be tendered under an Open Procedure where the contractor can decide in advance whether they can meet the minimum standards specified in the Declaration of Suitability for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in the Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. The project is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents....