Results 6,041-6,060 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (12 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The details regarding procurements that took place by way of negotiated procedure without prior publication in 2020 and 2021 for my Department are listed in tabular form in the attached table. Eleven contracts with a total value of €3,990,113 were placed in 2020 and twelve contracts were placed or continued (from 2020) in 2021 with an aggregated spend to date of €5,880,646. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (12 Oct 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. The purpose of my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (12 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has approved funding to the patron of the school in question to undertake refurbishment works in the property to facilitate the school's access to additional specialist accommodation for the current school year. This accommodation includes science, woodwork and home economics rooms. The delivery of the project has been devolved to the patron for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (12 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that the extended Summer Education Programme, which was in place until 2020, and which was often referred to as the July Provision programme, initially provided for pupils who had Autism, or who had severe and profound learning difficulties. Since the summer of 2020, and again in 2021, the Department has made provision for a significantly expanded summer education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (12 Oct 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. The purpose of the...

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil as ucht an deis seo a thabhairt dom. I am pleased to confirm to this House a €9.2 billion investment in education as a consequence of budget 2022. It is a significant investment but it is both richly appropriate and deserved by the education sector. From my experience as a teacher I know of the transformative power of education. It has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that rental of €174,355 has been expended to date on temporary accommodation at the school in question. As requested the information is also provided in tabular form attached. 2014 NIL 2015 NIL 2016 NIL 2017 NIL 2018 € 14,058.90 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 126, 131, 140, 141 and 142 together. Among the COVID-19 supports provided for the 2020/21 school year, additional measures to provide for substitution to cover for teacher absences were introduced. These included a major expansion of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panels. These were extended and currently almost 380 newly appointed supply panel teachers are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (13 Oct 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, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020. Planning for school transport...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I am keenly aware of the huge contribution made by all Principals in our schools, including teaching principals. The COVID-19 supports provided under The Roadmap for the Full Return to School in 2020, included specific funding to support Principals who undertake teaching duties in primary schools. This funding provided each teaching principal with a minimum of one release day per week....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: Managing ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe. Good ventilation was identified as an important aspect of public health advice on managing Covid-19 risks and this led to the establishment of an Expert Group by the Department of Health. A sub-group of the main Expert Group focussed exclusively on the issue of improving and monitoring...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I understand the need for improved capitation funding and I am pleased that budget 2020 was able to provide for a 2.5% increase in standard capitation funding for primary and post-primary schools that applied from the start of the 2020/21 school year. This builds on the 5% increase in capitation announced in budget 2019. The combined increases given in 2019 and 2020 mean that circa 40%...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: In November 2019, my Department published a technical report“Developing a Teacher Demand and Supply Model for Ireland 2020-2036”. The report was updated in May 2021 with projections of teacher demand and supply to 2038. These projections take account of projected pupil enrolments, estimated teacher retirements and resignations, and the estimated number of new registrants with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I recognise the key role school leadership has in promoting a school environment which is welcoming, inclusive and accountable. In total 1700 additional leadership posts have been invested in our primary schools since the lifting of the moratorium on posts of responsibility in 2017, which has led to 1 in 3 teachers now holding promoted positions. The Department has committed to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: Data on the pupil-teacher ratio for all primary schools is published regularly and currently stands at 14.5 for the school year 2020. However data on the pupil-teacher ratio for particular types of schools, such as those with administrative principals, is not currently available. The department is working on developing these statistics and will revert to the deputy with the results as soon as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I am keenly aware of the huge contribution made by all Principals in our schools, including teaching principals. The COVID-19 supports provided under The Roadmap for the Full Return to School in 2020, included specific funding to support Principals who undertake teaching duties in primary schools. This funding provided each teaching principal with a minimum of one release day per week....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers has completed the tender process with a successful bidder identified. The Letter of Acceptance has issued to the successful contractor and it is anticipated that works will commence on site within the next 14 days. Subject to no issues arising, the works are scheduled to take approximately 22 months.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (13 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: Section 8 of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act, 2018 was commenced on 3rdDecember 2018 and provides the Minister with a power to compel a school to make additional provision in respect of children with special educational needs i.e. open a special class or classes, where the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has identified a need for such a provision within an area.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (14 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The use of bicycles is encouraged and secure and covered cycle parking facilities are provided as part of major new builds and refurbishment projects, and in accordance with Planning Permission Conditions. Where no major project is being undertaken, the relevant mechanisms for addressing the type of issues raised by the Deputy are the Minor Works Grant for small-scale works or the Summer...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (14 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has published guidelines to assist in the identification and the assessment for suitability of new sites for schools where the procurement of a new site is required. The relevant guidelines are TGD-025 for Primary School site identification and TGD-027 for Post-Primary site identification. All technical guidelines are available on thewww.gov.iewebsite at;...