Results 6,101-6,120 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2020/21 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.   Planning for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department’s helpline has been provided to all schools should they require assistance in relation to my Department’s guidance for the safe operation of schools. For any queries regarding COVID-19 cases in schools, they can contact the HSE COVID-19 Schools line, details of which have been communicated to all schools. A range of measures have been put in place to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: Since March 2020 my Department has had ongoing engagement with the education stakeholders in the context of Covid-19 and the safe operation of our schools. Arrangements for the recruitment of substitute teachers to cover teacher absences has and will continue to feature. On Thursday 14thOctober 2021 officials from my Department met with representatives of primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Communications (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 217 and 218 together. I can confirm to the Deputy that my diary for the period in question is currently being prepared for publication. This will include details of meetings that I have held. The delay in publication arose due to the need for the Department to prioritise essential work relating to the Covid pandemic.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has previously identified State-owned lands as a possible site for a new permanent building for the school referred to by the Deputy following an unsuccessful site identification process a number of years ago for this school. Given the passage of time since the original site identification process, the Department considered it prudent to carry out a further site...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: A range of measures have been put in place to provide enhanced substitute cover in the context of Covid-19. These include a major expansion of the Primary Schools Substitute Teacher Supply Panels, which now employ almost 380 teachers and provide substitute cover to over 2,500 primary schools across the country. Further work is underway to ascertain if there are ways the operation of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In accordance with Department Circulars 0044/2019 and 31/2011, schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers and ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The total amount of CO2 monitors delivered across the county is in excess of 35,400. All allocations have been dispatched to schools across the county. The breakdown by county is provided in the table below. Sum of No. of Monitors County Post Primary School Primary Special School Grand Total Carlow 260 228 20 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has previously identified State-owned lands as a possible site for a new permanent building for the school referred to by the Deputy following an unsuccessful site identification process a number of years ago for this school. Given the passage of time since the original site identification process, the Department considered it prudent to carry out a further site...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive (HSE). This includes the establishment of special class and special school placements in various geographical areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (21 Oct 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.  Further exercises have 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (19 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I would like to assure the Deputy that all concerns received in my Department are taken seriously and through the school inspection process, which now includes specific child protection safeguarding inspections, the Department seeks assurances that schools have the correct procedures in place to protect children. To this end, all information helps inform the Department’s Inspectorate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (19 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (19 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: In general, my Department does not have a role in approving, commissioning, sponsoring or endorsing any content in any educational textbook. The current policy within my Department is not to endorse any particular product or publication, including textbooks. There are a small number of exceptions where my Department has procured textbooks or resources in order to fill a need – for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (19 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department generally include a Special Education Needs (SEN) Base in all new schools, in appropriate replacement school buildings and major extensions.  The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs, in consultation with the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (19 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State.   The Teaching Council registers teachers in line with the requirements set out in the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and the Teaching Council...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (19 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 a 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (19 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2020/21 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Functions (19 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware public health measures were put in place at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, in March 2020, which required most public service workers to work remotely from home, where this was possible. On foot of these requirements, the work of the Payroll Division in my Department was immediately reorganised, to ensure that it remained fully operational and that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (19 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...