Results 601-620 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

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

Norma Foley: The acquisition of a zoned school site at Corballis, Donabate, to accommodate a permanent school building for the school in question is at an advanced stage of legal conveyancing. Department officials are engaging with the Landowner and Officials in the relevant Local Authority regarding the potential development of the site. I am unable to elaborate any further due to the commercial...

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

Norma Foley: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. This project is currently at Stage 1 of Architectural planning (Site Suitability, Site Report, and Initial Sketch Scheme). A Stage 1 Stakeholders meeting with the Design Team, Project Manager, and Board of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (21 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 (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. The Design Team have been appointed and are currently working on Stage 1 of Architectural Planning (Site Suitability, Site Report, and Initial Sketch). When the Design Team have completed this preparatory...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Examinations (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 366 and 407 together. The Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are governed by the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technologies Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Within the meaning of these Acts, HEIs are autonomous with regard to the management of their academic affairs and retain the right to determine their own policies...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Advisers (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: On the commencement of every Dáil, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issues guidelines setting out the arrangements for the staffing of Ministerial Offices. The Guidelines for the 33rd Dáil are currently awaiting Government approval. It should be noted that the appointment of individual Special Advisers is a matter for each Government Minister subject to the terms...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations. Schools have been notified of the arrangements for the allocation of SNA support in respect of students in mainstream classes for 2020/21. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Summer Provision is aimed at helping children with complex needs prepare for a return to education, particularly after the health restrictions that have been in place over recent months. As work continues on planning for the re-opening of schools, it is important that we take measures to help the prevention of regression among these children in terms of their education and social...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The interim public health advice received by my Department sets out the key public health requirements that will be required for a safe full reopening of schools in late August/September and the measures that will be required to achieve this. This public health advice will underpin ongoing engagements with education partners and stakeholders in terms of planning and providing guidance for...

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

Norma Foley: The building project for Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin is included in my Department's capital programme. Officials in my Department continue to liaise with officials in Cork City Council in relation to the identification and acquisition of a suitable site for the school. A number of site options have been proposed and assessed. A potential site option has been identified and discussions are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department is aware of the issues raised by the Deputy. A member of my Department's Inspectorate visited this school in June 2019. The purpose of this visit was to gather information in relation to the operation of the vocational skills programme within school time. My Department has since continued to engage with the Board of Management and other stakeholders involved with the school,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. In the 2019/2020 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with...

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

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question submitted an application for capital funding, under my Department's Additional School Accommodation Scheme. Officials from my Department are at the final stage of assessment of this application and recent contact has been made with the school authority in this regard. A final decision will issue to the school authority shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has worked with key stakeholders, and on the basis of public health advice, to develop a framework for the reopening of further education and training and higher education facilities. The framework will guide the planning by further education and training and higher education providers for reopening for the new...

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

Norma Foley: The Deputy will be aware that the project to which he refers has been devolved for delivery to the Office of Public Works (OPW). I can confirm that the Stage 2B submission in question has recently been received in my Department and is currently being reviewed. A decision in respect of the matter will be notifed to the OPW once this review has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (21 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: School Staff (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2020/21 school year, as set out in Circular 0018/2020, which is available on the Department website, provides details on the staffing appeal process. Where at least 20% of the total enrolment of the school is made up of pupils that require EAL support (pupils with less than B1 Level 3 proficiency), the Board of Management may lodge an...

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

Norma Foley: The major project for the construction of the new school building for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of the tender process and my Department is currently awaiting the return of the supplementary tender report. Subject to no issues arising, it is envisaged that construction will commence following the finalisation of the tender process with a contract duration of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. There is no change to the staffing of the school referred to by the Deputy for the...