Results 6,341-6,360 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 Nov 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 school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school authority referred to by the Deputy. A decision on this application has issued to the school authority. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health and Safety (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all pupils. It is important that the school management authority requests parents to ensure that the school is made aware of any medical condition suffered by any pupils attending. Where the school is aware of potential difficulties that may arise as a consequence of a medical condition suffered by one or more...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA), from the school in question. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy recently completed Stage 2(b) Detailed Design and was authorised to proceed to tender stage on 27th October. A Tender stage normally takes between 6-8 months to complete. The project is expected to commence on site early in Quarter 2 of 2022.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The Teaching Council is the body with statutory responsibility for establishing and maintaining standards in the teaching profession in this State. It is also the designated competent authority for the recognition and assessment of qualifications and registration of teachers at Primary and Post Primary level. In accordance with its statutory functions, the Teaching Council has set out...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: School secretaries and caretakers are valued members of our school communities and my Department is fully aware of the vitally important role played by them in the running of our schools. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools receive assistance to provide for secretarial, caretaking and cleaning services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a staff member to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department is aware of the challenges currently being experienced by some schools and has engaged with the education stakeholders on the issues raised about the current difficulty in accessing substitutes for teacher absences. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Welfare Service (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) has three strands namely the Statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL) and the School Completion Programme (SCP). The three TESS strands work together collaboratively with schools, families and other relevant services to achieve the best educational outcomes for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Welfare Service (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 362 and 363 together. With regard to the request for data on cumulative months missed, Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) do not collect data in this format. The compilation of data in the format requested would require an extensive manual retrieval of information from individual files. When referrals are received by the Tess team they are screened by a...

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

Norma Foley: The approach to supporting schools to operate safely during COVID-19 has been to follow and implement public health advice Following advice from the Chief Medical Officer, the Minister for Health has requested that the HSE, liaising as appropriate with the Department of Education, establish a programme of rapid antigen testing of close contacts in specific primary school settings in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The Public Service Sick Leave Scheme, which applies to teachers, is regulated by the Public Service Management (Sick Leave) Regulations 2014, SI 124 of 2014, as amended by the Public Service Management (Sick Leave) (Amendment) Regulations 2015, . The terms and conditions of the for teachers is contained in my Department’s Circular Letter 0054/2019 (Chapter 1). The employer has a duty...

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

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: The ‘Rules for National Schools’ was published on 11 February 1965. With regard to the earlier publication of 1946 and arrangements for the provision of school rulebooks to parents of children at that time, the information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. The rules outlined in such publications have largely been superseded by legislation and Department circulars...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Educational Institutions (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: There are currently extensive training and curricular supports, including through the Social Personal Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) and the Webwise Programme, to assist schools in the development of policies and practices on the safe use of the Internet and on the prevention of bullying including cyber-bullying. The PDST and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Energy Usage (16 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: Energy usage is the responsibility of schools Board of Management. The Department does not hold this information.

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

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Supplementary Estimates for Public Services 2021: Leave to Introduce (17 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: I move: That leave be given by the Dáil to introduce the following Supplementary Estimates for the service of the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2021:— Vote 20 — Garda Síochána (Supplementary Estimate). Vote 22 — Courts Service(Supplementary Estimate). Vote 24 — Justice (Supplementary Estimate). Vote 26 — Education...

Supplementary Estimates for Public Services 2021: Referral to Select Committee (17 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: I move: That, subject to leave being given to introduce the following Supplementary Estimates for the service of the year ending on 31st December, 2021, the Supplementary Estimates be referred to the following Select Committees, as appropriate, pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)(b) and 215(3), which shall report back to the Dáil by no later than 7th December, 2021:— Vote 20...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (17 Nov 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Senator for the opportunity to speak with her today. I express my gratitude for her very positive comments on the school sector and Department. She is correct that a significant body of work has been undertaken by the entire education sector to ensure our schools could operate safely and continue to operate. It is a significant achievement that today I can say that we in the...