Results 6,801-6,820 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (14 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: A total of 135.4 whole-time equivalent inspectors are serving in the Department of Education currently. The Department is not aware of the number of these inspectors that are registered with the Teaching Council.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: An Garda Síochána (14 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 (the Vetting Act), which was commenced in April 2016, put in place statutory requirements for the Garda vetting of persons involved in working with children and vulnerable persons. The Vetting Act applies not just to schools but to any relevant organisation that employs, contracts, permits or places a person...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pay (14 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department provides a payroll service to primary, post-primary, non-teaching and retired staff. The service has some 130,000 users and is managed by my Department’s Payroll Division in Athlone. The payroll system is an electronic system and a number of processes are already highly automated. For instance, the submission of leave absences for school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (15 Dec 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: School Transport (15 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 113 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers is aware of the contact details of the officials in my Department dealing with the project.  The major building project for this school is currently at Stage 3 -  Tender Stage and is working through the tender process.  As the tender process is ongoing the Deputy will appreciate that commercially sensitive information in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received a request for payment from the school in question and Department officials are communicating with the school authority regarding same. My Department monitors these payments to ensure that they are paid as promptly as possible. As the contract is between the school authority and the rental company, my Department has no...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (15 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department published its Statement of Strategy 2021-2023 earlier this year, setting out the vision, mission and strategic goals that will guide the Department’s work programme in the three-year period 2021-2023. I intend to publish an Action Plan for Education in early 2022 which will outline priorities for the year ahead, and which will elaborate on and develop the strategic...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation from the school in question.  It is open to the school authority to make an application for additional accommodation through the 'Additional School Accommodation scheme (ASA)' which is available at www.education.ie.  I also wish to advise...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Dec 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. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The Department of Education has always been guided by public health advice in relation to appropriate Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures in place in schools. These measures protect students, their parents and school staff and are very effective. Public Health continue to advise that the two most important actions to prevent the introduction and spread of Covid-19 (and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (15 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: Managing ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe. Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided at the end of May following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. The Department’s ventilation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The scheduling of the school holiday periods during the academic years is agreed between the managerial authorities of schools, the teacher unions and my Department for the purposes of standardising breaks at Christmas, Easter and mid-term. This is important to ensure certainty for the school community about the dates of school holidays.  There are no plans to alter the school break...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 Dec 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: State Examinations (16 Dec 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 Building Projects (16 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The school building project to which the Deputy refers has been approved funding under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme to enable the school to construct a purpose-built two-classroom SEN Base facility. Approval to progress this project to Tender Stage issued in June 2021. The project has been devolved for delivery to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 Dec 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 Building Projects (16 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The permanent school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy has been assigned to my Department’s Design & Build delivery programme.  This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Manager to progress the project through the relevant stages of architectural planning, tender and construction. The final grant of planning permission for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The permanent school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design & Build programme. A planning application for interim accommodation for the school on its permanent site was lodged on the 26thMay 2021. A third party appeal of grant of planning permission was subsequently submitted to An Bord Pleanála...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: Remaining works for the school to which the Deputy refers need to be re-tendered.  The Design Team is currently in the process of preparing a scope of works package, for these works, which upon completion will be submitted to my Department for review and approval. Upon approval the project will then be authorisied to commence a pre-qualification process to select a...