Results 6,901-6,920 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 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 €289m in 2021.  The purpose of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: The planned establishment of a new primary school in the Clondalkin_D22 School Planning Area was announced in 2018 as a result of a countrywide demographic exercise which included an assessment of data on residential development activity, including the planned development at Kilcarbery.  As indicated in its submission to the South County Dublin draft development plan 2022-2028, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (19 Jan 2022)

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 updated guidance for schools is also...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: I am conscious that students who are due to take their Junior Cycle/Leaving Certificate examinations in 2022 have experienced a degree of disruption to their learning. On 30 June 2021, I announced that adjustments would be made to the 2022 Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle examinations. As with previous years, adjustments were developed in conjunction with the Advisory Group on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: The two areas referred to by the Deputy are located in two separate school planning areas. There are three primary schools located in the first area referred to by the Deputy. The projected junior infant requirement for this area for 2022/23 school year is 278 places and it is expected that this number can be catered for within the projected intake for the 3 primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: The areas referred to by the Deputy are part of the Scribblestown/Finglas West Primary School Planning Area. There are 8 primary schools in this school planning area offering junior infant places and the projected requirement for junior infant places for the new school year, 2022/23 is 229. My Department understands that there is sufficient capacity in the schools in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: I refer to your recent correspondence to the Minister for Education, Ms. Norma Foley TD, in relation to Junior Certificate Mock Examinations. Decisions to hold mock Junior Cycle examinations are taken by individual schools. The format of these examinations varies from school to school and not all schools run mock examinations. Neither the Department nor the State Examinations Commission has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: The minor Works Grant funding for schools which issued in December enables schools to address both their minor works requirements and also to address small-scale ventilation improvements at school level as a short-term mitigation measure, should they require to do so. The Departments Guidance is clear that where the recommended measures in the Practical Steps and poor...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: The Deputy may be aware the Department of Education provided additional support in the context of Covid-19 the payment of a minor works grant totalling €45m for primary schools and special schools, plus a once-off Covid-19 minor works funding of €17m for post-primary schools. Managing ventilation is one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: Budget 2022 has provided for an allocation of €18million for 2022 and €32million for 2023 to extend the DEIS programme to further schools with the highest levels of disadvantage. This represents an increase of over 20% in funding for the DEIS programme and will enable an expansion in 2022 to additional schools. This package follows an extensive body of work which has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: School secretaries and caretakers are valued members of our school communities and my Department is fully aware of the vitally important role they play 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: As you will be aware, the Chief State Solicitors Office, on behalf of my Department, has been engaging with the property owners’ legal representative on the draft lease for some time and the vast majority of the clauses in the draft lease are agreed. My Department has also engaged directly with the property owners’ legal representative with a view to facilitating...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: Under the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012, Caranua could provide supports to individuals who had either received an award of redress from the Residential Institutions Redress Board (RIRB) or a similar court award or settlement. The 2012 Act provided that Caranua could provide supports in areas such as health, housing and education, and applicants could make...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: Consultation by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) on new draft specifications for Leaving Certificate Irish has recently closed. The current development of draft specifications for Leaving Certificate Irish is part of the ongoing cycle of curriculum review and redevelopment.   The NCCA has developed draft L1 and L2 curriculum specifications for Leaving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: Budget 2022 has provided for an allocation of €18million for 2022 and €32million for 2023 to extend the DEIS programme to further schools with the highest levels of disadvantage. This represents an increase of over 20% in funding for the DEIS programme and will enable an expansion in 2022 to additional schools. This package follows an extensive body of work which has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: Budget 2022 has provided for an allocation of €18million for 2022 and €32million for 2023 to extend the DEIS programme to further schools with the highest levels of disadvantage. This represents an increase of over 20% in funding for the DEIS programme and will enable an expansion in 2022 to additional schools. This package follows an extensive body of work which has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, this project has been devolved for delivery to Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB).  I am pleased to confirm that a design team to deliver this project has been appointed by the ETB. The Design Team is now preparing the Stage 1 report (preliminary design). While at this early stage it is not possible to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (19 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, my Department works together with the Department of Health and other agencies to support students in area of health. My Department acknowledges the commitment of schools in promoting healthy lifestyle choices for students in a number of ways - the curriculum – for example Physical Education and Social Personal Health Education (SPHE); through schools policy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (20 Jan 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that agreement in principle, subject to contract, has been reached to acquire an one acre plot of land adjoining St Patrick’s National School in Diswellstown. Matters in respect of the contract are currently being finalised by the solicitors for both sides. My Department are actively seeking to advance the matter with the intention of finalising this acquisition...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (20 Jan 2022)

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