Results 7,061-7,080 of 7,192 for speaker:Darren O'Rourke

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (18 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will outline the procedures for the development and implementation of new policies and materials relating to primary and post-primary education. [32960/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (18 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 79. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of SNAs that have retired in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [33006/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (18 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 80. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of new SNAs that started positions in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [33007/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (18 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 183. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when he will make a decision in relation to a recommendation by the Placenames Committee (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32955/25]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Creation (19 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 14. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the efforts he is making to increase employment opportunities in County Meath, given the very significant number of workers who are forced to leave the county every day for work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32741/25]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Job Losses (19 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 66. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he or his officials have had engagement with a company (details supplied) and the examiner located there, since the announcement of the companies entering into examinership; the extent to which the Department can support in this process to secure the best possible future for this business; and if he will make a statement on the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (19 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 107. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he recognises the anomaly in the social welfare system which means that people in receipt of widow’s pension, and who are working, are penalised if they become ill and can no longer work, because they cannot claim illness benefit for example; if he intends to address this anomaly; and if he will make a statement...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (19 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 286. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 85 of 12 June 2025 regarding the more than 92% of children who have been allocated a place or are in the process of being allocated a place, the exact number of children this refers to, and for a breakdown of same, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33337/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (19 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 288. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 327 of 12 June 2025, the number of teachers required to reduce the teacher pupil ratio to 19:1 and 18:1 respectively. [33379/25]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (24 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Last week, Children's Health Ireland confirmed just 105 appointments have been offered so far to the children potentially affected by the scandal of unnecessary hip surgeries. Only 60 people have been seen so far out of a total of 2,259 children who had hip surgery since 2010 at Children's Health Ireland or the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Cappagh. At this rate it will take more than 20...

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank the Minister and her officials for being here. In relation to school funding, there is an ambition to increase the primary school capitation grant from €200 to €224. This year, we had the cost-of-living funding package, which was needed. of €50 million. It equated in real terms to the funding per pupil in primary schools, for example, to be €236. If we...

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Is the principle of a cost-of-living package for each Department or for schools next year still in the mix?

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: It would be a major shock to the system if we did not have it for next year. Related to that point, the reduced costs in school bus transport are significant and welcome. I see that the reduced costs have been provided for under essentially temporary measures. Is there a plan to make them more permanent? Are they dependent on similar cost-of-living temporary measures into the future?

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Does the Minister have an idea of what that phasing might look like that? The commitment is an extra 100,000 children by 2030. Is that 20,000 per year?

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: School secretaries and caretakers have a strong case for pension parity and pay justice. Are those pension payments budgeted by the Minister? Where does the Department of public expenditure come on those decisions? Is it the case that they are budgeted under the Department of Education and Youth but Government and the Department of public expenditure approval are needed for those increases...

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: There is an indication of potential strike action. Time is of the essence to try to get that over the line. I encourage that in a positive vein. On therapies for schools, I was flicking through LinkedIn and saw that the New Zealand education system is looking for speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. It is funny that some of its advocates have Irish accents. They...

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: On the role of the Minister's Department in early years education, is the ECCE scheme funded through the Department?

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Early intervention is what you do. Very good. There is always a piece there which is interdepartmental around early years educators. If we follow through on the Chair's departmental reforms, that might be one as well in terms of taking early years education under the Department of Education and Youth.

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Yes absolutely. In terms of the change with youth coming under the remit of the Department, how will that be reflected?

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: That will continue.