Results 7,281-7,300 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: Donegal is now on the agenda. I confirm to Deputy McConalogue that my officials and representatives from Donegal County Council are very engaged on acquiring a site. I was in Crana College last Monday week and had the opportunity to meet the principal and other staff. Their sense of urgency is a focus, and I will have an opportunity on Friday, when the Deputy will no doubt also be in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Eligibility (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 79 and 80 together. As the Deputy is aware, my Department has introduced an objective, statistics based model for assessing which schools merit inclusion in the DEIS Programme, so that all stakeholders can have confidence that we are targeting extra resources at those schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage. The calculation of the level...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: 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: Autism Support Services (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs including Autism, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive (HSE). This includes the establishment of special class and special school placements in various...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 84 together. My Department has very significantly increased the number of special education teachers provided to schools since 2011.  More than €1.75 billion, almost 19% of the overall spend in the sector, is dedicated to special education. The additional provision which has been made in recent years includes an increase of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that DES Circular 0013/2017 for primary schools and 0014/2017 for post primary schools set out the details of the model for allocating special education teachers to schools. Details of the allocations which will be due to be made for schools for the 2019/20 school year will be advised to schools in the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Services Staff (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: I recognise the very important work done by school secretaries, and indeed by other support staff, in the running of our schools and I am grateful to them for the contribution they make to our education system.  I have spoken to a number of school secretaries about their employment conditions. Schemes were initiated in 1978 and 1979 for the employment of Clerical Officers and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87 and 88 together. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs including Autism, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive (HSE). This includes the establishment of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Government announced plans in April 2018 for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022), including a new 16 classroom school to be established in September 2019 to serve the Goatstown_Stillorgan_DLR school planning area.  The Department is currently examining all potential suitable site options to serve the relevant area and in the interim the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The recruitment and appointment of Special Needs Assistants is a matter for the individual school authority. Department's Circulars 34/ 2018 and 21/2011 and Appendix H of the Governance Manual for Primary Schools 2015-2019 sets out the current minimum educational requirements for appointment as a Special Needs Assistant (SNA). People appointed to SNA posts are required to have: 1....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: No power or duty conferred on the Minister for Education and Skills by or under the Technological Universities Act 2018 has been delegated to a Minister of State.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Children's Hospital Expenditure (6 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: No final decisions have yet been made on how the additional funding requirement in 2019 is to be met.  I understand the Minister for Finance and PER will be bringing his proposals in this regard to Government next week.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: A building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s 6 year Construction Programme. A project brief has been finalised and the project will be delivered via the ADAPT programme. The ADAPT programme uses a professional external Project Manager to coordinate and drive the respective design teams on each project. In this regard, a tender...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The capital allocation available to my Department in 2019 under First, Second and Early Years Education amounts to €764,055 and it is envisaged that it will be expended as follows: Primary and Post-Primary Infrastructure - €622m Public Private Partnership Costs - €84.055m Miscellaneous Grants and Services - €54.9m Special memorial for abuse victims - €0.5m...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: Higher Education Capital Allocation 2019 The capital allocation available to the Higher Education Sector in 2019 is significantly higher than in recent years and will allow a number of priority infrastructure projects to progress, including, for example, a new Engineering, Energy and Environment Institute in TCD and the development of the LIT Coonagh Campus which will have a particular focus...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has a capital allocation of €941m in 2019 and it is planned to expend the allocation as follows: Schools Sector - €672m Higher Education Sector - €137.6m Further Education Sector - €13m Public Private Partnership Costs - €110m Other - €8.4m The School Sector allocation will be expended primarily on the delivery of large scale projects...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: A project to construct a new building for the school to which the Deputy refers is on my Department's capital programme. The site identified for the school is in the proposed Clonburris SDZ which has not yet been adopted. A decision on the adoption of the Clonburris SDZ Planning Scheme is expected soon from an Bord Pleanála. Following this decision, the acquisition of the school site...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Revenue Commissioners introduced real time PAYE (PAYE modernisation) which went live on the 1st January 2019. This was the biggest change to the PAYE system since the 1960s. From 1 January 2019 employers are required to report their employees’ pay and statutory deductions to Revenue for each payroll issue. The salary issue relates to the taxation of the substitute staff who were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school. The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department Circular 0030/2014, which is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to confirm to the Deputy that my Department received an application from the school in question under the Summer Works Scheme, Category 6, Roof Works. The school did not provide some of the information required in accordance with the terms of the scheme and therefore, the application was deemed invalid. However, it is open to the school authority to appeal this decision which will...