Results 7,301-7,320 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The selection and enrolment of pupils is the responsibility of the management authorities in each individual school. My Departments main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools may not have a place for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The practice of taking actions which deliberately cause embarrassment, harassment or ridicule, or which risk emotional or physical harm to members of a group or team or indeed, any individual has no place in our education system or indeed anywhere in the community. As Minister I have no control over Higher Education institutions or the clubs and societies associated with them, although I...

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: School Accommodation Provision (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that under the National Development Plan (NDP), increased funding has been provided for the school sector capital investment programme. This funding allows for a continued focus on the provision of new permanent school places to keep pace with demographic demand and also provides for an additional focus on the refurbishment of existing school buildings to include...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: Having relatively high minimum entry requirements in core subject areas of Irish, English and Mathematics is one of the key policy levers that help ensure quality teaching and learning in primary schools. In October 2017, changes were announced setting higher minimum entry standards to primary programmes of initial teacher education for Leaving Certificate Maths and English at Ordinary...

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

Joe McHugh: The Deputy may be aware that the project to which he refers has been devolved for delivery to the Office of Public Works (OPW). The pre-qualification process for the appointment of tenderers in respect of the project is in the final stages of completion. In the meantime, the OPW is in the process of preparing tender documents to issue to the short-listed contractors. It is a little bit...

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: School Management (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: In Budget 2019, school leadership is again supported with an additional release day for teaching principals in primary schools and a further four additional release days for teaching principals in schools with special classes. These additional release days - 18, 24, and 30 depending on the size of the school - will be effective from 1st September 2019. This builds on measures in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (7 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy is aware the decision making authority for any amalgamation is the Patron/Trustees of the schools, and this is subject to the approval of my Department. Any proposed amalgamation involves extensive negotiations at local level and must be well planned and managed in a manner that accommodates the interests of students, parents, teachers, local communities and contributes to an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (12 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (12 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA). I can inform the Deputy that the NDFA has started preparations for the appointment of a design team for the project. This appointment will be a key first step in the design and construction stages. While at this early stage it is not possible to provide a timeline for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (12 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has requested additional information from the Patron of the school in question regarding the ownership of the proposed site. On receipt of this information the project will be given further consideration and a decision will be conveyed directly to the school authority.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Autism Support Services (12 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: Autism Support Services (12 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: Student Data (12 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: There were 44,950 students in Transition Year in September 2017, compared to 62,549 in Third Year in September 2016, meaning that 17,599 (28%) of those pupils did not avail of Transition Year. The proportion of pupils availing of Transition Year has shown a marked increase over the past number of years, rising from 50 per cent in 2008 to over 70 per cent currently. Further information on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Data (12 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded the Deputy's query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to him.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (12 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The information is not available in the format requested by the Deputy. Detailed information relating to enrolment levels in all primary and post-primary schools nationwide is available on the Department's website at the following link: 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (12 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: Officials in my Department will contact the teacher referred to by the Deputy in relation to the taxation issues outlined.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (12 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The major building project for this school is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2b – Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been obtained. A legal challenge to the pre-qualification process for the main contract from one...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (12 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA). I can inform the Deputy that the NDFA has started preparations for the appointment of a design team for the project. This appointment will be a key first step in the design and construction stages. While at this early stage it is not possible to provide a timeline for...