Results 721-740 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. In the 2019/2020 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: A system of Calculated Grades was put in place by my predecessor due to the inability to run the normal Leaving Certificate examinations this year. The purpose of this process is to allow as many students as possible to progress to employment, further education and training, or higher education in a way that is fair and equitable to all Leaving Certificate students. For the calculated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Yesterday, 27 July, my Department published the report to Government “Reopening Our Schools, The Roadmap for the Full Return to School”.   This Roadmap set outs how schools will fully reopen for all students from the end of August, and what the operation of our schools will look like and be sustainable in a COVID-19 context.  It has been developed in line with public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that the main purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme is to ensure the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are most in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation or on receipt of an enrolment application from a special needs pupil. An emergency is a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: A core value of the curriculum, across all levels of schooling in Ireland, is inclusivity and diversity. The curriculum at primary and post-primary is for all learners, from all backgrounds – regardless of gender, socio-economic background, race or creed. At post primary level, many subjects that students take at both junior and senior cycle are based on learning outcomes....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The design of the Calculated Grades model was informed by advice from a Technical Working Group comprising experts drawn from the State Examinations Commission, the Inspectorate of my Department, the Educational Research Centre, and international external expertise. The use of demographic characteristics was inherent in the design of the statistical model developed by the Technical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment/progression and means. To satisfy the terms and conditions of the Scheme in relation to progression, a student must be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Under my Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible full-time undergraduate students with students paying the student contribution which currently stands at €3,000.  The Student Contribution, was introduced with effect from the 2011/12 academic year. There has been no increase in the contribution since...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: On 22 July I announced a substantial package of supports in the amount of €168m for further and higher education institutions and students.  Additionally I am aware that this pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on younger workers and those in lower paid occupations with lower level of educational qualifications. Accordingly, through the Government's July Stimulus...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The estimated cost of increasing the maintenance rates by 5%,10%, 15%, 20%, 30% would be €3.5m, €7.1m, €10.6m, €14.2m and €21.3m respectively.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The total estimated annual cost per apprentice in craft apprenticeships, which are offered at level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) is €7,159.  This figure comes from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Spending Review of Apprenticeships published last year.   The review also provides an average annual cost of €9,877 for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: An Annual Student Contribution (ASC) is levied on all students attending Institutes of Technology (IoTs).  The amount of ASC charged to apprentices is calculated on a pro rata basis of the time which they spend in IoTs during the academic year. In cases where training is delivered in an Education and Training Board there is no contribution made by the apprentice.  ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The decision on eligibility for student grant applications is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland).   For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. Applicants who do not meet the criteria to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The total cost of reinstating the support for post graduate students that was removed in budget 2012 would be circa €44m.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. In the 2019/2020 year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Yesterday, the 27thJuly, my Department published the report to Government “Reopening Our Schools, The Roadmap for the Full Return to School”.   This Roadmap set outs how schools will reopen for all students from the end of August and what the operation of our schools will look like and be sustainable in a COVID-19 context.  It has been developed in line with public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the deputy is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. The project is currently at Stage 1 of architectural planning which entails preliminary design of site and location suitability and initial sketch scheme.   A review in 2019 of the demand...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that my Department recently received an application for capital funding under the Additional School Accommodation scheme, from the school authority referred to by the Deputy.  Once the application has been assessed, the school authority will be contacted directly with a decision. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (28 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: A system of Calculated Grades was put in place by my predecessor due to the inability to run the normal Leaving Certificate examinations. The purpose of this process is to allow as many students as possible to progress to employment, further education and training, or higher education in a way that is fair and equitable to all Leaving Certificate students. On 16 July, I announced that...