Results 8,181-8,200 of 9,471 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (4 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I would like to thank the Deputy for the question. Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (4 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). My department provides each of the sixteen Education and Training Board (ETB) with a staffing allocation to support its schools, colleges, head office and other centres of...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I move: Tuesday's business shall be: - Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Sultanate of Oman) Order 2024 (back from Committee, without debate) - Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Jersey) Order 2024 (back from Committee, without debate) - Motion re...

Education (Amendment) Bill 2024: First Stage (10 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: It is not opposed.

Houses of the Oireachtas (Members) Bill 2024: First Stage (10 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: It is not opposed.

Report of the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform: Motion (10 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I move: That, with effect from 10th July, 2024, the Standing Orders of Dáil Éireann relative to Public Business are hereby amended as recommended in the report of the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform dated 3rd July, 2024, entitled "Amendments to Standing Orders on Timeframes for Pre-legislative Scrutiny and Consideration of Estimates", a copy of which was laid...

Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Motion to Instruct Committee (10 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I move: That it be an instruction to the Committee on the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024, that pursuant to Standing Order 187, the Committee has power to make amendments to the Bill which are outside the scope of the existing provisions of the Bill in order to amend: - the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, by inserting a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: My Department, directly and through the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, provides a range of supports in schools for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. This includes additional teachers, specialist equipment and access to SNA support, depending on the child's level of assessed needs. In Ireland, we have two established schools for the deaf. They are Holy Family School...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: On visiting teachers, in recent years resource restrictions and associated high caseloads have impacted on the time visiting teachers have per student. However, we are turning a corner in relation to that. For example, the recent deployment of two visiting teachers for the deaf or hard-of-hearing in Dublin has led to a decrease in caseloads in the area of up to 40% in some cases. This...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The two new roles support the work of the class teachers and complement other teaching and care support provided for targeted students. They will play a pivotal role into the future. As the Deputy said, the positions were originally advertised by the NCSE in 2022. However, there was a poor response to the recruitment campaign and only two advisers and specialist classroom support personnel...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: My Department works closely with the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, on the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. In the budget, we secured funding for up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools and an additional 300 special school places for the 2024-25 school year. This will deliver 2,700 new places for children. ...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: First, we are increasing the number of SENOs from 73 to 120 and they will be in place by September this year. I will come back to the Deputy with the exact figure but it is up in the eighties at this point. The 120 will be in place for the coming school year beginning in September 2024. What is really important about the role of the SENOs and the feedback we got from the NCSE was that they...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I can come back in with further details.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I concur on the anxiety and that parents need the reassurance of knowing their child has a place for the upcoming school year. We really do not want to be in this position again. Parents need to know early in the year where their child is going to be that coming September and that is why the resourcing of the NCSE is so important. Today, I have written to a number of schools in the Dublin...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputy for her question. I am delighted that funding of €40 million has been secured again this year to ensure a comprehensive summer programme is available in 2024. The funding of €40 million is designed to cover the full costs associated with the summer programme. On that particular issue, parents should not be asked to make financial contributions to the summer...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: When we reached out to schools in order to increase the numbers partaking, we asked them what the barriers to doing the summer programme were. The issues that came up were the rate of pay for teachers and SNAs. We have increased the rate of pay for teachers and SNAs. We have opened up a portal because some of the schools were saying they could not get the teachers or the SNAs. A portal...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: We all know the value of the summer programme and the Deputy is absolutely right. The feedback from teachers and parents is such that when children can partake in the summer programme, that regression is greatly reduced when they go back to school, which is why we have focused on it. The uptake of special schools has significantly increased, according to the inspectorate report on this. ...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (11 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I will come back to the Deputy on that and try to delve into those figures. The Department cannot compel schools to participate in the programme because participation in the school-based summer programme is voluntary, and it is a matter for boards of management and schools to decide whether they will run the programme. What the Department has done is reach out to all schools, as we continue...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Export Controls (9 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Central Statistics Office publishes aggregate data on the number and type of enterprises who export goods to Germany. The CSO does not provide information on individual companies. In 2022 there were 1,446 enterprises recorded as exporting goods to Germany. Table A : Number of enterprises exporting goods to Germany by NACE sector. Year Agriculture, Forestry &...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (9 Jul 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: Funding of €37.1m is provided to the National Council for Special Education to enable it to provide additional support to students with special educational needs and their families. It remains a priority for my department to ensure that the NCSE agency is properly resourced to have a visible and effective presence in our schools and guiding and supporting our parents and children on...