Results 8,481-8,500 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: Further to Parliamentary Question No. 282 of 26 March 2019, Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) have informed officials from my Department that a Principal has been appointed and taken up duty on the 13th May, 2019. My Department also understands that KWETB are taking a managed approach to provision of accommodation for students in Maynooth which consists of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at Stage 2(b) – Detailed Design. The pre-qualification process to select a shortlist of suitable contractors has been completed and the Design Team is currently carrying out a final review of tender documentation. Once this work is complete, my Department will be in contact with the Board of Management of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy will be aware that the project to which he refers has been devolved for delivery to Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB). I can inform the Deputy that KWETB has confirmed that the tenders for the appointment of the design team have been assessed and appointments will be made shortly in that respect. However, as the appointment process has not yet concluded, I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The process of Pre-Qualification of contractors for the project in question is underway. For this particular project, pre-qualification of reserved specialists for the mechanical and electrical works is also required. The Pre-qualification process culminates in the compilation of shortlists of suitable candidates for each respective discipline. The shortlist was submitted to my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved to Kildare and Wicklow Education & Training Board. Tenders have been invited from the shortlisted contractors and the closing date for receipt of tenders is 7th June 2019.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The 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. This project is one of the school building projects on my Department’s ADAPT 2 (Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning & Tendering) Programme. My Department is currently in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy has been informed, agreement in principle to acquire a site has been reached. Work is progressing and ongoing with the landowner in question and Kildare County Council in addressing technical considerations crucial to the delivery of the site and the commencement of the legal conveyancing process. Due to reasons of commercial sensitivity I am unable to elaborate further at this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy will be aware that the project to which he refers has been devolved for delivery to Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB). The contractor who is currently on site completing the external fabric of the buildings is expected to complete this work shortly. Tender documents for the completion of the remaining works have issued to the relevant shortlisted...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Discipline (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 174 and 175 together. Circular 0059/2009 set out the disciplinary procedures for teachers employed by Vocational Education Committees (VEC). A separate Circular (Circular 60/2009) sets out the disciplinary procedures for non-VEC teachers. The procedures were negotiated and agreed with the education partners in accordance with Section 24(3) of the Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The information is not readily available in the format requested by the Deputy. However, the following information can be provided in relation to this matter. As the Deputy will be aware, 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: I can confirm Department officials are working to put a solution for the school's permanent accommodation in place at the earliest possible date. Unfortunately it is not possible to indicate a timeline for the confirmation of a location for the school at this point but I can assure the Deputy that the patron will be informed as soon as it is possible to do so.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (14 May 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: Special Educational Needs (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: In 2016, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was requested by the then Minister Richard Bruton to review the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) Scheme and to advise him on what support options are needed to provide better outcomes for students with additional care needs. Following extensive research and consultation with schools, parents, SNAs and other stakeholders, a report was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (14 May 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 number of SNAs employed in a school depends on the allocation given to the school by the NCSE, based on its assessment of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: All Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are required to be available for a number of days at the start and finish of each school term not exceeding 12 in total. Under the Croke Park Agreement it was agreed to introduce greater flexibility to the use of these 12 days. Accordingly, DES Circular 71/2011 was issued on 15 December 2011 which outlined that these 12 days now equate to 72 hours...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with disabilities who have additional and significant care needs in an educational context. They may be appointed to a special school or a mainstream school to assist school authorities in making suitable provision for a pupil or pupils with special care needs. The first priority is that the care needs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Applications (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise you 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 the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Staff (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: SOLAS staff who transferred to ETBs retained their existing salary scales on transfer. Union representatives have submitted a claim under normal industrial relations procedures in respect of certain grades, and this is still being examined by my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Playgrounds (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has no record of an application from the school to which the Deputy refers for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme for works to repairing an outdoor play area. My Department did receive an Emergency Works Scheme application for repairs to the mechanical and heating system in the school. This was refused as it was a request for retrospective funding of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme (14 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy is aware the Summer Works Scheme (SWS), which is demand based, is designed to allow schools, on a devolved funding basis, to carry out necessary and immediate improvement works that will upgrade existing school facilities. To date in excess of €117 million has been approved for 1,006 schools in respect of Categories 1 to 9 under the last SWS. 347 applications under...