Results 8,881-8,900 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Teacher Supply (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: There was a question of whether I should even have been there because I knew what the issues were before I went. I knew a lot of them - the pay equality issue, problems in teacher supply, the price of accommodation in Dublin and the uncertainty facing substitute teachers when they came back. It was an opportunity for me to highlight what we had done in the past few months to set up teacher...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Teacher Supply (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: There are several issues. I do not think I met any principal. There were teachers on a career break and a lot of young teachers who had gone out in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. I was aware of this before, but the pay equality issue is big. Those teachers have advocates all around them, not just those who were recruited from 2011 to 2014. People have different motivations for going abroad....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Administration (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: The school building projects referred to by the Deputy are included in my Department's construction programme which is being delivered under the national development plan. Stage 2(b) - detailed design - is arguably the most complex and detailed of all the stages of architectural planning. In addition to securing the necessary statutory approvals, it includes preparation of complex and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Administration (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: There are a number of reasons for delays. For example, the NZEB regulations were introduced in 2017, which meant many school projects in the 2016-2021 capital programme had to be revised. A number in my own constituency had to go back through the process to ensure the designs met the NZEB provisions. The major question among schools and students themselves relates to environmental...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Administration (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy mentioned Lucan Community College. A major building project was authorised to proceed to stage 2b on 14 March 2017. A brief-change report was submitted to the Department in October 2017 to seek approval for a full replacement of or repairs to the existing roof. The Department required a further breakdown of the costs and scope from the design team and that was received in July...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of these schools, as he has done on a number of occasions previously. It keeps them on the radar, which does no harm at all. I will outline the position on the projects referred to by the Deputy. The major building project for St. Eunan's College, Letterkenny, is included on my Department's ADAPT programme. My Department is currently in the process...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I agree with what the Deputy has said about the timing of the Scoil Mhuire project. My ambition is ensure this goes to tender as soon as the NZEB requirements are satisfied. Parents will not be satisfied until they see diggers on site. It is important for us to keep the timing on the radar here. I acknowledge that the board of management at Scoil Mhuire in Stranorlar has had a long...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I do not want to repeat myself. I agree with the Deputy that these projects are important. Tá Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí i mbaile Dhún na nGall iontach tábhachtach ar son na teanga. Tá an sár-obair dhíograiseach atá déanta ar son na scoile thar na blianta le feiceáil. Nuair a bhí mé ann roimh an Nollaig, bhí na...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Funding (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: Budget 2019 marks the third year of a major reinvestment in education. In 2019, the budget for the Department of Education and Skills will increase by €674 million, which represents a 6.7% increase on last year's budget. In total, the education budget will have increased by €1.7 billion compared with 2016. I am holding a symposium tomorrow to engage with people and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Funding (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: We are making progress with the pupil-teacher ratio. The Deputy is correct when she says we have a long way to go. I am reminded of the seanfhocal, mol an lá um thráthnóna, we praise the day in the evening. We will not ease off on this important issue at EU and OECD levels. There was a reduction of 11% in capitation funding in 2011. This massive reduction was introduced as...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Funding (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I agree entirely with the Deputy's final point. The issues that present themselves in our primary schools are much more complex than they used to be. Teachers are aware of that. Continuous professional development training is important, as is equipping them with the skills and capacity to deal with these emerging issues. I see a lot of schools acting as support for one another, which...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capitation Grants (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I fully recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools and in the Action Plan for Education, I have committed to the restoration of capitation. I am pleased to have been able to provide for a 5% increase in capitation funding for primary and post-primary schools that will apply from the start of the 2019-20 school year this autumn. Over the course of the school year 2019-20,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capitation Grants (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: The phrase, "modest demands", constitutes new vocabulary for me. There are many demands on this Department. When one considers a budget of €11 billion, the first question one asks is about how surely there is enough money in there to do everything we seek to do but the basics are really important. The Deputy is correct in pointing out that capitation is the bread and butter that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Capitation Grants (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: We are taking the deep retrofitting of schools very seriously. This is why we have launched an initial pilot between my Department and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment in conjunction with the SEAI. One cannot use the word "modest" when one is talking about €30 million, which is a lot of money, but in the bigger scheme of things where one has 4,000...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youthreach Programme Review (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I am unsure whether the Deputy was scolding me for smiling. Perhaps I need to cut back a wee bit on that.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youthreach Programme Review (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: As part of a series of reviews of further education and training programmes, SOLAS commissioned an independent review of the national Youthreach programme, which was conducted by the ESRI. The review report, which was launched on 17 June, provides a comprehensive evaluation of the national Youthreach programme and demonstrates the positive impact of Youthreach for learners. The...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youthreach Programme Review (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: The good news is that my officials have started the engagement. There will be a mechanism to consider all the recommendations and see how we can progress these. We will not single out one or another. Youthreach is an invaluable pathway for young people who are struggling with mainstream education. I recognise the benefit of the relationship between the principal of the mainstream...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Youthreach Programme Review (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: The participation rate in Youthreach centres has reduced for several reasons, including full employment. There are still, however, gaps among young Travellers and migrants. Are we equipping them with the proper education to given them the skills to advance to third level or apprenticeship programmes? SOLAS has a key role to play in all of this. It is working with the third level sector...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Placement (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: 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 determine...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Placement (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I appreciate the Deputy’s analysis on this and on the previous occasion he raised this matter. My Department continues to engage with officials at local authority level on housing data and population growth. My Department has recently approved two further mainstream classrooms for Scoil Chrónáin to cater for additional primary school places in Rathcoole for September...