Results 9,281-9,300 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (11 Jul 2019)

Joe McHugh: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA). I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a Request for Tenders for the appointment of a Programme Manager and Design Team for the project has recently been issued by the NDFA. While at this early stage it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion of the project, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (11 Jul 2019)

Joe McHugh: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA). I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a Request for Tenders for the appointment of a Programme Manager and Design Team for the project has recently been issued by the NDFA. While at this early stage it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion of the project, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (11 Jul 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy is aware, the project to which he refers has been devolved to Westmeath County Council (WCC) for delivery. The Deputy will recall from previous answers that the initial delays with the delivery of the project were due primarily to unforeseen ground and weather conditions. However, I can assure the Deputy that I consider that the delays with this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (11 Jul 2019)

Joe McHugh: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Westmeath County Council (WCC).   The Deputy will be aware that my Department has met and worked closely with the patron and school authorities of both schools to which he refers. Together, they have put in place contingency arrangements to ensure that the needs of the school that has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (11 Jul 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: In April 2019, my Department approved the provision of a 2 Classroom SEN base at the school to which the Deputy refers. The Stage 1/2a Design (Preliminary/Developed Design) which has recently been submitted shows a significant increase in the scope of works over and above that approved.  The school has been advised to revise the scope of the project in line with that which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: In December 2012, an additional €3 million was approved to supplement the Student Assistance Fund following a survey conducted by the HEA in relation to the demand for the Fund. This supplementary funding was a once-off exceptional measure which was taken in the context of long grant delays/issues encountered by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) in the initial year of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Facilities (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 241 and 242 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not hold details of schools with kitchen facilities or those without such facilities. My Department has in place detailed design guidelines for primary and post-primary schools. These guidelines, which are available on my Department's web-site, currently provide for a standard...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The fee payable by a student can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the student's access route including previous education.  Under the Departments Free Fees Initiative, the Exchequer pays tuition fees on behalf of eligible students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses. In order to qualify for funding under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Inspections (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme is one of a number of options made available by the Department of Education and Skills for senior cycle students. The LCA is a distinct, self-contained two-year programme aimed at preparing students for adult and working life. It is the responsibility and choice of each individual school to decide to put in place the LCA programme, based on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Services Staff (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Boards of Management of schools are responsible for the employment of school secretaries and it is a matter for each school to determine the level of secretarial services required for the school.  Funding to cater for these services is made available from my Department through the Ancillary Services and Capitation Grants. Within the grant programme, the level and extent of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 246 and 248 together. I fully recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools. 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.  The first and full year costs of this increase is €4 million and €10...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks Rental Scheme (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department provides a book grant to all recognised primary and post primary schools within the Free Education Scheme in order to provide assistance for books including Book Rental Schemes. Under this scheme, the Department provided funding of €16.9 million in 2019 to all of these schools. School book rental schemes have an important role to play in reducing the cost of school books...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 249, 293 and 294 together. Measures announced by my Department as part of Budgets 2016, 2017 and 2018 mean that 500 of the 600 guidance posts that were withdrawn in Budget 2012, were restored to schools from September 2018. These 500 posts are allocated separately and transparently on each school's staffing schedule. These posts have been ring-fenced so they...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff Data (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department's policy aims to ensure that all children with Special Educational Needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. In 2019, in the region of €1.9 billion is being invested in Special Education, nearly one fifth of the overall Education budget. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The projected enrolment figures for September 2019 are: Primary Level - 566,220 Post-Primary Level - 369,673 Projections are published by the Department in the report titled ‘Projections of Full-Time Enrolment Primary and Second level, 2018-2036’. These reports can be found on the Department of Education website at . * Figures at primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Autism Support Services (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 252, 308 and 309 together. My Department does not hold information in relation to the number of children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in school. The National Council for Special education (NCSE), an independent agency of my Department, is responsible for planning, co-ordinating and advising on education provision for children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 253 and 254 together. My Department's practice has been to respond to the needs of long term or repeat child patients in hospitals and HSE CAMHS facilities through the establishment of special schools or through the funding of part-time teaching hours. The purpose of educational provision in HSE CAMHS Units is a short term intervention designed to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Grants (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: 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. For a dependent student, the reckonable income for grant purposes includes both his/her own income and that of his/her parents/legal guardians. A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: 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 30th September. The school referred to by the Deputy is due to have a teaching post suppressed due to a fall in enrolments in September 2018. The staffing process includes an appeals...