Results 9,481-9,500 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Expenditure (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The estimated cost of increasing all SUSI maintenance grants by 1% would be €775k in the first year (Sept-Dec) and €1.7m for the full year cost.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: In 2019, €404.45m was provided for in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) for student support and related expenditure. It is anticipated that circa €380m of this funding will be spent on SUSI grants and related activities. The funding allocation for student grants is determined in the context of the overall Estimates and Budgetary process undertaken by all Government...

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

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy will be aware, under my Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible 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. While the student contribution now...

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

Joe McHugh: My Department’s overall annual spend on the DEIS Programme is approximately €125 million. Additional funding is provided by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection for the School Meals Programme and by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs for the School Completion Programme.  As the Deputy may be aware, my Department is...

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

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 502 and 503 together. The programme of structural remediation works at the schools to which the Deputy refers have now been undertaken.  This has facilitated the removal of precautionary measures that were put in place in October/November 2018. The schools have re-opened for the new school year.  For legal reasons, my Department is not in a...

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

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 504 and 505 together. For legal reasons my Department is not in a position to provide documentation in relation to the nature of the issues arising in the school buildings to which the Deputy refers. My Department has, however, provided the schools with written confirmation that the buildings are safe to occupy. My Department continues to liaise with the...

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

Joe McHugh: The building project referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department's Design & Build programme.  This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Manager to progress the project through the relevant stages of architectural planning, tendering and construction.  The next step in the process will be the application for planning...

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

Joe McHugh: At the end of the 2018/19 school year there were approximately 15,030 SNA posts allocated to schools. I announced on 27 May that 792 additional SNA posts will be allocated to schools for the beginning of the 2019/20 school year, with almost 130 additional posts expected to be allocated by December 2019. By the end of this year, there will be up to...

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

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 509 and 510 together. The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. A replacement Quantity Surveyor has recently been appointed to the project who is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Administration (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Student Grant Scheme 2019, opened for applications on 25 April 2019. The priority closing date (11 July 2019) for receipt of new applicants has now passed. However, SUSI is still accepting applications for the 2019/2020 academic year. Therefore, the student in question can still submit an application to have her eligibility for a student grant assessed by SUSI.

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

Joe McHugh: As previously advised, the project to which the Deputy refers is devolved to Westmeath County Council (WCC) for delivery. I remain extremely disappointment and frustrated that the most recent programme provided by the contractor indicates a completion date for the school in October 2019, and with the unsatisfactory position that the school now finds itself in as described by the...

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

Joe McHugh: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department has recently approved capital funding under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme for the school in question.  The School Authority has been informed accordingly.

Offshore Islands: Motion [Private Members] (17 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I move amendment No. 1:To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann:” and substitute the following:“notes that:— offshore islands and their communities are a dynamic resource in a developing Ireland, representing an extraordinary repository of language, culture and heritage and constituting a unique element in the fabric of Irish society; — offshore...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Data (17 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: 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 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Catchment Areas (17 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: 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 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department's capital investment programme provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms for existing schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified. All school capital projects that have been approved, by my Department, under the Additional Accommodation Scheme, may be viewed on my Department’s website, www.education.ie,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (17 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy is aware, a new post primary school for the Blanchardstown area is included in the 42 new schools announced in 2018. In line with the policy on the use of State assets (Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circulars 11/15 and 17/16), in the first instance my Department is seeking to maximize the use of sites already in its ownership and of available properties in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: University Governance (17 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I would like to assure the Deputy that my Department and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) consistently seek to treat any information received regarding possible wrongdoing in a higher education institution very seriously. As the Deputy will be aware, under the current statutory framework, Universities are independent and autonomous bodies and on that basis are responsible for the...