Results 9,861-9,880 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received a request for payment from the school in question. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is committed to paying invoices on rental contracts on a biannual basis. At the initiation of the rental approval, my Department, advises the school authority that the first payment covers the period January to June and the second...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 119 and 120 together. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs. This includes the establishment of special class and special school placements in various geographical areas where the NCSE identifies need. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that in relation to schools admission, parents can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available, the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available, a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Transition Year Selection Process (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: The management authority of each school carries responsibility for making decisions regarding the provision of the Transition Year Programme in their school. In some schools, the Transition Year programme is compulsory for all students, in other schools Transition Year is offered as an option to students. Circumstances may arise where it is necessary to limit the number of students who can...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: Applications for personal leave to Represent Ireland at International Sporting Events are considered under Department of Public Expenditure and Reform guidelines for such leave and my Department’s circular letter 0032/2007. My Department is not in receipt of an application for such leave from the school to which the Deputy refers.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: The process of schools, new and existing, submitting their annual census is till ongoing. We will be in a position to publish provisional enrolment figures for the 2019 academic year for all primary schools in January 2020.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for SUSI to determine. In assessing an application for the 2019/20 academic year, SUSI will have regard to the following qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant: 1. The student must qualify for the standard rate of grant; 2. Total reckonable income, after income disregards and Child Dependant Increase(s) are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Supervision and Substitution Scheme (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I assume that the Deputy is referring to changes arising from the Haddington Road Agreement involving the Supervision and Substitution Scheme in 2013 and 2014. Circular 33/2013 (Supervision Scheme in Primary Schools) provides that from the beginning of the 2013/14 school year, the hours to be provided by teachers under the revised Supervision and Substitution Scheme were mandatory and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: The information requested by the Deputy is being collated and I will arrange for it to be forwarded directly to him.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: Projected costs and their effective management by the relevant higher education institutions associated with the development and operation of any particular TU proposals, such as those by the TUSEI consortium, are matters to be addressed by those institutions in the first instance. It would not be appropriate for the Department to comment on financial projections associated with any...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy will be aware that this project has been devolved for delivery to Westmeath County Council (WCC). He will also be aware that senior officials from my Department and WCC met with the relevant contractor two weeks ago. The meeting took place under the dispute resolution mechanisms set out in the Public Works Contract. I can inform the Deputy that a further meeting in that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 to 133, inclusive, together. The major building project to facilitate the amalgamation of the two schools 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. All statutory approvals have been secured. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: Progress reports are requested by the Department from Design Team Leaders on all major school building projects on a monthly basis. Officials from my the Department have been in contact with the Design Team Leader appointed to the project referred to by the deputy to re-iterate the need for progress reports to be submitted on a monthly basis and to stress the requirement for the report to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has identified a requirement to secure a permanent site for the college to which the Deputy refers. The college's patron has been working to identify a suitable site for the college. Until a suitable site is secured, my Department is not in a position to indicate when construction of a new building will commence.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: Standing Order No. 164A of Dáil Éireann 2016 provides for post-enactment reports on the functioning of an Act, within twelve months of its enactment. A post-enactment report on the Technological Universities Act 2018 (No. 3 of 2018) was laid before the Houses on 17 April 2019. A post-enactment report on the Education (Admissions to Schools) Act 2018 (No. 14 of 2018) was laid...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has enacted eleven pieces of legislation since March 2011. The details requested by the Deputy are contained in the following table. Title of Acts passed since March 2011 Date the Act was signed into law Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Act 2019 23 July 2019 Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 18 July 2018 Technological...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Labhróidh mé le mo chuid oifigigh mar gheall ar an togra atá luaite aici. Beidh mé i dteagmháil léi. Déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall sonraí soiléire a fháil i dtaobh an togra. Gheobhaidh mé amach an scéal maidir leis an scoil tábhachtach seo agus na míbhuntáistí...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Online Safety (15 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 178 and 179 together. I published the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019 last month and it completed Second Stage in the Seanad on 2 October. The overall aim of the legislation is to improve the level of engagement between schools and students and their parents by inviting feedback, comment and observations from students and parents and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Functions (15 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: There are no plans to establish a new department of higher education and research.   The importance of the higher education system in the wider education sector, and the economy as a whole, has been underlined through the existence of a dedicated Minister of State for Higher Education who has overseen a significant programme of reform to safeguard and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities Status (15 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I issued a letter to the Chairs of the Governing Bodies of IT Tralee and CIT in relation to the application from their institutions for designation as a Technological University.   In the letter I stated: “I also note that the report of the advisory panel raised questions regarding the resolution of financial deficits at IT Tralee, stating that the panel did not receive...