Results 10,401-10,420 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Junior Cycle Reform (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: I appreciate the Deputy raising this issue because this is a subject area which requires deliberation. We have introduced interventions in the Gaeltacht area, including the tumoideachas, the Gaeltacht recognition scheme, which is working well. It is hard to believe that even in recent years some Gaeltacht schools taught through the medium of English. That has all changed and there is now...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Junior Cycle Reform (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: Aontaím leis na pointí deireanach a rinne an Teachta maidir leis an bhean atá ag obair in RTÉ. Aontaím freisin faoin leanúnachas agus an díospóireacht faoin teanga. Sílim gur chóir do dhaoine tosú níos óige, roimh an scoil, agus go mbeadh leanúnachas ann tríd an bhunscoil agus an mheánscoil ina dhiaidh sin. Ba...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: Gabhaim buíochas don Teachta as ucht a cheist. A new model for allocating special education teachers was introduced for mainstream primary and post-primary schools from September 2017. It is designed to distribute special education teaching resources fairly to schools, taking into account the profiled needs of each school. The total number of special education teachers has...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: I am happy to ask my officials to look at this issue and identify what is the most recent and up-to-date research. This evidence is based on international research dating back to 2014. If we look at the trajectory here regarding special needs provision from 2011 to this year, there has been an increase in special needs assistants, SNAs, from 10,000 up to 17,000 next September. There has...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: All international evidence is pointing to this approach. I would be happy to forward supporting information to the joint committee. I have no problem doing that. I alluded to the report from 2014, which stated: Clear international evidence exists of a gender imbalance in the incidence of disabilities, special education enrolments and academic achievement (OECD, 2003, Mitchell, 2010,...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: European Court of Human Rights Judgments (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: I express again my sympathy for the victims of sexual abuse and acknowledge the trauma they suffered. As the Deputy will be aware, the ex gratiascheme was established on foot of the specific circumstances arising from and in response to the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, ECHR, relating to Ms Louise O'Keeffe. Ireland submits biannual action plans to the relevant committee of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: European Court of Human Rights Judgments (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: I am treating this matter with the most urgent attention and I will continue to do so. I met the Attorney General earlier today on this issue and he also appreciates the urgency involved. The Attorney General also articulated the complexity that surround this issue, which the Deputy will respect. We want to get this right. We had previous decisions by Government and there has been...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: European Court of Human Rights Judgments (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: There is nothing more horrendous than to take away the innocence of young people. As a society, we have had a history of that and we have to be very vigilant in that regard. That is why we have been insistent and have focused on ensuring we have proper child protection measures in place through legislation. The Deputy stated that if he was Minister, he would implore the Attorney General...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: The decision making authority for any amalgamation belongs to the patron or trustees of the school, and this is subject to my Department's approval. The Department understands that the timing of the amalgamation is being considered in the context of the delivery of the building project. It awaits confirmation from the patron in this regard. A...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: The land was signed over on 9 October. Approvals have been obtained and the project is at the tender stage. Tenders are due for return by 22 November. The tender process has been extended on a number of occasions, and I appreciate the frustration that the boards of management, parents, students and teaching staff have gone through regarding the delays, but this was to allow for the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to separate the amalgamation from the tendering process. The amalgamation is being considered in the context of the delivery of the building project, but we await confirmation from the patron. It is on the amalgamation that we await confirmation from the patron.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: I also wish to put on the record that the site was not gifted. I will not go into the details of that here today.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: No, it was not.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Schools Amalgamation (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: I appreciate the frustration involved in the delay of the building project and the competing demands at an educational level in this school. I will be vigilant and ensure that we keep moving forward on it.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Accommodation Provision (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of a stand-alone extension project for the school to which he refers has been devolved for delivery to Donegal Education and Training Board, DETB. As Minister for Education and Skills and a Deputy for Donegal, I am delighted to report that there has been significant progress on the revised design for the project, which has been developed by the new...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Accommodation Provision (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: It is deeply frustrating for me and the officials that there is a new building, built in 2005, on which we must go back and do a survey. That is the first frustration. The second, as the Deputy is aware, is that we had to replace the architect at the beginning of the summer. We had to go to a new architect and sit down with a new design for the building because other expressed wishes had...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Accommodation Provision (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: There is no question about the commitment relating to this project. I met the principal, Mr. Anthony Doogan, in Moville on the Monday before last. He is satisfied with the level of progress and in his leadership position within the school he must manage expectations and frustrations along the way. Nevertheless, he is satisfied with the progress being made and the work of the design team...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: DEIS Scheme (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, is the main policy initiative of my Department to address educational disadvantage at school level. The DEIS programme provides for smaller class sizes and other supports, including additional teaching posts, home school community liaison co-ordinators, DEIS grants, enhanced book grants, curriculum supports, priority access to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: DEIS Scheme (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: DEIS has been an outstanding success story and when it was introduced, there were fears around the stigma that would be associated with the programme. That was very quickly dispensed with because of the support mechanisms put in place and the progression by students, not just to third level but also to training and apprenticeships. The statistics bear that out. Disadvantage is no longer...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: DEIS Scheme (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: The planning areas are publicly available but I would be happy to forward the information to the Deputy. We sit on a cross-departmental group that takes homelessness as a very specific and important issue. If Deputy Thomas Byrne wishes to raise any specific matters with me in that regard, I would be happy to take that information. I will take the note he mentioned and his comments...