Results 10,801-10,820 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

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

Joe McHugh: The Major Project at the school referred to by the Deputy is at Stage 1 of architectural planning which entails preliminary design of site and location suitability and initial sketch scheme. A revised Stage 1 submission, including an up to date cost plan, was requested from the Design Team following an increase in the schedule of accommodation to cater for up to 1200 pupils. That...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy may be aware, the DEIS Plan acknowledges that the allocation of teaching resources to DEIS primary schools with the highest concentrations of children at risk of educational disadvantage has served to improve learning outcomes. It also commits to the evaluation of the level of teaching resources for schools participating in DEIS to be undertaken to inform future policy in this...

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

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy is aware, the building project for the school in question is included in my Department's capital programme. With the assistance of officials in Fingal County Council, the proposed acquisition of a permanent site at Broomfield, Malahide to accommodate the school is being progressed. While a site acquisition process is underway, given the commercial sensitivities associated with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) presents new opportunities for teaching and assessment that should enrich the learning experiences of students and their teachers within all contexts. Following feedback on a draft single specification in 2015, the decision was taken to develop two separate specifications catering for two distinct school and student contexts. These specifications are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: I am pleased to confirm for the Deputy that the calculation of pension benefits for the person to whom he refers is complete. It is intended that the pension benefits will be paid on the 12 December 2019 and each fortnight thereafter. My Department’s officials have informed the person accordingly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Departments Home Tuition Grant Scheme provides funding towards a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement. Provision is also made for early intervention for children with autism. By its nature, the grant is intended to be a short term intervention and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: Irish universities are independent and autonomous statutory bodies established under the Universities Act, 1997 which while guaranteeing the principle of academic freedom, also requires detailed institutional level governance arrangements for the management, operation, policies and strategy of the relevant institution to be in place. The issue raised by the Deputy is therefore a matter...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Provision (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: The purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school. In exceptional cases my Department will consider home tuition applications on behalf of students with diagnoses of school phobia and/or associated depression/anxiety which has caused...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks Rental Scheme (10 Dec 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, my Department provided funding of €16.9 million in 2019 to all of these schools. It is a matter for the Board of Management of each individual school to decide on its own...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff Data (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that a new model for allocating special education teachers was introduced for mainstream schools from September 2017. The new Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on that school’s educational profile. What were previously referred to as Resource...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff Data (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department's policy is to ensure that every child who is assessed as needing Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support will receive access to such support. In 2019, in the region of €1.9 billion is being invested in Special Education, nearly one fifth of the overall Education budget. Budget 2020 has provided for 1,064 additional SNAs posts, for allocation in 2020, which will bring...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Data (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: I can inform the Deputy that the average direct pay and non-pay cost per annum of employing an Educational Psychologist in my Departments NEPS service is €75,000 per annum. The estimated annual additional cost, therefore, of employing ten psychologists would be €0.75m.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Speech and Language Therapy Data (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that the estimated salary cost for the employment of a speech and language therapist, on a full-time basis, would be an average salary cost of €55,000 per annum for a Speech and Language Therapist grade, or €70,000 per annum for a Senior Speech and Language Therapist grade. The estimated cost of employing ten new speech and language therapists...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: In the current school year, the numbers employed in our schools have reached the highest ever level. Over 1,300 additional posts in schools have been funded, including more than 370 teaching posts to cater for growth in student population and additional special classes. This builds on the Budget 2018 measure which provided a one point improvement in the staffing schedule in primary schools...

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

Joe McHugh: I recognise the very important work done by these staff, and the other support staff in the running of our schools. I have spoken to a number of staff about their employment conditions and understand the issues they have raised. In Budget 2020 I increased the number of secretaries and caretakers in certain schools, allowing schools with enrolments of 500-625 to fill secretary vacancies...

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

Joe McHugh: The building project for Malahide Portmarnock Educate Together Secondary School is being delivered under my Department's Design & Build programme. This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Management team to progress the project through the stages of architectural planning, tendering and construction. The procurement process for a bundle of projects has...

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

Joe McHugh: The provision of education for children with special needs, including those with Autism, is an ongoing priority for Government. Currently, almost 20% of the total Education Vote or €1.9bn is invested in supporting children with special needs. Since 2011 investment in Special Education supports has increased by 50%, which is significantly above the 7% increase in total student...

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

Joe McHugh: The provision of education for children with special needs, including those with Autism, is an ongoing priority for Government. Currently, almost 20% of the total Education Vote or €1.9bn is invested in supporting children with special needs. Since 2011 investment in Special Education supports has increased by 50%, which is significantly above the 7% increase in total student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (10 Dec 2019)

Joe McHugh: The DEIS programme allows for a reduced class size in Urban Band 1 primary schools with the application of a preferential staffing schedule to these schools of 20:1 at junior classes and 24:1 at senior classes to support those students at the highest risk of educational disadvantage. As the Deputy may be aware, DEIS Plan acknowledges the allocation of teaching resources to DEIS primary...

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

Joe McHugh: The provision of education for children with special needs, including those with Autism, is an ongoing priority for Government. Currently, almost 20% of the total Education Vote or €1.9bn is invested in supporting children with special needs. Since 2011 investment in Special Education supports has increased by 50%, which is significantly above the 7% increase in total student...