Results 11,181-11,200 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Health (Covid-19): Statements (Resumed) (23 Apr 2020)

Joe McHugh: The plan we are working on is to have the leaving certificate examinations this year. They have been postponed. I take the points on pressure and anxiety. That is why I stated earlier that central to any decision will be the well-being and health, including mental health, of every single one of the 61,000 young people in this year's leaving certificate class. That is why we are putting...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (Resumed) (23 Apr 2020)

Joe McHugh: I referred to anxiety. The Deputy raised the issue of cancellations in some countries. He mentioned France and Great Britain. We are also looking at examples of where countries are going ahead with exams, including Germany and South Korea. We are looking at international evidence. We are not in the same position as Britain in the context of how it deals with its GCSEs or A levels. It...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (Resumed) (23 Apr 2020)

Joe McHugh: Yes, there were about seven or eight questions asked. We will ensure the Deputy gets a note on each of those important issues. I will reiterate a message that I have already stated publicly to private operators and accommodation providers - they should consider the difficulties that families are experiencing. If families have paid deposits or advances up to the end of the term, I would...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (Resumed) (23 Apr 2020)

Joe McHugh: I thank both Deputies for raising these important matters. On Deputy Collins's point on clarity around practicals and the leaving certificate vocational programme, LCVP, those issues are being prioritised at the advisory group forum. They were discussed on Friday, there is another meeting tomorrow, and there will be biweekly meetings in the weeks ahead. We need to get more clarity on the...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (Resumed) (23 Apr 2020)

Joe McHugh: Regarding private providers, all I will do today is appeal to them to use their judgment and do the right thing in regard to paying back money that is owed to these third level students. In the first instance, I ask the students to engage with the provider. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 provides for recourse as well. It is difficult, and there is no excuse for that not...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (Resumed) (23 Apr 2020)

Joe McHugh: The public gets frightened when we mention a task force, and sometimes it is set up to not do work. There has been very strong engagement between the Departments. For example, the Department is also engaging with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. The HSE is putting facilities in place to allow for the isolation of individuals if they are required to self-isolate....

Health (Covid-19): Statements (Resumed) (23 Apr 2020)

Joe McHugh: I have said to the Deputy that I will have one of the officials contact her directly to link in and to update on what has been done. There has been quite a considerable amount of work done at an interdepartmental level. If there are other gaps that we can help to work on then we would be happy to do that.

Health (Covid-19): Statements (Resumed) (23 Apr 2020)

Joe McHugh: No. It was just as I have said. I thank Deputy Connolly.

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: Mar is eol don Teach, rinne mé cinneadh agus d'fhógair mé an cinneadh sin an tseachtain seo chaite-----

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: Chuir mé an ardteistiméireacht ar athlá agus rinne mé an cinneadh fáchoinne córas úr na marcanna réamhbheartaithe agus an t-eolas fáchoinne na tuismitheoirí agus na mic léinn atá i gceist anois. Sin an fáth go raibh mé ag obair le mo chuid oifigeach ar an phlean sin agus bhí mé ag an chruinniú ar maidin leis...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: There were a lot of questions there and I will try to rattle through them as best I can. In respect of the challenges of tutors outside school, I do not want to put out information before it is decided because we will be in a position next week to give guidance to schools. That information is critical but we have identified students who, for example, are taking music and have a music tutor...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: Finally, as it is important, may I make this point on the disadvantaged schools and the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS scheme? DEIS status exists for a reason, which is to support those schools. Whenever I have visited a DEIS school in my 18 months in this job, and I have been in many, I speak individually to the teachers, the principals and students and they talk about...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: If the Deputy wants to put down all the questions I will get a formal response for her.

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Deputies for their questions. Deputy Feighan raised the issue around the advisory group. The advisory group is a collection of management bodies, parent representative groups, student representative voices and the two main unions for the post-primary sector - the TUI and ASTI. The group has been working through a lot of issues and has met seven times. Each time it has met, it...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I will try to answer as many of the Deputy's questions as I can in the short time available to me. I will ensure she gets a formal response to any that are unanswered. I agree with her regarding the impact in terms of the primary school transition. I re-emphasise that we had a meeting this morning with our officials on that issue. We are getting a lot of correspondence from both parents...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: I want to try to stick to the issues raised by the Deputy. He raised the issue of whether I will publish the public health advice. To be clear, the public health advice meant that we could model what the leaving certificate would look like. Using the public health advice, therefore, we modelled the leaving certificate with one exam per day, papers taking one and half hours, staggered entry...

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: -----and the Deputy is sending the message out today that they will be disadvantaged because they are in a disadvantaged school.

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: That is a disgrace.

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: Deputy Ó Ríordáin had his time. The Deputy had eight minutes. I have 20 seconds left. It is a disgrace. I can assure the Deputy I will not get into a row with him. The Deputy can call me.

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements (13 May 2020)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy can call me and I can sit down with him and talk about this.