Results 11,481-11,500 of 19,660 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Insurance Coverage (14 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: As outlined in my Department's Governance Manual for Board of Management of Primary Schools, Boards of Management are obliged to take out public liability insurance, contents insurance and employers’ liability insurance. As this school is on Minister owned land it is not obliged to take out buildings insurance. However the school is required to take out public liability, contents and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (14 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: Officials from my Department have been in contact with the school in question and it is aware of the elements in the process that need to be followed before any community contribution refund can be made. The case is being actively managed and it is anticipated that further progress will be made in the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (14 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: As part of Budget 2023, I announced over €50 million to provide free books to primary school pupils within the free education scheme from next September. This significant investment further reflects the Government’s commitment to a quality and inclusive school system with improved learning outcomes for every pupil. This Government recognises that the cost of preparing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (14 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 372 and 373 together. Section 64 of the Education (Admissions to schools) Act 2018, which was commenced in 2018 explicitly prohibits the charging of admission and enrolment fees for admission to or for continued enrolment in a school, with some exceptions such as boarding or fee charging schools. Voluntary contributions may be sought from parents, provided it...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early School Leavers (14 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: On 1 January 2021, the administration of the school completion programme (SCP), transferred from the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to my Department. The SCP forms part of the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS). While the arrangements between Tusla and the SCP are not impacted by the change in ministerial responsibility, Tusla now reports to my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (14 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services are being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disabilities Assessments (14 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: Under the Assistive Technology scheme, as set out in my Department’s Circular 0010/2013, funding is provided to schools towards the cost of computers and specialist equipment, which are required for educational purposes. All equipment provided under this scheme supports children with more complex disabilities who, in order to access the school curriculum, require essential...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education Provision (15 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: The Department of Education retains regulatory responsibility for the ETB sector, including further education services. Officials have been engaging with colleagues in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, which has policy responsibility for the further education sector, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to this matter...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (15 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. For the 2023/24 school year, the staffing schedule for primary schools has been improved by one point and schools will be provided with class teachers on the basis of 1 teacher for every...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, my Department has reached agreement in principle, subject to contract, for the acquisition of a site at Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow as a permanent location for the school in question. The conveyancing stage of the acquisition process has commenced and Head of Terms have been agreed with the Vendor. It is not possible at this early stage to provide a timeline for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Period Poverty (15 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government (PFG) includes the commitment to ‘provide a range of free, adequate, safe, and suitable period products in all educational publicly-funded settings (including schools, colleges and HEIs), to ensure that no students are disadvantaged in their education by period poverty.’ The Government has taken the decision to support the Private Members’...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question. My Department has a strong track record of delivery of school building projects and this was achieved again in 2022 notwithstanding the wider construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (15 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 and 111 together. The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in my Department’s Circulars 10/2001 for Primary teachers, 29/2007 and 29/2010 for Post-Primary teachers. The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC). These...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (15 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department is undertaking a comprehensive programme to support the supply of teachers. A number of measures are being implemented, including: - a range of special, temporary arrangements introduced by HEIs to create greater capacity for student teachers to provided substitute cover, - adjustment of the provision of continuing professional development (CPD) to reduce the need for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department has a strong track record of delivery of school building projects and this was achieved again in 2022 notwithstanding the wider construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and supply chain issues. There were circa. 180 school building projects delivered during 2022 and a further 273 school building projects continued in construction at the start of 2023 -...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has been approved for a project under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The project will provide the following accommodation at the school: 1 Classroom SEN Base and 5 SET Rooms. This project will be devolved for delivery to the school authority. I wish to advise the Deputy that the Stage 2b Report for this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (15 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). My Department does not currently collate data on the number of vacant posts in post-primary schools. Work is ongoing in my Department to produce...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (15 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: I would like to thank the Deputy for his question on homework. The Department acknowledges that homework can play an important part in helping students to prepare for forthcoming classwork and in reinforcing work already covered during class time, however, it is a matter for each school, at local level, to arrive at its own homework policy which best serves the school community. The policy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education Provision (21 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: Officials have been engaging with colleagues in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, which has policy responsibility for the further education sector, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to this matter and discussions are ongoing. There has been previous engagement with Unions regarding these staff and while...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (21 Feb 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and...