Results 12,101-12,120 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Mar 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: State Examinations (29 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Mar 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: Rights of the Child (29 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The Department of Education has long supported the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which was first adopted in 1989. The Department reports on how it is delivering against the commitments and recommendations that proceed from the Convention and the monitoring by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. On 24-25 January 2023, Ireland had its 5th review by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: I will issue a response directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (29 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: My colleague Michael McGrath, the Minister for Finance, introduced the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) to support businesses with increases in their energy costs. The TBESS was introduced as part of a suite of government measures to counteract increased energy costs. Included in these cost of living measures was €90 million in once-off additional funding which was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design and 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. My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The permanent school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is a campus project to deliver a 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including four classrooms, for children with special educational needs and a 16 classroom primary school and accommodation, including two classrooms, for children with special educational needs. The campus project is being delivered...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 Mar 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: Education Policy (29 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: Work on the development of a new policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht is currently underway in my Department. This policy will build on the achievements of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education and will be an important next step towards achieving the Programme for Government commitment to develop a comprehensive policy on Irish in the education system. The policy will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: As part of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030, my Department has committed to creating opportunities for expanding Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht in the context of announcements on the establishment of 47 new schools from 2019. My Department has ensured that the process for deciding on the patronage of new schools affords particular consideration to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early School Leavers (30 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: Since 1 January 2021, responsibility for the administration of the School Completion Programme (SCP), transferred back from the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to my Department. The SCP forms part of the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS). Funding for SCP is provided by my Department via TESS, and TESS have responsibility for oversight of SCP. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (30 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) is a programme that provides targeted resources to schools with the highest levels of educational disadvantage in order to support students and assist them to achieve their potential in education. The DEIS programme has been rolled out to a number of schools throughout the country. Where a school has a non-DEIS status, they are also...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (30 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The recruitment of teachers is a priority area of action for the Department given the importance of ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have available to them qualified, engaged, and supportive teachers to support them in their learning. My Department is undertaking a comprehensive programme to support the supply of teachers. The programme is being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Mar 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. Under Project Ireland 2040, we are investing €4.4 billion over the period 2021 to 2025, to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Mar 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. The overall approach is to facilitate devolved delivery of school building projects with centralised guidance and supports provided and funded by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for my Department. In order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2023 in the context of its available funding. My Department's published NDP allocation for 2023 is €860 million. Key priorities for my Department's work programme include continuing strong delivery to support the operation of the school system with particular regard to planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The reply to the previous parliamentary question referred to by the Deputy is reflective of the Cabinet decision on the review of the School Building Programme. My Department is engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in relation to capital funding pressures in order to continue to adequately support the operation of the school system with rollout of...