Results 12,301-12,320 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (26 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department provides funding to recognised Primary schools in the free education scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the Capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc. and the Ancillary to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. Schools are permitted to regard the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (26 Apr 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: Bullying in Educational Institutions (26 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department launched the Implementation Plan for Cineáltas on 10thApril 2023, which is available at gov.ie - Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying (www.gov.ie) Cineáltas is dedicated to the prevention and addressing of bullying, cyber bullying, racist bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools. It is centred on a child right’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (26 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department seeks to maximise value for money in all rental arrangements and works to ensure that the best possible price is negotiated. In that context, the disclosure of information about current rental agreements can compromise the achievement of value for money in current and future negotiations. For that reason of commercial sensitivity, my Department is not in a position to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (26 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: The Minister has offered to personally engage with the person concerned. The Minister is committed to providing supports to survivors of residential institutions. There has been ongoing engagement from Senior Officials in the Department with the named individual and this will continue. Furthermore, in the context of advancing proposals for the future supports for survivors of residential...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (26 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools. In Budget 2023, I ensured major investment in our schools and I have succeeded in bringing the teacher allocation ratio to an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools for the 2023/24 school year which is the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (26 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 96 together. The attached document provides the number of teachers holding a Post of Responsibility Allowance (at Assistant Principal I and Assistant Principal II levels). The dates are extracted from payroll data in April 2023 and March 2009. Posts of responsibility applications are processed throughout the year by payroll staff in my Department and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (26 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that approval has issued for the provision of 1 x SEN classroom at the school referred, to cater for enrolments. The project is being delivered under the Department’s Devolved SEN Reconfiguration and Modular Accommodation programme. This approach supports accelerated delivery of the accommodation and maximises assistance to the school for this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (26 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: The Minister has offered to personally engage with the person concerned. The Minister is committed to providing supports to survivors of residential institutions. There has been ongoing engagement from Senior Officials in the Department with the named individual and this will continue. Furthermore, in the context of advancing proposals for the future supports for survivors of residential...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (27 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: The Department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings. Schools that are designed and built in accordance with the Department’s schools technical guidance documents have been achieving A3 Building Energy Ratings since 2009 with current schools typically achieving up to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (27 Apr 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: School Admissions (27 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (27 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 248 and 263 together. A working group in the Department has been examining the matter of how NEPS can continue to recruit adequate numbers of suitably qualified staff and continue to respond to the educational psychological needs of children in recognised primary and post-primary schools across the country. To address supply issues in the medium to long...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (27 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: The Redress Scheme operated by the Residential Institutions Redress Board which was in place for people who had suffered abuse in a number of scheduled institutions had an original closing date of 31st December 2005 but the Board were able to accept applications after that closing date where exceptional circumstances existed. Overall the board accepted applications over a nine year period and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (27 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: I recently announced €29 million in minor works funding for primary and special schools. This funding can be used not only for the maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds but also for the provision of ICT infrastructure in schools. I am keenly aware of the challenges faced by educators and parents in relation to costs of digital technology,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (27 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: The Department of Education is very conscious of the enormous trauma which has been endured by all survivors of abuse and how vitally important it is that survivors have the opportunity to be heard in full. The scoping inquiry I announced on March 7th, 2023 will shape the Government’s response to revelations of historical sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders and has survivor...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (27 Apr 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: Legislative Measures (27 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: The Department is aware of the Fair Employment (School Teachers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 referred to by the Deputy. The current position in the Republic of Ireland is that the recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority. In accordance with Department Circulars 31/2011 and 44/2019, schools are required to ensure that...