Results 12,361-12,380 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: It is my Department's intention to progress the accommodation brief for the school referred to by the Deputy as quickly as possible. 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 ahead for the 2023/24 school year and beyond and also with particular regard to supporting...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that 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, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. With this information, my Department carries out...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (25 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 (25 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: The Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill has passed all stages of Seanad Éireann, and passed Second Stage in Dáil Éireann on 8thJuly 2021. Officials in my Department are continuing to engage with stakeholders including the National Parents Council and the Office of the Ombudsman for Children on matters pertaining to the Bill in advance of the Bill progressing to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Circulars (25 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 276 and 277 together. As Minister for Education, I am acutely aware of the costs faced by families upon the return of their children to school. Ultimately, decisions on school uniforms is a matter for individual schools and Boards of Management. Taking the above into account, my Department’s Circular 0032/2017, was issued to the Boards of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (25 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 as inserted by section 7 of the Education (Admissions to School) Act 2018 provides for a paper based appeal to be considered by an independent appeals committee appointed by the Minister for Education, in circumstances where a parent has been refused enrolment due to oversubscription. Section 29 B (1) of the Act provides for procedures to be drawn up...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Direct Provision System (25 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: In Ireland, all migrant children, including children of international protection applicants, refugees, migrant workers and unaccompanied minors, can access pre-school, first and second-level education in a manner similar to Irish nationals, until they have reached the age of 18 years. Tusla Education Support service has a dedicated team working in collaboration with the International...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware this project has been devolved for delivery to Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB). I can confirm that the Stage 1 report was approved by the Department to progress to Stage 2a in January 2023. The next steps for the ETB's Design Team will be to progress through Stage 2a (Developed Design) and obtain the statutory planning approvals....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (25 Apr 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: Schools Building Projects (25 Apr 2023)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that approval has issued in January 2023 for the provision of 1 x 50m2 Staffroom modular unit at the school referred. The Department are awaiting the return of the required paperwork in order to progress this project. The School Authority has overall responsibility for delivery of the project.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Meetings (25 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: Education Policy (4 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The process of reviewing the 2017 Guidelines for the Use of School Buildings outside of School Hours is now underway by my Department. My Department supports and encourage the use of school buildings for community and recreational purposes , where feasible, and this will remain a core feature of the new Guidelines. Part of the review includes a school survey to inform the updating of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (4 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that approval has issued for the provision of additional classroom accommodation 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (4 May 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: Energy Prices (4 May 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department provides funding to all recognised 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 including heating, lighting etc. and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. These grants may be regarded as a common grant from which the Board of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (4 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application for additional school accommodation (ASA) from the school authority in question. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Consultations (4 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The National Parents Council Primary was formally requested to extend its remit and support to post primary parents in written correspondence dated 02 December 2022. Prior to this, the Department engaged directly with the National Parents Council Post Primary rather than with the individual constituent or former constituent bodies of the NPCpp.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (4 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers to was approved funding under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme. The project is devolved for delivery to the school authority and will provide a 2 Classroom Special Education Needs (SEN) base, 6 x Mainstream Classrooms with en-suite and assisted user WC. I can confirm that my Department has received a Stage 1 design report from the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (4 May 2023)

Norma Foley: There are a number of programmes and supports within schools to assist students in considering and accessing the widest range of options possible including training in trades. All schools are expected to have a Whole School Guidance plan detailing a range of activities exposing students to a wide range of options, including but not limited to training programmes, apprenticeships, further...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (4 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government contains a commitment to expand the plurality of our schools to reflect the full breadth of society. Among the commitments are to: “Achieve the target of at least 400 multidenominational primary schools by 2030, to improve parental choice”; “Expand and prioritise the transfer of viable schools to Community National Schools”;...