Results 12,661-12,680 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Communications (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirements for additional school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 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 149,000 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. There has been an increase of 21% tickets issued to eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Priorities (16 May 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: Departmental Priorities (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed upon under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In that regard there are more than 3,700 individual employers (primary schools, post primary schools and ETBs). My Department does not currently collate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Priorities (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The school referred to by the deputy was granted approval for a project under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The project will provide for the following accommodation at the school: 2 x SEN Base Classroom (439m2) & rental of 2 x 100m2 SEN base as an interim measure. The school and its design team submitted a stage report to the Department on 11th November...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Priorities (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirements for additional school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Priorities (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the Board of Management of the school. I can confirm that a Design Team was appointed by the school in March 2022. The Design Team is now preparing the Stage 1 report (preliminary design). Thereafter, the team will ensure that the project obtains the necessary statutory planning permission, and will be responsible for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Priorities (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive (HSE). This includes the establishment of special class and special school placements in various geographical areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department prioritises its capital funding for the provision of school accommodation to meet school place requirements, including for children with special educational needs. It does not provide funding towards the provision of accommodation for childcare or other non-school related services. School authorities or third parties may occasionally fund the provision of such accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 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 149,000 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. There has been an increase of 21% tickets issued to eligible...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy: Discussion (Resumed) (23 May 2023)

Norma Foley: If they provide the confirmation, then they are eligible to attend the third school. As already stated, I acknowledge the enormous body of work that this committee has done to try to push forward with the summer programme, with the aim of maximising the uptake. The Government has invested €40 million in order to be able to facilitate a maximum uptake of the programme. We are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: In September 2022 unions representing post-primary teachers chose to use the Building Momentum Sectoral Bargaining Fund to restore the value of an allowance previously withdrawn from new entrant post-primary teachers. Sectoral bargaining provides for the establishment of a sectoral fund amounting to 1 per cent of basic pay, of which some or all may be used to resolve outstanding issues,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 242 to 244, inclusive, together. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is committed to providing improved accommodation for the school in question. The Deputy will be aware that there are certain complexities associated with the school site and my Department is currently considering the options available in addressing the school’s interim...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department provides funding to recognised Primary and Post-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/School Services Support Fund (SSSF) to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 246 and 247 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (18 May 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 (18 May 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 2022. The project will provide the following accommodation at the school: 2 x SET Rooms and 2 x SEN Base. This project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority and is currently at Stage 1. I wish to advise the Deputy that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: Whilst the State Examinations Commission (SEC) is responsible for the operation, delivery and development of the State examinations, I am very much aware of the importance for students, parents and education stakeholders of ensuring that the results for Leaving Certificate 2023 are delivered in as timely a manner as possible. While the SEC is not yet in a position to confirm the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, in April 2018 it was announced that 42 new schools were to be established over the period of 2019 to 2022. This announcement included a new 800 pupil post-primary school to serve Blanchardstown_WestD15 & BlanchardstownVge_D15 School Planning Areas. In line with the policy on the use of State assets, which is also consistent with the objective of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (18 May 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, there is a designated school site within the lands referred to in Corballis, Donabate. The design and the delivery of a school on the designated site, is dependent on road infrastructure and services to be delivered as part of the residential development, on the lands referred to by the Deputy. The residential development was granted planning permission by An Bord...