Results 14,861-14,880 of 15,994 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to fulfil their full potential in life is a key priority for me as Minister for Education, and for the Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal supports provided to all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 the Department of Education. Requirement for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The 2024-27 Data Strategy of the Department of Education focuses particularly on data governance, data culture and literacy, data quality and data use, aiming to build strong data foundations across the department. Leveraging advances in technology, such as AI and advanced analytics, relies primarily on having processes in place to manage data quality. Among the high-level actions outlined in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department of Education has no projects underway with CeADAR.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The information in respect of aegis bodies, within the scope of the Deputy’s question, is not held by my Department. Aegis bodies have been provided with the question and have been advised to respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department continues to review and follow guidance issued by the National Cyber Security Centre, Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, and the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform on the use of Artificial Intelligence. The Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 and its associated Implementation Plan set out the Departments policy on embedding the use of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department has not offered AI Training to staff working in the Department, as AI is not utilised to perform their duty. Officials in my Department are preparing a course on AI that will be made available to all staff once complete. My Department continues to review and follow guidance issued by the National Cyber Security Centre, Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Minister’s Office does not have a record of the number of physical letters received. The total number of emails received into the Minister for Education’s Office in 2024 was 48,496. This includes both emails, and physical letters. Please note that this figure also includes internal emails to the Minister’s mailbox, and we do not have an exact figure for letters/emails...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The total number of emails received into the Minister for Education’s Office in 2024 was 48,496. This number includes both emails and physical letters. Please note that this figure also includes internal emails to the Minister’s mailbox, and we do not have an exact figure for letters/emails received from the public. The Customer service mailbox for the Department received...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Surveys (10 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: As outlined in the Department of Education’s Statement of Strategy, 2023- 25: www.gov.ie/en/publication/d7691-department-of-education-stat ement-of-strategy-2023-2025/, my Department is committed to achieving and developing Organisational Excellence and Innovation. While no specific surveys have been carried out to estimate the amount of time taken up with administrative tasks and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scoileanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I fully support the important role that Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí play in the promotion of the Irish language. We have committed in the Programme for Government to expand opportunities for pupils and students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, to establish Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand, and also, to support parents...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. The most recent data shows that there are over 79,000 qualified teachers employed in our schools across the country. Between 2018 and 2024, through record investment by Government, the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my department has invested over €5.8 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. These projects have delivered almost 100,000 additional and replacement school places, including almost 3,000 in County Mayo. Between projects currently under construction and projects moving to construction in the coming...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Reducing the level of school absenteeism is a key priority for me as Minister. The School Completion Programme will be a key part of our response to a significant rise in school absenteeism in recent years. The is an important programme to support children and young people who are at risk of early school leaving and is part of my department’s Delivering Equality of Opportunity in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other schools in the area. School building projects delivered under my Department’s Additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The School Transport 2030 report, which was published in early 2024 marks the largest review of the School Transport Scheme since it was established in 1967. I am committed to working to achieve the report’s recommendations of expanding access to the scheme so that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030, and to continue to improve the scheme to that it provides a valuable...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: An Teanga Gaeilge (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Leag mé amach gealltanais uaillmhianacha sa bhfrithrún a mhol mé maidir leis an nGaeilge sa chóras oideachais agus tá mé tiomanta beart a dhéanamh de réir mo bhriathar maidir leis na gealltanais sin le linn thréimhse an rialtais seo. Mar a bhaineann sé le mo roinn, tá cur chuige forásach, seicheamhach á ghlacadh le...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: An Teanga Gaeilge (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Ba é a bhí i gceist le Creatchuraclam na Bunscoile (2023) a fhorbairt ná taighde náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta, comhoibriú le líonra scoileanna, caidreamh le comhpháirtithe agus geallsealbhóirí oideachais, agus comhairliúchán fairsing. Tógtar leis ar éachtaí agus láidreachtaí churaclam na bliana...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. In circumstances where posts are unfilled for a period of time, or where a vacancy arises in a school due to a teacher taking leave, such vacancies may be filled by substitute teachers....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Services (8 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department of Education is committed to supporting the emotional wellbeing of our children. The Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary and special schools. The NEPS service provides access to: - Psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident - A Casework...