Results 15,061-15,080 of 15,994 for speaker:Helen McEntee

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. About 172,000 young people access the school transport scheme. Many of those are children with additional needs. The programme for Government sets out very clearly that we will expand the scheme even further. There is no set timeline, and the expansion has to be done across the lifetime of the current Government, but we have set a very clear...

Parental Choice in Education: Motion [Private Members] (8 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dail Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Government recognises the importance of parental choice; and — the Government is committed to seeking to increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both multi/non-denominational and faith-based education, in line with the Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Attendance (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is under the remit of my Department. TESS operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has three strands namely the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Standards (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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: Education Standards (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: Following the implementation of calculated grades in 2020 and the dual approach of examinations and accredited grades in 2021, two types of intervention have been implemented in recent years: adjustments to examination and assessments arrangements, and a post-marking adjustment to outcomes. This post-marking adjustment has ensured that results in the aggregate have remained the same on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 755 and 756 together. As the Deputy is aware, as part of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment programme, the curriculum and assessment arrangements for all Leaving Certificate subjects will be revised over the coming years. Each new and revised subject specification will incorporate externally assessed components that are not a traditional written...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In accordance with Department , which is available on the Department’s website under www.gov.ie, schools are required to employ appropriately...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The scope of works and associated costs for the modular building referred to by the Deputy are currently being finalised by the Design Team and Programme Manager, for submission to my Department. Upon review and approval, work on the modular building can then commence. The programme for the works is estimated as 10-12 weeks. My Department will continue to update the school authority with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 761 and 762 together. The Department of Education has been providing a payroll service for former grant funded school secretaries with effect from 1st September 2023. The provision of this payroll service is part of a package agreed with Fórsa, the trade union representing school secretaries, following a series of engagements at the Workplace...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department is committed to providing 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 and general up-keep, and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or the environment, which is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, Languages Connect, Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017 – 2026, aims to increase and diversify the teaching and learning of foreign languages. As part of this strategy, the Say Yes to Languages (SYTL) programme was introduced in 2021/22 in advance of the redevelopment of the Primary Language Curriculum to include foreign...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Programme for Government commits to seeking to increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both multi/non-denominational and faith based education. For historical reasons, most primary schools are State-aided parish schools, with the local Bishop as patron. It is recognised, including by the Catholic patrons, that more diverse provision is required to cater for our...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications have developed a jointly funded school sector decarbonisation pathfinder programme. It is administered by the Planning and Building Unit in my Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland in partnership with devolved delivery support from Limerick and Clare Education Training Board, and Longford and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Reviews (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 770 and 771 together. Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is under the remit of my Department. TESS operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has three strands namely the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) and the two school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: All accommodation constructed since 2008 is A rated in general energy terms, providing a solid platform for meeting the energy efficiency and carbon reduction targets under the climate action plan. All new schools entering design process have decarbonised heating. Schools moving through design stages are being reviewed on a project-by-project basis with the aim to maximise...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (29 Apr 2025)

Helen McEntee: As you are aware, the Department of Education has been providing a payroll service for former grant funded school secretaries with effect from 1st September 2023. The provision of this payroll service is part of a package agreed with Fórsa, the trade union representing school secretaries, following a series of engagements at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in 2022. The agreement...