Results 15,381-15,400 of 15,994 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Obesity Levels (14 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department works together with the Department of Health and other agencies to support students in the area of health promotion. My Department acknowledges the commitment of schools in promoting healthy lifestyle choices for students in a number of ways - through the curriculum, for example Home Economics, Physical Education and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE); through school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred to by the Deputy had a large scale capital project delivered in 2024 by my Department. There are contractual arrangements associated with this project which need to be managed by the school. My Department will continue to engage with and advise the school authority in order to support it in opening special education classes in this context. These discussions are actively...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project for the school referred to by the Deputy will provide a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school building and accommodation, including 4 classrooms, for children with special educational needs on the permanent site for the school. The project will be delivered under my Department's Design and Build Programme. The decision to grant planning permission for the permanent school was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Educational Research Centre (ERC) was established on a statutory basis in September 2015. This is the only aegis body established by my Department in the last 10 years. Voted funding to this aegis body in the last 10 years amounts to €32,266,837.53. In 2023, the following 4 support services: Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST); Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT);...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 and 233 together. Compulsory retirement in the public service is generally determined by the date of recruitment of the individual public servant and, for the most part, is provided for in primary legislation. The Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004 introduced new superannuation and retirement provisions for new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department has recently received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government. Providing inclusive education to children with special educational needs is a fundamental principle of my Department’s education and training system. This principle is put into practice through the policies of my Department and the Teaching Council...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under the Education Act 1998, the question of enrolment policy in individual schools, including the setting of catchment areas, is the responsibility of the board of management on behalf of the school patron. The selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirement for 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 system,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department is in receipt of an application for funding from the school in question. This application for temporary accommodation has been assessed under the department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and special education needs (SEN) accommodation is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 May 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: Third Level Education (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht is responsible for the approval and operation of Irish language courses in the Gaeltacht as part of Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge. It is a matter for the school board of management to make a decision to approve an educational trip. In this regard, the school has a duty of care, supervision and safety for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 552 to 554, inclusive, together. The Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders recommended the establishment of a Commission of Investigation as its principal recommendation and this has been accepted by Government. Whilst the Scoping Inquiry considered restorative justice approaches...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 555 and 573 together. I wish to refer the Deputy to section 2.1 of Post Primary Circular 42/00, which advises the following: “2.1 With effect from 1st May 1999, where an acting Principal, acting Deputy Principal, acting Assistant Principal or acting Special Duties Teacher post is held for a period in excess of 5 consecutive years, the acting-up...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Energy Conservation (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings as part of our work towards 2030 and 2050 climate targets. This performance has been recognised at both National and International level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design, specification and delivery. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for roof works. The application in question is currently being reviewed by the technical area within the EWS. Once a technical recommendation has been received back from the technical team, the EWS team will engage further with the school as appropriate. The EWS team is aware...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Telecommunications Infrastructure (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to inform the Deputy that the school in question is not in the ownership of my Department. As the query relates to development of lands outside of the school boundary, it would be more appropriate to address your concerns with the local planning authority, who would deal with planning and development.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department is in receipt of an application for funding from the school in question. This application for temporary accommodation has been assessed under the department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and special education needs (SEN) accommodation is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Energy Usage (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department is committed to its obligations under the Climate Action Plan and the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate 2025. As part of the SEAI Partnership Programme my Department has made significant progress in reducing our energy usage, provisional results from the SEAI indicate that we have attained our 2030 target of a 50% reduction. Measures taken by my Department include;...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The school referred to...