Results 15,581-15,600 of 15,994 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 May 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 of mine. Since 2020, my Department has invested over €177 million in school infrastructure across County Wicklow. The Department is continually...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 May 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 of mine. Since 2020, my Department has invested over €177 million in school infrastructure across County Wicklow. The Department is continually...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy will be aware that at present my officials are developing an implementation approach to Opportunities for Youth that takes into account the transfer of youth functions to the Department of Education. Work is already underway in relation to several actions in the strategy for which the Department is the lead. In relation to Action 8, my officials have begun work on a review of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: In light of the transfer of functions to the Department of Education and Youth, my officials are currently drafting the implementation approach to support the delivery of agreed actions and ensure effective mainstreaming of strategic objectives of Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028. Given the recent transfer, a precise timeline for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The 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 Funding (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary schools. The minor works grant is provided to all primary and special schools to enable them undertake small-scale minor maintenance and improvement works on a devolved basis. Under Project Ireland 2040, a commitment was given that the Minor Works Grant would be paid in either December or January of the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Schools in financial difficulty are encouraged to contact my Department for advice and support. The Department is committed to offering all available and appropriate supports to schools, which may include an advance in capitation grant funding or other measures. Schools that contacted the Department will be referred to the FSSU. The Department is committed to providing funding to recognised...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my officials are engaging with the school in question to progress the delivery of 2 Special education modular classrooms. The modular project is to be delivered by an appointed Project Manager under my department's Project Manager Framework. As the Deputy will be aware, this will require the use of some of their current playing space. I can confirm that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered as part of the Department's ADAPT Programme. The Adapt Programme uses a professional external Programme Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of Architectural Planning to Tender and Construction. The brief for this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: This government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. As the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department recognises the vitally important role of school caretaker. In supporting these vital school staff members, we also support the school community as a whole. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaking and cleaning services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a staff member to support those functions those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (27 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 is being 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 (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the operation and delivery of the State examinations, and facilitates access to the examinations through its scheme of reasonable accommodations at the certificate examinations, otherwise known as the RACE scheme. I welcome that the SEC has commenced a comprehensive review of the scheme, and I have asked the SEC to respond...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Programme for Government commits to developing an appropriate mechanism to allow additional time for students with specific needs and in certain circumstances, and also to ensure that those who use assistive technology can do so in State examinations. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the operation and delivery of the State examinations, and facilitates...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Programme for Government commits to developing an appropriate mechanism to allow additional time for students with specific needs and in certain circumstances, and also to ensure that those who use assistive technology can do so in State examinations. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the operation and delivery of the State examinations, and facilitates...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Medical Cards (27 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 348 and 315 together. The Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024 provides for the delivery of a package of health supports and services to survivors of abuse in residential institutions who received an award of redress from the Residential Institutions Redress Board or a similar court award or settlement. The Bill completed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The main focus of my department’s resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on the provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics.  I can confirm that my department is in receipt of an application, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question seeking a new build and purpose built...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department recognises the vitally important role of Secretaries and Caretakers within school communities, as a key link between students, parents, school leaders and other staff, ensuring that both the administrative and the caretaking needs of the school are met.  Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. The Department of Education and Youth is not the direct employer...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Postal Services (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: It is intended that the school referred to by the Deputy will move from its current location in interim accommodation on a school campus site in Citywest, Dublin to new modular accommodation on an interim site in Newcastle, Co. Dublin for September 2025. Coordinates for the interim site in Newcastle have been provided to the school to assist the school in liaising with An Post regarding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The issue in question spans a number of areas within my Department and requires some time to coordinate and compile. Officials in my Department are currently working on this query and will issue a response directly to the Deputy once this has been finalised.