Results 15,681-15,700 of 15,994 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Welfare Service (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides psychological support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools. There are currently 234 whole time equivalent psychologists providing a service across the country. NEPS provides access for all schools to: Psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident; A casework service for individual students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department does not collate information on ties companies may have with specific countries. I can, therefore, confirm to the Deputy that the information in response to his question is not available at this time. The information in respect of aegis bodies, within the scope of the Deputy’s question, is not held by my Department. Contact details for these bodies are set out in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department has a very significant capital programme that is providing additional capacity around the country, underpinned by a robust forward planning process. Since 2020, my Department has invested over €5.8 billion in our schools, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. Additionally, my officials work very closely with schools and patrons to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Arising from Budget 2025, €84.9m has been allocated for current and capital expenditure for the benefit of young people, an increase in funding of €7 million, or almost 9%, on the 2024 budget. Over the period from 2021 to 2025, the level of current Exchequer funding for youth services and programmes will have increased by over 34%. Youth funding is administered on behalf of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The School Completion Programme (SCP) is funded by my department via Tulsa Education Support Service (TESS) and is a central element of the DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) programme, a key policy initiative of my department to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level, in a targeted and equitable way, across the primary and post-primary sector. TESS...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the state. It is a function of the Council under the Teaching Council Acts (s7(2)) to act as the competent authority for recognition of qualifications obtained by a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the state. It is a function of the Council under the Teaching Council Acts (s7(2)) to act as the competent authority for recognition of qualifications obtained by a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm that my department received an application in 2018 under the Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) scheme for funding for the provision of eighteen special education classrooms. In this regard my department approved the provision of modular accommodation of four classrooms for the school in question to cater for their immediate needs. This project is complete. I can...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Youth Work Advisory Committee (10 Jun 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Youth Work Advisory Committee (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 561, 562 and 563 together. Work is underway on the drafting of an implementation plan to support the delivery of actions contained in Opportunities for Youth. The plan will take into account the transfer of youth functions to the Department of Education and Youth on 1 May, 2025. While it is not possible to provide a precise timeline for the development...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department recently announced school investment of €65 million to support digital learning and fund minor building works. The funding consists of, €35 million in funding for ICT infrastructure to all recognised special, primary and post-primary schools and close to €30 million in minor works funding to primary and special schools. Both of these grants have now issued...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that my department has a robust forward planning process. The 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department is working with a number of school authorities in relation to the provision of modular accommodation for the upcoming 2025/26 school year. These projects are being worked through currently and the delivery of accommodation for schools is dependent on a number of factors such as the suitability of the site in question, possible planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The large scale capital project for the school referred to by the Deputy is the provision of a new 600 pupil school building including ancillary accommodation. The project was authorised to proceed to tender, upon completion of the prequalification shortlisting process in September 2022. Planning Permission was due to expire in December 2022 and it was anticipated that an application...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 577 and 578 together. Under the Education Act, the Boards of Management of Schools have responsibility for the day to day management of schools. Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is therefore a matter for the Board of Management of each school in the context of their digital learning planning. Schools are advised...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (10 Jun 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: School Staff (10 Jun 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 schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally. The school referred to by the Deputy is due to have two teaching posts...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The case referenced by the Deputy has been lodged as an appeal by the teacher to the relevant unit in the Department as provided for under Circular 0030/2018 titled Adjudication Process – Contracts of Indefinite Duration. In accordance with this circular, the appeal is currently under review and will be referred to the independent Adjudicator appointed to review appeals cases. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The information requested is not collected by my Department. Neither my Department nor the State Examinations Commission (SEC) has any role in relation to the setting, running, funding or marking of mock examinations. Decisions to hold mock examinations are taken by individual schools. The format of these examinations varies from school to school and not all schools run mock examinations.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: School secretaries are valued members of our school communities and my Department is fully aware and appreciative of the vitally important role played by them in the running of our schools. My Department is providing a payroll service for school secretaries with effect from the 1st September 2023. The provision of a payroll service is part of a package agreed with Fórsa, the trade...