Results 15,961-15,980 of 15,994 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (17 Jun 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: Early School Leavers (17 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The most recent figures available concerns the students who began their post primary education in 2017. This cohort were due to complete their Leaving Certificate in the academic years 2021-22 or 2022-23. The 2016 cohort finished in the years 2020-21 or 2021-22. Figures for the 2018 cohort finishing in 2022-23 or 2023-24 are yet to be published. The following table shows the number for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (17 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The development of digital skills and media literacy must start from a young age. The Department of Education and Youth’s response to the provision of digital skills and media literacy within early childhood and care and school settings includes:Curriculum at all levelsDigital Strategy for Schools to 2027STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (17 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: There are currently 172 primary schools with a multi-denominational or inter-denominational ethos. This includes:51 of the 52 new primary schools established for demographic reasons since 2011 having a multi-denominational ethos32 areas now have increased multi-denominational provision as a result of the reconfiguration or divesting process undertaken since 2011.For historical reasons, most...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (17 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Teacher Fee Refund Scheme is to provide funding towards the cost of course participation and examination fees on successful completion of teacher professional learning courses. In order to prioritise teachers’ professional learning in areas clearly linked to learning, teaching and assessment, funding is allocated to relevant programmes in line with policy priorities...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The large scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy is at Architectural Planning Stage 3 – Tender Action and Award. The brief for this project is to provide a new 27 classroom school with 3 classrooms for children with special educational needs and a General Purpose Hall on the existing school site. Works include the demolition of existing school building. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new 1,000 pupil post primary school with accommodation and 6 classrooms for children with special educational needs. It is intended that the project will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT Programme which uses a professional external Programme Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Integrated Project Team...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (17 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department is in receipt of an application for additional school accommodation (ASA) from the school in question. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school's existing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Judicial Reviews (17 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 470, 471 and 472 together. The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available. It is currently being collated and reviewed by officials in my Department and a response will issue directly to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Who is incompetent?

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I join him in acknowledging the unbelievable contribution that both secretaries and caretakers play in our school community and thank them for the work they do. Obviously in recent years, progress was made through the WRC and engagement with the secretaries to change the rate of pay and the way in which they were paid. Work is underway to follow...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: It is important to outline that as of the end of April, 399 new classes and one class that has been given a legal direction to open, comprising a total of 400 new special classes, are being opened, coupled with places that have become available due to natural movement, meaning 3,900 new spaces are available. What I expect as Minister and what is happening now is that all of those places are...

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Amendment No. 2 is a technical amendment, the purpose of which is to amend section 3 to reflect the recent change of the official title of the Minister from the “Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform” to the “Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation”. Unfortunately, when this...

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I should have started by acknowledging those in the Public Gallery. I thank them for being here. To speak to amendment No. 6, what is being asked here is that there would be professional support provided for victims and survivors.Counselling supports are currently provided through a scheme that was established back in 2000 following the Taoiseach's apology in 1999. It is provided through...

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: My intention with this Bill is to pass it so that survivors can benefit from what is in it. I appreciate that there is a difference of opinion on how far it goes. My absolute intention is to make sure they get access, not that people are refused or that anybody has to go to court. That is the last thing anybody wants, nor should it ever happen. I appreciate that sometimes it does but it...

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Senators for their contributions. What we are dealing with here is very specific to individuals who have been identified as residents and who have been part of the previous schemes culminating from the Ryan report. I appreciate there are various different abuses that have happened in different institutions in different elements of the State. What I have to deal with...

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I hope the Senators would agree that I am not reading off a script and am genuinely responding to the questions as they emerge. I want to be honest and straightforward on all of this. Whether it is the enhanced medical card or the HAA card, if there are challenges around waiting lists and access, I would respectfully say that we still have the same problem. On an earlier point made by...

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I will come back on two things in case they were misconstrued. It is not that one has to be wound down for the other. The supports can only come into play with the legislation. Given that Caranua itself is finished, it and the fund are coming hand in hand. It is not that one has to go with the other. I do not want to mislead in terms of figures, and I want to get absolute clarity on what...

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: That was five years later.

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I will respond to a couple of points. It is an average of €15,000. Some might have received less; some might have received more. Some 57,000 payments have been made in total. A lot of them would have been from when the Senator mentioned, in 2017. There were two main elements of the way they were paid out, namely, housing and home improvements, which accounted for €68.7...