Results 16,981-17,000 of 21,076 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 Funding (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department’s voted estimate for capital and current expenditure for 2024 stands at over €10.9 billion. This represents an increase of over €2.8 billion or 35% since 2019. This is the third largest budget across Government, and the largest ever investment in our schools. This indicates the strong commitment to investment in education by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that staff from the Payroll Division of my Department are contacting the teacher concerned directly and will forward any documentation requested in relation to the salary overpayment.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning - Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. All Statutory Approvals have been secured, and the Stage 2(b) Submission was received in the Department late Q4 2023, for review. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, the six large scale projects being delivered for Project Boyne will be delivered across schools in counties Carlow, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) on a devolved basis for the Department. These school building projects are flagship projects in their area and will provide new and modernised high-quality permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 for the Department. As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school place needs, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme, from the school in question. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: 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: Schools Building Projects (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The school to which the deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for mechanical works. This application has been approved by and the school has been informed in this regard.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: Following an extensive site identification and assessment exercise, to identify a permanent site location for Mary Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare a number of site options were identified and investigated by the Department in conjunction with officials from Clare County Council. A preferred option has now been identified. The Department has now commenced the process...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Freedom of Information (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department has 3 staff working in its Freedom of Information Unit. A full-time Executive Officer who works full-time on FOI requests and a Higher Executive Officer and Executive Officer (both employed on a full-time basis) who work for part of their time on FOI requests. The Assistant Principal Officer and Principal Officer of the section have overall responsibility for the FOI unit and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (25 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The monies due to the Department in this case are related to Illness Benefit deductions of salary that were not made. The reason that these deductions were not made when they should have been, was due to late notification by the school, of the sick leave absence. The amount that the Department deducts is equal to the amount of Illness Benefit payment that a person receives from the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (26 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has recently received an application for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question. The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (26 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: Extending the reference date for enrolments to a later stage in the year would delay the timely notification of staffing to schools and the recruitment process that follows. The current process ensures schools can fill vacancies in a timely manner ahead of the new school year and so provides certainty to the school system. As advised, the staffing arrangements have in-built processes for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (26 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question. The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (26 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers, has been devolved for delivery to Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB). The brief for this project provides for a 8-classroom school, 2 SET rooms, Principals office and 1 combined resource / library area. The project is currently at Stage 3 of the architectural design process. At the end of May 2024, the ETB were given...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (26 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: In 2024 over €47 million was allocated to continue implementation of the schoolbooks scheme at primary level. On the 8th May I announced details of year 2 of the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme which provides at a minimum free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks to pupils in recognised primary and special schools. More than 555,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230 primary schools,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Discipline (26 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: The Leave of Absence following Assault Scheme, which is contained in the Department’s Circular Letter 0061/2017 for teachers and 0062/2017 for SNAs, provides for special leave with pay (subject to specified limits) to a teacher or special needs assistant who is unable to perform their duties due to a physical injury following an assault that happened in the course of their duties and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (26 Jun 2024)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the school referred to was granted approval for the provision of 4 Special Education Tuition rooms under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme, the accommodation is being delivered from the Department's Modular Accommodation Framework. The project is devolved to the School Authority for delivery. Task Order 1 has been issued which is an...