Results 17,121-17,140 of 21,076 for speaker:Norma Foley

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Scoileanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As both Deputies noted, the Irish-medium provision in Ennis is currently provided by Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, which is an Irish-medium aonad within Ennis Community College. I welcome the level of enrolment in the aonad, at 116 students. It is fantastic that these students are taking up the opportunity to avail of their post-primary education through the medium of Irish. These...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Scoileanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department has received correspondence, as I said, from Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board proposing that Gaelcholáiste an Chláir become a stand-alone school. The enrolments in Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, as I outlined, do not currently appear to be at a level where a stand-alone Gaelcholáiste could be established and the majority of children leaving...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Staff (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: That is right, but the Deputy is there nonetheless. I wish to acknowledge the major contribution being made daily by all school leaders in successfully operating Irish schools to an incredibly high standard. Budget 2017 allowed for the commencement of restoration of middle management posts as part of an agreed distributed leadership model and meant lifting the rigidity of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Staff (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I appreciate and acknowledge every day that more is being asked within our schools. That is of all staff, whether it is the teaching staff, school secretary, caretaker, our SNAs and obviously our school leadership and boards of management, to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude. In terms of supporting school leadership and the concept of distributed leadership, we have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Staff (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I do not disagree with anything the Deputy has said in terms of the importance of supporting schools and ensuring they are free. We have already had this discussion earlier today in terms of access to education and it being free. I already highlighted the supports we provide. These include, free school books, reduced school transport costs, ensuring that there is no payment for junior or...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Scoileanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I thank Deputy Wynne for her question. The answer will be similar to that given in respect of a previous question. As I indicated earlier, since 2011, arrangements have been in place for the establishment of new schools involving the forecasting of demand for school places based on demographic exercises carried out by the Department. New schools are only established in areas of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Scoileanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I appreciate that sterling work is being done at Gaelcholáiste an Chláir in regard to the promotion of the Irish language. I am aware of the work being done by the staff, the atmosphere that is being cultivated in the aonad and the first-class provision for students. However, the Department must look at the numbers when it receives an application. I acknowledge that an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Scoileanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the case the Deputy has made. I appreciate the case that has been made by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board and by Gaelcholáiste an Chláir itself. I can only reiterate that there are issues that need to be addressed. In particular, we have identified issues regarding uptake of places. We have an openness to working through those issues. We are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Irish Language (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department is taking a staged approach to developing a comprehensive policy for the Irish language from preschool through to teacher education. There are three strands to this work as it relates to the Department of Education, namely the policy on Gaeltacht education, the policy on Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht, and the work commencing on a policy framework and action plan...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Irish Language (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: There is a significant commitment from the Department to progressing and supporting the growth of the Irish language. We have deemed it necessary to take a staged approach to this objective. We began with the policy on Gaeltacht education, on which significant progress has been made, including the development of the BEd and MEd, support for international research and supports for schools in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Irish Language (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Tuigim an tábhacht atá ag baint leis an nGaelainn. Ní hamháin sin ach táimid ag déanamh gach iarracht sa Roinn an Ghaelainn a chaomhnú agus í a chur chun cinn. I have already outlined our support to ensure we are progressing the Irish language. We took the staged stance here. Great progress has been made on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Accommodation (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge his ongoing engagement on this matter and that of Deputy O'Connor and the other Deputies who are concerned about it. I appreciate Deputy Stanton and I have had a number of conversations on this. The school was established in 2018 under the patronage divestment process. Fermoy was one of a number of areas surveyed in 2012 and 2013 under the patronage...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Accommodation (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy very much. For absolute clarity, I reiterate that when the school was inaugurated in 2018, this was done under the patronage divesting process. There was an agreement with the patron of the Educate Together school and the ETB that it would be a shared campus and the school would be capped at the numbers at the time, in a four-classroom school, until additional...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Accommodation (11 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Again, we want to be helpful here. It is for that reason we ensured a technical assessment would take place to see if we can find a pathway forward. There was the request to the building officer from Educate Together to engage with the school on the ground. We want to move a step forward. However it is important - and I do not always hear this element being recognised or admitted to in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Due to Data Protection legislation, it is not possible to provide details regarding an individual’s pension entitlements through this format. This personal information can be provided to an individual on direct request to the Department. Therefore, I advise the Deputy to direct the individual concerned to contact ccfinancial@education.gov.ie with their queries. Once received,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: In 2024, over €47 million is allocated to continue implementation of the schoolbooks scheme at primary school 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Citizens' Assembly (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Education is of high importance to me and the Department of Education as is including the voice of children in the process. The Programme for Government commits to establishing a Citizens’ Assembly on the Future of Education ensuring that the voices of young people and those being educated are central. The establishment of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Schools and other educational institutions are required to comply with anti-discrimination and other employment legislation, such as the Employment Equality Act 1998. Section 37 (1) of the Employment Equality Act, 1998, as amended, requires relevant employers in schools with a religious ethos to show that any favourable treatment of an employee or prospective employee is limited to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (9 Jul 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: Artificial Intelligence (9 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department and its officials do not use ChatGPT, or any other form of AI, to generate official text for Dáil speeches or responses to Parliamentary Questions.