Results 1,981-2,000 of 17,498 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (22 May 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 process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The school referred to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (22 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school secretary is at the heart of the school and is the key interface between students, parents, school leaders and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. In supporting these vital school staff members, we also support the school community as a whole. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools traditionally received assistance to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (22 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school building project referred to by the Deputy is devolved for delivery to Galway and Roscommon Educational Training Board (GRETB). The project is currently at stage 1 of the architectural design process. The execution of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) between my Department and GRETB is complete. The Design Team for the project was appointed in April 2025, to design the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (22 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project referred to by the Deputy is a campus project devolved for delivery to Galway and Roscommon Educational Training Board (GRETB). This project was approved to proceed to tender (stage 3 of the architectural process) in February 2025. Once this stage has concluded, the project will progress onwards to construction in due course. While at this current stage, it is not possible to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (22 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department of Education’s Blended Working Policy was introduced at the end of 2023 and allows staff members to make applications to work remotely for up to 3 days per week. The Department continues to accept applications from staff members to formalise their blended working arrangements and work is ongoing to promote this. Approximately 25% of staff members have formal blended...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Attendance (22 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is under the remit of my Department. TESS operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has three strands namely the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Attendance (22 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), which includes the Educational Welfare Service (EWS), is under the remit of my department since 2021. The primary role of the EWS is to ensure that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The data published by Tusla recently shows that in the 2022/2023 school year, over 110,000 primary and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (22 May 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 process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The school referred to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 230, 231 and 233 together. The table below sets out the information requested by the Deputy relating to the software in use in my department. Provider Software Version HCL Technologies Lotus Notes 12.0.2 Microsoft Teams* 25094.310.3616.953. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Equipment (22 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The table below sets out the information requested by the Deputy relating to the cloud services in use in my department. Certain cloud services are excluded for security reasons. My department has previously been advised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) not to disclose details of its cyber security operations which could in any way compromise the Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (22 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department does not use a commercial internet service provider as its internet service is provided through the Government Networks shared service which is delivered by the OGCIO (Office of the Government Chief Information Officer) in Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (22 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: There is a need to ensure careful consideration about the use of AI in all aspects of teaching, learning and assessment, and that teachers and school leaders have the necessary. The Digital Strategy for Schools reflects the importance of AI and the use of data in the education context. Ongoing research, engagement with other EU member states and national regulatory changes including the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (22 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The criteria required to have incremental credit awarded to qualified Special Needs Assistants (SNA) is set out in Circular 0139/2006 and was agreed with the unions representing the Special Needs Assistants, School Management Representatives, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education. Circular 139/2006 sets out in section 4.3 that incremental credit...

Gaza: Statements (21 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, for sharing his time with me and allowing me to contribute to this really important discussion. It is clear that we are witnessing war crimes every single day. Every day when we turn on our TV, open our phones and our newspapers, we can be in no doubt that what we are witnessing is a brutal war on children unfolding before our eyes. Every time...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (21 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school secretary is at the heart of the school and is the key interface between students, parents, school leaders and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. In supporting these vital school staff members, we also support the school community as a whole. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools traditionally received assistance to provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (21 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders recommended the establishment of a Commission of Investigation in relation to historical sexual abuse as its principal recommendation and this has been accepted by Government. A high level Inter-Departmental Group (IDG) was convened to advise on the recommendations of the Scoping...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scoileanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta (21 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Bunaíodh an Scéim Aitheantais Scoileanna Gaeltachta in 2017 chun deis a thabhairt do scoileanna i limistéir pleanála teanga Ghaeltachta aitheantas a lorg mar Scoileanna Gaeltachta. Ní mór do scoileanna sainchritéir theangabhunaithe a chomhlíonadh chun an t-aitheantas sin a ghnóthú. Cuirtear tacaíochtaí spriocdhírithe breise ar...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (21 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major project for the school referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a programme of school building projects. The project is currently at Stage 2b (planning) of the architectural planning design process. The NDFA’s Design Team is presently working to conclude the pre-tender stage in conjunction with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (21 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school secretary is at the heart of the school and is the key interface between students, parents, school leaders and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. In supporting these vital school staff members, we also support the school community as a whole. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools traditionally received assistance to provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (21 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department received a request to amalgamate, from the schools in question, in June 2022. In March 2023, the school authorities were advised that the Department had no objection to the amalgamation, contingent on no capital funding being provided. The school authorities advised that their Boards of Management would give further consideration to the...