Results 261-280 of 16,608 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Jul 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 a reduction in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department does not hold the information requested by the Deputy in a readily accessible format. Therefore, it has not been possible to collate this information within the time available to answer this question. Officials in my Department are currently gathering further information and I will arrange for information to be conveyed directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Teaching Hours Extension Scheme is to provide post-primary school management with an alternative means of sourcing appropriately qualified substitute teaching cover to support teaching and learning in schools. Due to the differences in the structure and operation of schools between primary level and post-primary level, it would not be possible to extend the Teaching...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: In Budget 2025, my department announced that the free schoolbooks scheme would be extended to students in Senior Cycle years, including Transition Year, in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. This brings the total investment for schoolbooks to over €170 million for the new school year. This means, for the first time ever, all children and young people enrolled in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Each year, the number of students admitted to primary Bachelor of Education and Professional Master of Education (PME) programmes in State-funded Higher Education Institutes (HEI) is determined by my Department, having regard to teacher supply and demand issues, and available resources, noting that additional places have a direct cost implication for the Department. Under Section 38 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major project referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Departments ADAPT Programme. The ADAPT programme uses a professional external Project Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe during the stages of architectural planning. The brief for Owenabue Educate Together National School is the development of a new 16 classroom...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health and Safety (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department has produced a number of documents in relation to safety in school laboratories, including Safety in School Science and Safety in the School Laboratory. These set out the key principles of safety in a science laboratory. The fundamentals of safe science practice in schools remain constant and schools are supported to embed safe practice through these documents and guidelines. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy may be aware, the purpose of the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The SWS operates on a multi-annual basis for a number of categories which could include the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my Department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,375 school building projects. Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. A recent Government decision has approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: We expect to publish final enrolment data for academic year 2024-2025 shortly and we will revert to the Deputy with the requested data as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Meals Programme (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school meals programme was set up in 2003 and the hot school meals element was introduced in 2019. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) has policy responsibility, funds the scheme and has responsibility for administering it. DSP established an Interdepartmental Working Group in December 2024. The Department of Education and Youth (DEY) is a key member of this group and has stepped...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new 8 classroom primary school with accommodation and 2 classrooms for children with special educational needs at Swords, Co Dublin. 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 to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, responsibility for delivering a major project for the school in question has been devolved to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education & Training Board (DDLETB). The Department of Education originally approved the construction of a standalone extension of just over 4,000m2 in area to include a 2-classroom Special Education needs base. Some works to the existing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Caretakers are valued members of our school communities who carry out work vital to the operations of our schools. At present, the majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker services under ancillary grant funding. The Department of Education and Youth is committed to ensuring that school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail of a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department received an incomplete application from the school employer in relation to the teacher referred to by the Deputy. An official from my Department has been in direct contact with the school employer. The school may be in a position to submit a further application which will be considered for approval.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme (CASWS) is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The CASWS operates on a multi-annual basis across a number of categories of works such as Windows,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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, where the Design Team have secured all statutory applications and are preparing the suite of tender documents. The brief for the project is to provide a new 16 classroom primary school with an additional classrooms for pupils...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 of mine. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to fulfil their full potential in life is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth, and for the Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal supports provided to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (8 Jul 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...