Results 2,821-2,840 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 143 and 148 together. Once the presence of pyrite in the school referred to by the Deputy was established, my Department's Planning and Building Unit sought legal advice as to how to proceed. The matter has been referred to the Chief State Solicitor’s Office. The Deputy will appreciate that as this matter is still being dealt with by the Chief State...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Departments July Provision Scheme provides funding for an extended school year for students with a severe/profound general learning disability and/or students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The scheme was developed to reduce potential regression in learning associated with these specific categories of special education needs over the summer holidays. The National Council for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: The building project to provide permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy is delivered under my Department's Design and Build Programme and is funded under the National Development Plan. Under Project Ireland 2040 and the National Development Plan 2018-2027, my Department has an €8.8bn envelope for the delivery of the school building programme. Budget 2020...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Applications (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has no record of receiving an application for funding for the project in question under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) from the school to which the Deputy refers. The Deputy may wish to be aware that the Emergency Works Circular and Application Form are both available on my Department's Website www.education.ie

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has regard to all aspects of demand when allocating the resources which are made available to it, including as part of the annual Budgetary Estimates process. This includes examining demographic needs and demands for special educational provision when allocating mainstream teaching posts, special education teaching posts and special needs assistant posts, which together make up...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: In the current school year, the numbers employed in our schools have reached the highest ever level. Over 1,300 additional posts in schools have been funded, including more than 370 teaching posts to cater for growth in student population and additional special classes. This builds on the Budget 2018 measure which provided a one point improvement in the staffing schedule in primary schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Private Schools (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: Gross expenditure on the order of €95 million was incurred in 2018 on salaries for teachers and special needs assistants (including employer’s PRSI) in fee-charging schools. The total amount spent on Capital Expenditure (including ICT grants) in 2018 was on the order of €0.958 million. If the parents of children in the fee charging sector chose to send their children...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Private Schools (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has not undertaken any assessment of the feasibility of bringing all private educational institutions into State ownership, having regard to the Constitutional, legal, policy, financial and operational aspects of this question. I am therefore not in a position to provide any estimate of the costs of such a proposal.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Submissions (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 153 and 162 together. My Department did not make a formal submission to Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) on their draft Strategy 2020 - 2025. However, officials from my Department and the Higher Education Authority met with officials from SFI on 30 September 2019 and discussed the draft Strategy. My Department wrote to SFI following this meeting outlining...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Administration (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department did not issue instruction to the NCSE to delay the processing of Home Tuition application forms.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: A response has issued to all correspondence received to date from the school referred to by the Deputy. The current position in relation to this school's major building project is that it is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Retirements (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: As indicated in a previous response to the Deputy earlier this year, for the purposes of the annual Estimates process, my Department makes forecasts, based on trend analysis, of the scale of teacher retirements expected for the following year. Forecasting retirements in the education sector is complex, there are many social, economic and personal factors which influence teachers as to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: The fitness to teach provisions of the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 were commenced on 25 July 2016. Any person, including a member of the public, an employer or a teacher is able to make a complaint to the Teaching Council about a registered teacher. Complaints are possible under a number of headings, including professional misconduct or poor professional performance. The Deputy will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: Administrative Leave is a temporary leave of absence, with pay, which may be granted where it is necessary for a teacher to be absented from work in order that an investigation be carried out. It may only be granted in limited situations where the continued presence of a teacher (including the principal teacher) has the potential to present an on-going risk such as situations concerning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Service Provision (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: Through the Schools Broadband Access Programme the Department of Education and Skills provides for the supply of internet connectivity for all recognised primary and post primary schools, and some 98% of schools are included in this scheme. In some cases schools may choose to engage broadband providers outside of the DES programme where they may have a relationship with a local provider not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Discipline (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: The NCSE’s Policy Advice Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools (2015) recommended that the Department of Education & Skills develop guidelines for schools on the prevention and management of crisis student behaviour situations in schools. Having considered the matter, my Department undertook to develop new guidelines for schools on the prevention and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Data (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: Over 80% of mainstream Primary Pupils are in classes of 29 or less. Please note this percentage is for the academic year 2018/19 which is the last year we have confirmed figures for. This figure also excludes special pupils in mainstream schools. Figures for mainstream schools class sizes can be found at the link below;

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: The following table sets out details of current expenditure from the Department of Education and Skills Vote (Programme C) and Higher Education funding form the National Training Fund in the years 2015 to 2020. All items not marked as NTF are exchequer funded. 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Outturn ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (19 Nov 2019)

Joe McHugh: As Minister for Education & Skills, I am committed to continuing the process of investing in our higher education system and to the development and implementation of a sustainable funding model for the sector. As part of the 2020 budget process, an additional €112m was committed which represents additional investment in higher education. €26m of Exchequer funding...