Results 281-300 of 15,908 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (29 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: To date, €310 million has issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools in ICT grant funding, under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 and the current Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027. This funding has enabled schools to invest in appropriate digital infrastructure to enable the embedding of digital technology in teaching, learning and assessment, in accordance...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary schools. The Minor Works Grant is provided to all primary and special schools, to enable them undertake small-scale minor maintenance and improvement works on a devolved basis. Under Project Ireland 2040, a commitment was given that the Minor Works Grant would be paid in either December or January of the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (29 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The 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: Special Educational Needs (29 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation. At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (29 May 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 person...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (29 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT programme. ADAPT is an acronym for the "Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning and Tendering". The ADAPT programme uses a professional external Project Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the...

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputies. A number of points were raised. The criteria that were agreed previously for the redress board focused on the abuse that was suffered within the institutions as opposed to those who were in the institutions. Deputies might say that, irrespective of this, someone was in an institution and suffered abuse, and I do not dispute that. However, what we have here has the...

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 20: In page 15, after 11, to insert "and Youth".

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputies. To clarify, it is for exactly that reason that this amendment is being made. It is to ensure it is not so narrow that it would exclude other practitioners who could make these recommendations. It is not to make it more difficult but to make it broader - I will not say easier as it is never easy - by allowing more medical practitioners within the HSE to make these...

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputies for their contributions. There is nothing we can say or do that will change what happened to so many young people. That is not what we are trying to do here at all. With the introduction of a redress scheme when parameters are put in place, the challenge is that someone will always be outside them. It is difficult, whether we are talking about this particular scheme...

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, lines 27 and 28, to delete “Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth” and substitute “Minister for Children, Disability and Equality”.

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 5: In page 6, line 15, after “Education” to insert “and Youth”.

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 7: In page 7, lines 12 and 13, to delete “by a registered medical practitioner or a registered nurse” and substitute “on behalf of the Executive”. This is a technical amendment to section 4. It was raised on Committee Stage by the Minister, Deputy Foley. Section 4(1)(d) currently provides for the provision of a home help service...

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, line 10, after “Education” to insert “and Youth”. I will speak broadly as I know this is the first time the Bill has been back in the House with this Government and this is the first time I am taking it as Minister. I am pleased to be before the House to progress Report Stage of the Supports for Survivors of Residential...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The main focus of my department’s resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on the provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics.  I can confirm that my department is in receipt of an application, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question seeking a new build and purpose built...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department recognises the vitally important role of Secretaries and Caretakers within school communities, as a key link between students, parents, school leaders and other staff, ensuring that both the administrative and the caretaking needs of the school are met.  Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. The Department of Education and Youth is not the direct employer...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Postal Services (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: It is intended that the school referred to by the Deputy will move from its current location in interim accommodation on a school campus site in Citywest, Dublin to new modular accommodation on an interim site in Newcastle, Co. Dublin for September 2025. Coordinates for the interim site in Newcastle have been provided to the school to assist the school in liaising with An Post regarding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The issue in question spans a number of areas within my Department and requires some time to coordinate and compile. Officials in my Department are currently working on this query and will issue a response directly to the Deputy once this has been finalised. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Deputy, significant additional resources have been identified and it is intended to commence work on updating the primary standardised tests for Irish medium schools (TGD-G) and English medium school (TDG-R). It is expected that this work will take 3 years to complete with costs for the development in the region of €5.18m Additional grants to English medium schools to purchase the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaeltacht Policy (28 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy will be aware, the current requirements for the mandatory ‘Tréimhse Foghlama sa Ghaeltacht’ or Gaeltacht Learning Periods (GLPs) for primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes takes the form of two 2-week placements, which are outlined in the Teaching Council’s Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education. Budget 2020 provided for...