Results 3,421-3,440 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: Applications for personal leave to Represent Ireland at International Sporting Events are considered under Department of Public Expenditure and Reform guidelines for such leave and my Department’s circular letter 0032/2007. My Department is not in receipt of an application for such leave from the school to which the Deputy refers.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: The process of schools, new and existing, submitting their annual census is till ongoing. We will be in a position to publish provisional enrolment figures for the 2019 academic year for all primary schools in January 2020.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for SUSI to determine. In assessing an application for the 2019/20 academic year, SUSI will have regard to the following qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant: 1. The student must qualify for the standard rate of grant; 2. Total reckonable income, after income disregards and Child Dependant Increase(s) are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Supervision and Substitution Scheme (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I assume that the Deputy is referring to changes arising from the Haddington Road Agreement involving the Supervision and Substitution Scheme in 2013 and 2014. Circular 33/2013 (Supervision Scheme in Primary Schools) provides that from the beginning of the 2013/14 school year, the hours to be provided by teachers under the revised Supervision and Substitution Scheme were mandatory and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: The information requested by the Deputy is being collated and I will arrange for it to be forwarded directly to him.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: Projected costs and their effective management by the relevant higher education institutions associated with the development and operation of any particular TU proposals, such as those by the TUSEI consortium, are matters to be addressed by those institutions in the first instance. It would not be appropriate for the Department to comment on financial projections associated with any...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy will be aware that this project has been devolved for delivery to Westmeath County Council (WCC). He will also be aware that senior officials from my Department and WCC met with the relevant contractor two weeks ago. The meeting took place under the dispute resolution mechanisms set out in the Public Works Contract. I can inform the Deputy that a further meeting in that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 to 133, inclusive, together. The major building project to facilitate the amalgamation of the two schools referred to by the deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been secured. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: Progress reports are requested by the Department from Design Team Leaders on all major school building projects on a monthly basis. Officials from my the Department have been in contact with the Design Team Leader appointed to the project referred to by the deputy to re-iterate the need for progress reports to be submitted on a monthly basis and to stress the requirement for the report to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has identified a requirement to secure a permanent site for the college to which the Deputy refers. The college's patron has been working to identify a suitable site for the college. Until a suitable site is secured, my Department is not in a position to indicate when construction of a new building will commence.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: Standing Order No. 164A of Dáil Éireann 2016 provides for post-enactment reports on the functioning of an Act, within twelve months of its enactment. A post-enactment report on the Technological Universities Act 2018 (No. 3 of 2018) was laid before the Houses on 17 April 2019. A post-enactment report on the Education (Admissions to Schools) Act 2018 (No. 14 of 2018) was laid...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (10 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has enacted eleven pieces of legislation since March 2011. The details requested by the Deputy are contained in the following table. Title of Acts passed since March 2011 Date the Act was signed into law Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Act 2019 23 July 2019 Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 18 July 2018 Technological...

Financial Resolutions 2019 - Financial Resolution No. 9: General (Resumed) (9 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: The decisions made yesterday and today do not reflect where we want to be as a Government or as a country and certainly not where I want to be as Minister for Education and Skills. It reflects this time of uncertainty, which we do not like, but as I am an eternal optimist I hope we will not be going for a no-deal Brexit. The budget, however, is preparing for that. Most people realise that...

Seanad: Free Education (Prohibition of Fees and Charges) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (9 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I thank everybody. We are supporting the Bill on this Stage. I take on board the Senators' suggestion that this is the ideal forum to do what we need to do. We are all trying to figure out a way through this. One of the main things I noticed when I got this job, nearly a year ago, was the pressure voluntary boards of management are under with regard to capitation. The budget announcement...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (9 Oct 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: School Enrolments (9 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (9 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: For the Deputy's information details of payments made from my Department's administration expenditure under the incidental expenses category in respect of the year 2018 are available at the following link: ">Incidental Expenses

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (9 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: I recognise the very important work done by these staff, and the other support staff in the running of our schools.  I have spoken to a number of school secretaries about their employment conditions and understand the issues they have raised. Earlier this year I relaxed the moratorium for those C&C and ETB schools with enrolments of 700 and more which allow them to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Healthy Living Strategies (9 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: Schools and the wider education sector have a vital role to play in contributing to the ‘Healthy Ireland’ agenda that is being led by the Department of Health and is supported by the Department of Education and Skills and Government Departments. The Healthy Ireland agenda is committed to supporting everyone’s efforts to improve their health and wellbeing.  Schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Property (9 Oct 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy is aware, the building to which he refers is not in the ownership of the Minister For Education and Skills, however, the school to which he refers is accommodated at this location on an interim basis pending the delivery of its permanent school building.    The recently adopted Kinsaley Local Area Plan provides for a new school at that location in order to serve...