Results 3,461-3,480 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 for the Department. My Department is aware of pressures for school places for the 2024/25 school year in North Kildare. As part of planning for September 2024, data on applications for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, my department has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 800 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 31 new school buildings. These 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 for the Department. My Department is aware of pressures for school places for the 2024/25 school year in the Dublin area. As part of planning for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The project for the school referred to by the Deputy currently has planning permission and will, along with a number of other projects with planning permission, be brought to the level of employer-led design with a Design Team assigned to do so under the supervision of my Department’s Project Manager. The process of appointing the Design Team from my Department’s Frameworks...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scoileanna Lán-Ghaeilge (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Tá obair leanúnach ar siúl i mo Roinnse faoi láthair chun polasaí nua a fhorbairt don oideachas lán-Ghaeilge lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht. Tógfaidh an polasaí nua seo ar an méid atá bainte amach ag an bPolasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta agus beidh sé mar chéim thábhachtach eile i dtreo ghealltanais Chlár an Rialtais a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department has received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question. The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 for the Department. My Department is aware of pressures for school places for the 2024/25 school year in Galway City and surrounding areas. As part of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Road Safety (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Tackling road safety challenges is a cross-society effort. My Department and I are keenly aware of the important role that schools, and the education sector, can play in supporting road safety education and awareness.For a number of years, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has been involved in providing a comprehensive and integrated road safety education programme at all levels: preschool,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Homeless Persons Supports (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: During my time as Minister for Education I have shown a strong commitment to addressing educational disadvantage. My Department’s Statement of Strategy, sets out the vision of my Department for an educational system where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential. It sets as a goal to ensure equity of opportunity in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Agreement has been reached between my Department and the HSE for the disposal of a site to the HSE for the location of a primary health centre. There are a number of elements in relation to this agreement that have been actively progressed by my Department, in conjunction with the HSE, and which are now being finalised. The matter is being treated as a priority and it is intended that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The number of educational psychologists currently employed in NEPS stands at 225 whole time equivalents across eight regions. This has risen from 206 whole time equivalents in 2021. This is the highest number employed in NEPS since it was established. Since the start of this school year, the NEPS service has expanded to all special schools, which is hugely important given the increased...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school referred to has been approved for a project under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The project will provide 2 Mainstream Classrooms, a 2 Classroom SEN base and an Early Intervention Unit. This project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority and is currently awaiting approval to construction. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 267 and 300 together. The large scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy is assigned to my Department’s ADAPT (Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning and Tendering) programme. This project is included in My Department’s Construction Programme which will be delivered under the National Development Plan (NDP) as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 268, 269 and 281 to 283, inclusive, together. The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 270 and 271 together. At primary level, teachers are allocated to schools at an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. DEIS Urban Band 1 schools receive an average allocation of 17:1, 21:1 and 19:1 for junior, senior and vertical schools respectively. Each one point improvement in the staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Gross expenditure on the order of €131 million was incurred by my Department on salaries for teachers and special needs assistants (including employer’s PRSI) in fee-charging schools in the 2022/2023 school year. Capital supports (building-related and ICT grants) are also available to such schools totalling over €0.5 million in 2023. In addition, specific Covid-19 grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary schools. Under Project Ireland 2040, a commitment was given that the Minor Works Grant would be paid in either December or January of the school year to all primary schools, including special schools. In recent years my Department’s approach has been to pay the Minor Works Grant to primary schools in advance...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: As Minister for Education, I believe it is crucially important that children and young people are actively supported to access education in its fullest forms. This Government recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry for many Irish families. As part of Budget 2024, I announced a major investment of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Currently the Department’s preliminary data for schools under the Free Education Scheme 2023-2024 indicates there are 558,143 learners in recognised primary and special schools and 406,392 students in post-primary schools. Based on these preliminary figures, the cost of restoring the school libraries fund by €10 per child in academic year 2024-2025 and increasing this by a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (16 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Currently the Department’s preliminary data for schools under the Free Education Scheme 2023-2024 indicates there are 558,143 learners in recognised primary and special schools and 406,392 students in post-primary schools. If there was an allocation of €10 per child that would be in the region of €10,000,000 per annum. Furthermore, the estimated additional costing in...