Results 3,621-3,640 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (25 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The policy of this Department is that all children with Special Educational Needs, including those with Autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I agree with the Deputy that the meeting on Friday is important. There should be a degree of honesty and cards put on the table because the community deserves nothing less than to find out whether it is happening. I will not say anything more about what may happen after the meeting. So many good groups and people are working on the project. I met them on site when the Deputy invited me to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Admissions (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I appreciate the sense of urgency. I also appreciate the intensity of development in different parts of the country and obviously in the Newcastle, Saggart and Rathcoole area. That is a school planning area. I deliberately separated out Rathcoole in my second last paragraph.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Admissions (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The former Deputy, Frances Fitzgerald, MEP, and Deputy Curran have outlined very clearly that there is a distinct need in that particular area. We are reviewing the potential to establish a new primary school in Rathcoole. That means collecting as much data as possible from planning permissions for future developments as well as for ongoing developments. I know he is not talking about the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to update the House on the position with respect to Holy Family national school in Mullingar. The House will recall that there have been significant delays in the delivery of this project. These delays arose initially because of unforeseen ground conditions and other similar issues that can arise on any building project. However, in recent months, I...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Admissions (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline the Department's position on primary school places in the Rathcoole area. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system, using data from a range of sources,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department’s school building programme to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan is focused on providing the additional school places needed to ensure that every child, including children with a special educational need have a school place. This includes establishing new schools and extending existing schools in areas where more school places are needed to meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (24 Sep 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 Accommodation Provision (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy may be aware, my Department gave grant approval for the construction of a two-classroom SEN Base, at the school to which he refers, under the Additional Accommodation Scheme 2019. My Department has been actively engaging with the school to resolve issues with the submitted design and proposals put forward in that respect. In the meantime, the school applied for and obtained...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff Remuneration (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: Circular 0048/2016 refers to Direct entry (recruitment) grades in the Education Sector (Post 1 January 2011 Entrants) Recognition of Previous Public Service in another EU Member State. This is a matter for the employer.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I can confirm to the Deputy that, the school referred to, has submitted an application for the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) 2020 onwards for cark parking facilities (Category 10). Commensurate with the level of funding available for SWS 2020 onwards, applications will be assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the governing Circular Letter for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff Appeals Mechanism (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) were established on foot of proposals brought forward by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) when the Haddington Road Agreement was being agreed. These supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs continue to operate under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018 - 2020, and both unions representing SNAs,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy may be aware that this project is being devolved for delivery to Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB). To enable this, my Department has recently issued a Service Level Agreement (SLA) to the ETB for its signature. The execution of this SLA will allow CMETB to procure a design team to take the project through the various stages of architectural planning and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Special Education Home Tuition Grant scheme provides funding towards a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement for whom such a placement is not available. The scheme also provides for early intervention for children with Autism. The application forms and related Circular for this year’s scheme were published on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: It is a matter for the Board of Management of each individual school to decide on its own policy in relation to the use of textbooks and workbooks in the school. Individual schools should adopt a cost-conscious approach to the selection of books in their classes. In relation to textbook costs an agreement was reached with the Irish Educational Publisher’s Association which resulted in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is a matter for the Board of Management of each school. Where the introduction of digital devices is planned, consultation with members of the school community including parents is advised. Consultation between parents, students and schools is now underpinned through the recently published Education (Student and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school in question submitted an application for major capital funding to my Department to construct a new school building on a green field site. Given the need to meet demographic growth, the delivery of new schools, together with extension projects identified by my Department's school building programme to be delivered as part of the National...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Administration (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for - (a) Early educational intervention for children with autism who meet the schemes eligibility criteria - (b) Students with special educational needs seeking an educational placement in a recognised school - (c) Students, enrolled in schools, with significant medical conditions which has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Special Education Home Tuition Grant scheme provides funding towards a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement for whom such a placement is not available. The scheme also provides for early intervention for children with Autism. The application forms and related Circular for this year’s scheme were published on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (24 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The 2019 Allocation of recurrent exchequer funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) designated institutions and the directly funded higher education institutions is in the order of €1 billion. To increase this allocation by 1% would incur a full-year cost in the order of €10million.