Results 3,941-3,960 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy is aware, the project to which he refers is devolved to Dublin & Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB) for delivery. My Department is fully aware of the need to urgently progress this project. However, it is of the utmost importance that the final outcome for this project will be the correct one for both the school authority and the pupils. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Services Provision (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 426 and 497 together. My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to HEA designated higher education institutions (HEIs). The HEA allocates this funding as a block grant to the institutions. As autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of this funding, including the funding of appropriate student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Data (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The information requested by the Deputy in relation to major school building projects is currently being collated. I will arrange for the information to be forwarded directly to the Deputy shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Communications (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: Ensuring that every child has a suitable placement available to them is a key priority for me and the Government. I am deeply conscious of the stress and anxiety facing parents and their children where difficulties are encountered in securing a school place. As Minister I have a power under Section 37A of the Education Act 1998 to direct a school to provide additional provision where all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: Ensuring that every child has a suitable placement available to them is a key priority for me and the Government. I am deeply conscious of the stress and anxiety facing parents and their children where difficulties are encountered in securing a school place. As Minister I have a power under Section 37A of the Education Act 1998 to direct a school to provide additional provision where all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Meetings (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I recognise the very important work done by school secretaries, and indeed by other support staff, in the running of our schools and I am grateful to them for the contribution they make to our education system.  I have spoken to a number of school secretaries about their employment conditions and understand the issues they have raised. I have recently relaxed the moratorium for those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: Following a request from the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills for an economic examination of the three policy options proposed by the report on future funding of higher education (Cassells report), my Department engaged with the European Commission Structural Support Service throughout 2018 to ascertain the scope for the economic evaluation to be carried out with support from the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Data (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: Up to the week ending 1st September 2019, the total number of SUSI applications for the 2019/20 academic year was 89,400.  Of these, a total of 74,400 had received an initial assessment decision with 63,000 assessed as eligible for grant support, 9,500 refused grant support and 1,900 applications cancelled. With regard to appeals, it is open to any applicant to appeal a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Circulars (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos 433 and 434 together In circular 0032/2017 my Department published measures to be adopted by schools to reduce the cost of school uniforms and other costs. While the circular provided, as resources permit, to reward schools that can provide evidence of having adopted the principles of cost-effective practice, my Department, having regard to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: In April 2018, a review of Relationships and Sexual Education (RSE) in schools was announced by Mr. Richard Bruton TD, the then Minister for Education and Skills.  The Minister asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to undertake a review not just of the content of the curriculum but of how it is taught, and in particular how young people can get factual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Supply (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department is not in a position to provide the actual figures for enrolment in post-primary initial teacher education (ITE) programmes requested by the Deputy, at this time, as the CAO offers and acceptance process for September 2019 entrants has not yet concluded and the verified returns of students currently on other years of study are not yet confirmed. The following are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: Assessment of means under the Student Grant Scheme 2019 is based on gross income from all sources, of the applicant and his/her parents.  Under Article 32 of the Student Grant Scheme 2019 a student may apply to the awarding authority to have his/her eligibility assessed or reassessed in the event of a change in circumstances between 1 January 2019 and the end of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design & Build Programme.  A planning application for the project was lodged in January 2019.  Additional information sought by the Local Authority was provided and a notification of decision to grant planning permission was received on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that from September 2017, a new model for allocating special education teachers to mainstream schools was introduced. This model allocates special education teachers to schools based on the profiled needs of schools, as opposed to the assessed needs of individual children.  1,000 additional special education teachers have been provided for schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cyber Security Protocols (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Department’s cybersecurity services are primarily provided by expert external service providers. In addition to this, personnel from the Department’s ICT unit hold qualifications and attend relevant ICT training courses.  A risk register is maintained of ICT risks and security breaches are handled as part of the Incident Management process and in accordance with data...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Operations (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has a Business Continuity Plan which is updated as necessary. The Plan aims to mitigate the key risks that impact significantly on critical business operations and to ensure that the maximum possible service levels are maintained in the event of a major incident. In this context, Disaster Recovery Plans are tested regularly to ensure that critical I.T. systems can...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Playgrounds (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is designed to allow schools, on a devolved funding basis, to carry out necessary improvement and refurbishment works that will upgrade existing school facilities, including play areas. As the Deputy will be aware, Summer Works Scheme 2020 onwards, was open for applications up until 30th June 2019.  It is also...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design & Build Programme.  This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Manager to progress the project through the relevant stages of architectural planning, tendering and construction.  A planning application for the project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Establishment (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The patronage divesting process arises from the recommendations of the 2012 report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector, following which the Department undertook surveys of parental preferences in 43 areas of stable population in 2012 and 2013 to establish the level of parental demand for a wider choice in the patronage of primary schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is working closely with the school authority in question in relation to this issue. Alternative accommodation has been identified and works are being carried out to facilitate decanting the school to this accommodation. I understand that the school authority is keeping parents and staff fully informed of the proposed...