Results 3,981-4,000 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

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

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has approved temporary accommodation for Gaelcoláiste Chill Dara and the installation of this accommodation has been devolved to the school authority for delivery. In addition, my Department has approved grant for remedial works to be undertaken to the school building. A consultant has been appointed and...

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

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 484 and 485 together. Under project Ireland 2040, my Department continues to make progress to increase the infrastructural capacity in the schools sector, in order to meet demographic and other demands. The Capital Programme details the school projects that are being progressed under project Ireland 2040. I wish to advise the Deputy that the current status of...

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

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 486 and 516 together. School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. In the 2018/2019 school year...

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

Joe McHugh: Gross salaries paid to teachers in 51 fee charging schools in the 2017/2018 school year amounted to €91,660,946 (€96.2 million including employers PRSI contributions). There were 25,606 pupils enrolled in fee charging schools in the 18/19 school year. In 2018 there were a total of 114 posts allocated by the NCSE for special needs in fee charging schools. The posts are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Expenditure (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: In 2019, €404.45m was provided for in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) for student support and related expenditure. It is anticipated that circa €380m of this funding will be spent on SUSI grants and related activities.

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

Joe McHugh: My Department’s overall annual spend on the DEIS Programme is approximately €125 million. Additional funding is provided by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection for the School Meals Programme and by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs for the School Completion Programme. The substantial annual investment by my Department on the DEIS Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: Budget 2019 marks the third year of a major reinvestment in the education. In 2019, the budget for the Department of Education and Skills will increase by €674 million, a 6.7% increase on last year. In total, the Education budget will have increased by €1.7 billion compared to 2016. Budget 2019 will see numbers employed in our schools reach the highest ever level. Over 1,300...

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

Joe McHugh: The cost of employing 100 Special Need Assistants in the first year from September to December 2019 is estimated at €0.9m.  The full year cost is estimated at €2.8m. This estimated cost includes the pay increases under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018 to 2020 and employers PRSI.

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

Joe McHugh: I announced on 27 May that 792 additional SNA posts will be allocated to schools for the beginning of the 2019/20 school year, with almost 130 additional posts expected to be allocated by December 2019. By the end of this year, there will be up to 15,950 SNAs working in our schools, an increase of over 51% since 2011. The National Council...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Student Contribution, which currently stands at €3,000, was introduced with effect from the 2011/12 academic year. It is important to recognise that there has been no increase in the contribution since 2014/15.  Based on the overall number of students that qualified for free fees funding in the academic year 2018/19 (and were therefore liable to pay the Student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: Budget 2011 provided for a number of student grant measures which came into effect for the 2011/12 academic year, including the change in the assessment of the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant from 24 kilometres to 45 kilometres. The first year cost of "decreasing the non-adjacent rate of third-level grants from 45 km to 24 km" is estimated to be in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Expenditure (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: The estimated cost of increasing all SUSI maintenance grants by 1% would be €775k in the first year (Sept-Dec) and €1.7m for the full year cost.

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

Joe McHugh: In 2019, €404.45m was provided for in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) for student support and related expenditure. It is anticipated that circa €380m of this funding will be spent on SUSI grants and related activities. The funding allocation for student grants is determined in the context of the overall Estimates and Budgetary process undertaken by all Government...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (6 Sep 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy will be aware, under my Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible students with students paying the student contribution which currently stands at €3,000.   The Student Contribution, was introduced with effect from the 2011/12 academic year. While the student contribution now...

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

Joe McHugh: My Department’s overall annual spend on the DEIS Programme is approximately €125 million. Additional funding is provided by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection for the School Meals Programme and by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs for the School Completion Programme.  As the Deputy may be aware, my Department is...

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

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 502 and 503 together. The programme of structural remediation works at the schools to which the Deputy refers have now been undertaken.  This has facilitated the removal of precautionary measures that were put in place in October/November 2018. The schools have re-opened for the new school year.  For legal reasons, my Department is not in a...

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

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 504 and 505 together. For legal reasons my Department is not in a position to provide documentation in relation to the nature of the issues arising in the school buildings to which the Deputy refers. My Department has, however, provided the schools with written confirmation that the buildings are safe to occupy. My Department continues to liaise with the...

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

Joe McHugh: The building project 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.  The next step in the process will be the application for planning...

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

Joe McHugh: At the end of the 2018/19 school year there were approximately 15,030 SNA posts allocated to schools. I announced on 27 May that 792 additional SNA posts will be allocated to schools for the beginning of the 2019/20 school year, with almost 130 additional posts expected to be allocated by December 2019. By the end of this year, there will be up to...