Results 4,421-4,440 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (25 Jun 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department approved funding for the provision of 2 additional classrooms at the school in question together with a contribution towards the conversion of existing accommodation to a multi-purpose room. The project has recently been approved to proceed to tender stage. As it has been devolved for delivery to the school authority, it is a matter for the Board of Management of the school to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that grant was provided to the school in question in 2015 under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme to construct a mainstream classroom, three resource rooms and a WC for assisted users. The project went to construction in 2017 and was completed in 2018. The full grant has been paid to the school.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy will be aware that the delivery of Maynooth Educational Campus consisting of two 1,000 pupil schools and a shared Sports Facility has been devolved to Kildare and Wicklow Education & Training Board (KWETB). The assessment of tenders received for the completion of the remaining works for the project in question has recently been completed. It is expected that a tender report...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: The School to which the Deputy refers was awarded devolved funding under the Additional Accommodation Scheme 2018 to provide four new classrooms and ancillary facilities. The School Authority has recently been given permission to proceed with an application for planning permission for the project. As it has been devolved for delivery to the school authority, it is now a matter for the Board...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that a mechanical works project approved under my Department's Summer Works Scheme was recently completed at the school in question. In addition, works to the school's emergency lighting and fire alarm system were also completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included on the Department's school building programme to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan. The accommodation brief for the project is being finalised at present and my Department will be in contact with the school authorities as soon as this process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities Status (25 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: Government policy as set out in the Programme for Government is to support the creation of TUs as higher education institutes (HEIs) of sufficient size, capacity and critical mass to have a significant impact at regional, national and international level. These regional HEIs will have greater links to industry and will have an enormous impact on the capacity to create and retain jobs in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (20 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: Under the Framework for Junior Cycle, the new specification in Mathematics sets a minimum time allocation for the subject of 240 hours over the three years of Junior Cycle. Schools who provide 4 periods a week for each of the three years will meet the minimum requirement of the specification. The earlier Junior Certificate mathematics syllabus (2016) which the new specification replaced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Universities Legislation (20 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 to 103, inclusive, together. Universities are independent and autonomous bodies under the statutory framework set out in the Universities Act, 1997 and on that basis are responsible for the conduct of their day-to-day affairs, including in relation to borrowing activities. The performance of this role is subject to appropriate governance, oversight and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Data (20 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 105 together. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has had a process underway with the higher education sector to compile information on projects delivered for the period since 2008. This process has recently concluded on foot of consultation with the universities and Institutes of Technology. In the context of the above, I am now attaching the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Data (20 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy will be aware, Universities, Technological Universities and Institutes of Technology are autonomous bodies as set out in the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Act 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. In that regard, the bodies in question are responsible for their day to day operations, including the procurement of goods and services; provision...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (20 Jun 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: School Admissions (20 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that in relation to schools admission parents can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available, the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available, a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (20 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: As Minister for Education and Skills, I was delighted to announce the extension by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) of the provisions of the Scheme of Reasonable Accommodations at the Certificate Examinations (RACE Scheme), under which the SEC introduced a limited provision for supporting Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied candidates who experience the death of a close...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (19 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As she may be aware, my Department recently completed a review of provision at post-primary level across the school planning areas in the south Kildare area. My Department is satisfied that the needs in the area can be met through the replacement and expansion of the existing Curragh post-primary school with a new 1,000 pupil school building. It...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (19 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: To reiterate, the Department and the Government are committed to the new post-primary school in the Curragh. I appreciate that when diggers are not on site it can lead to frustration but the commitment is very clear. We will build a new post-primary school. The way politics works, Teachtaí Dála, who are messengers of the people, do their work and raise the issue. I thank the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff Contracts (19 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school. The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department Circular 0030/2014, which is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Protected Disclosures Data (19 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: In accordance with Section 22 of the Protected Disclosure Act 2014, my Department has published information on protected disclosures received during 2015, 2016 and 2017 on its website: In summary, in 2015, 3 protected disclosures were received from workers in the Education sector.In 2016, 2 protected disclosures were received from workers in the Education sector. In 2017, 10 protected...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (19 Jun 2019)

Joe McHugh: The position is that work is progressing and ongoing with the landowner in question and Kildare County Council in addressing technical considerations crucial to the delivery of the site and the commencement of the legal conveyancing process. Due to reasons of commercial sensitivity I am unable to elaborate further at this point.