Results 4,421-4,440 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the opportunity to be here and meet with the committee for its consideration of the Department's Revised Estimates for 2024. I am accompanied by a number of officials from the Department. These Estimates set out the allocations for the Department of Education under Vote 26. This includes funding for all of the services normally provided by my Department. Additional...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. Right across society, we are conscious that there have most definitely been impacts from Covid. In the Department, we previously provided significant funding through the catch-up fund in order that additional resources could be made available to schools. This was so that they could decide what best met the needs of students. Equally, there is significant funding and...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Our inspectors have done a considerable body of work in that space. That work is continuing. Every day, we are conscious of areas in which we can improve things going forward. I would not for one minute say there have not been impacts as a consequence of Covid. I outlined other measures, such as the summer provision and the additional class hours, that we provided. Right throughout...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: There is a very strong view regarding all the necessary precautions that needed to be taken. Significant resources were provided by the Department in the form of PPE, hand sanitiser, reimagining the layout of buildings, etc. A great deal of work was done. Huge credit has to be given in respect of the period during which there was a need for remote teaching and learning. We would be in a...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: As previously outlined, there was a phenomenal number of applications for the €1.5 million. I want to be clear and say that it was part of the application process. It was clearly outlined that €1.5 million was available. Maximum grants of approximately €10 million were made available. As stated, if all the applications had been successful, it would have cost...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I accept the Deputy's bona fides in the context of what she is saying. I do not want to take away from the excellent work being done by principals in all schools, be they DEIS or non-DEIS. Other schools look at the DEIS schools and see that they are getting considerable additional funding. This application process was open to all schools. As I said previously, we keep the entire system...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I accept that this topic is close to the Deputy's heart and that she has raised it previously. Education is part of the Government's islands strategy. On resettlement, I understand that the opportunities that are available are being considered. Mr. Hubert Loftus, who is here with me, is head of the Department's planning and building unit. The Department looks at the numbers and the...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Yes. Perhaps there are opportunities to combine the two going forward. We do keep it under review and I will keep the Deputy updated.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I mentioned earlier that there has been a very successful roll-out of the scheme in primary schools. We have taken an incremental approach from the primary schools right up to post-primary. The first step there is the junior cycle. The roll-out will be very similar to what has been done in the primary schools. Currently, we have a review of how things have worked in the primary schools...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I appreciate where Deputy Crowe is coming from. With the work of our own NEPS team we have been fortunate enough to have additional funding to ensure additional NEPS psychologists are being employed. In the last year an additional 18 have been taken on. In the coming months of February and March interviews are taking place for another tranche of NEPS psychologists. With regard to the flow...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: We will engage with the OPW on this. I have an official here from the planning and building section, so we can follow up directly with the Deputy. I hear the case the Deputy is making but we will engage with the OPW as well.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I am aware this is particularly close to the Deputy's heart. It has progressed and the report is being completed. I outlined previously the process, which is that on completion of the report it goes to the Cabinet subcommittee. Following its views and whatever is expressed in the Cabinet subcommittee there might be an additional small amount of work to do. Then it...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: That is a very significant body of work and an important piece of work. The whole area of special education, particularly in the last number of years, has really evolved. It is a personal view in terms of how we move forward. There is a vision that there would be colocation, that is, there would be a mainstream school and a special school all within the one campus with a view to...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I will come back to the Deputy directly.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I absolutely accept the Deputy’s points. From the Department’s perspective, we build the school, provide the staffing and resources but the area of the therapies falls within the remit of the Department of Health, as the Deputy said. I want to acknowledge Cork ETB’s work in the area of special education. It is important to say that. We have the school inclusion...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: In recent months, we announced the acceleration of senior cycle reform so that students who will be beginning their leaving certificate in September 2025 will be the first cohort of students with the new reimagined senior cycle. There will be nine subjects in that space. They will be the science and business subjects and two new subjects, drama, film and theatre studies and climate action...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I cannot confirm that about Professor Hyland but I will revert to the committee on that. The whole area of STEM is hugely important. The Department does have a digital strategy. It is funded to €200 million up to 2027. There was significant funding for the whole technology area right throughout Covid. There is huge engagement in my Department around supports and resources but also...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I want to acknowledge the huge amount of work by this committee on the whole area of senior cycle reform and the valuable additional resources provided to the Department. As I said, in September 2025, the first tranche of nine subjects will begin. Seven of those subjects are currently out for public consultation on the specifications of what is involved with them. That is open until 23...