Results 4,481-4,500 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Gross expenditure on the order of €131 million was incurred by my Department on salaries for teachers and special needs assistants (including employer’s PRSI) in fee-charging schools in the 2022/2023 school year. Capital supports (building-related and ICT grants) are also available to such schools totalling over €0.5 million in 2023. In addition, specific Covid-19 grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Budget 2024 has provided for an unprecedented €10.5 billion investment in education, which includes an increase of €421 million in core current funding, as well as over €80 million in core capital funding. An additional €170 million is also being provided as part of Cost of Living and COVID-19 supports. These additional funds build on significant increases in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential. Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my Department to address concentrated educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that it is not possible to commit to a date or a new round of funding at this time. As the Deputy will be aware, any future funding is contingent on the budgetary resources available to the Department and the priorities and demands relating to the budget.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirements for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department’s Circulars, 10/2001 for Primary teachers, 29/2007 and 29/2010 for Post-Primary teachers. The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC). Circulars 10/2001 for Primary teachers and 29/2007 for Post-Primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that there were no payments to suppliers under the names given by her recorded on my Department's Financial Management System in the past five years to date.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: As you may be aware, the purpose of the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The SWS operates on a multi-annual basis for categories of works such as roof works, window...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school referred to has been approved for a project under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme to provide a 2 classroom SEN base. This project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. A Stage 1 Report was received by my Department. Additional information was requested from the school authority and I can confirm that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The criteria required to have incremental credit awarded to qualified Special Needs Assistants(SNA) is set out in Circular 0139/2006 and was agreed with the unions representing the Special Needs Assistants, School Management Representatives, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education. To qualify for an award of incremental credit, an SNA and their prior...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. Where a board of management makes a decision to refuse admission, a parent/guardian can appeal that decision under Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998, and an independent appeals committee will be appointed to consider the appeal. A Section 29...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils traveling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: In 2022, Minister Foley established the National Policy Group for Lifelong Guidance. The National Lifelong Guidance Policy Group comprises senior officials from the Department of Education, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Department of Social Protection, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department has in place detailed design guidelines for primary and post-primary schools. These guidelines, which are available on my Department's web-site, currently provide for a standard range of servery and eating facilities in the design of new post-primary schools. At post-primary level, a kitchenette is provided off the General Purpose/Dining Area. The kitchenette may be used to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €3.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 840 school building projects, and with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects. It is important to have a range of delivery mechanisms for delivering school accommodation to support the current very strong...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Council registers teachers under five routes of registration: Route 1 - Primary, Route 2 - Post-primary, Route 3 - Further Education, Route 4 - Other and Route 5 - Student Teacher. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is a matter for the Board of Management of each school in the context of their digital learning planning. Schools are advised to consult with members of the school community including parents when planning for the introduction of digital technologies including devices with cost and other implications been fully...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The criteria required to have incremental credit awarded to qualified Special Needs Assistants (SNA) is set out in Circular 0139/2006 and was agreed with the unions representing the Special Needs Assistants, School Management Representatives, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education. Under the terms of Circular 0139/2006, Section 4, paragraph 4.3 (d...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (30 Jan 2024)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.