Results 4,661-4,680 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Contractors (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The EU Procurement Directives set the parameters for tendering processes and possible exclusion of contractors from same. The Department of Education and Skills at all times acts in accordance with public procurement legislation. Under the EU Procurement Directives, it is very difficult to exclude a contractor from a tendering process. In terms of future contracts, the Department will at all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 103 to 105, inclusive, together. The student maintenance grant is a contribution towards the living costs of a student. It is not intended to cover the full costs of attending college. The student grant scheme does however, provide for different levels of maintenance support, depending on means. Grants are also provided at adjacent and non-adjacent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: It is the policy of my Department that only qualified personnel should be employed by schools as teachers. Unqualified personnel should not be appointed except in exceptional circumstances and only when all avenues for recruiting qualified personnel have been exhausted and only for quite limited time periods. Circular 0031/2011 issued by my Department details a cascade of measures for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The permanent site acquisition process for the school to which the Deputy refers is now complete. A planning application for the permanent accommodation for the school was lodged in January 2019. A request for additional information received from the local authority was responded to on 26 April 2019 and a decision is awaited. Following receipt of planning permission the project will proceed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that DES Circulars 0007/2019 for primary schools and 0008/2019 for post primary schools provide details of how the allocations of Special Education Teachers have been updated for schools from September 2019, based on updated profile data. All schools have now received revised allocations for September 2019. As the re profiling occurred, some schools gained...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: I understand from my officials that a placement has been sourced for September 2019 for the child in question. The local Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO) has been in contact with the parent and remains available to provide advice and/or assistance with regard to special education supports for the child.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that funding has been approved for the provision of an additional mainstream classroom and en-suite toilets at the school to which she refers. A letter has issued to the school authority in that respect. The project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority so it is now a matter for the Board of Management to advance the project.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (28 May 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: Schools Facilities (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that following consultation with relevant school authorities, Guidelines on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours were published by my Department in October 2017. These guidelines can be viewed on my Department's website at this link: The purpose of these guidelines is to provide guidance for schools in relation to the use of school buildings...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy may be aware, agreement in principle has been reached with a landowner for the acquisition of a site at Donaghcumper, Celbridge. This site is proposed to facilitate the permanent accomodation needs of St. Patrick's National School, Celbridge Community School and St. Raphael's Special School on a campus type arrangement. Work is progressing and is ongoing in respect of technical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding, for additional accommodation, at the school referred to by the Deputy. Officials from my Department have been liaising with the school authority in this regard and additional information has been received. As soon as the assessment process has been completed the decision will be relayed to the school authority directly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in My Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. This project is one of the school building projects on my Department’s ADAPT 2 Programme. My Department is currently in the process of procuring a Project Manager for the ADAPT 2 Programme, which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The school referred to by the Deputy will be part of a shared campus. The major building project will consist of a Phase 2 extension at secondary level and a new school building for the Primary School. The building project will deliver the Post Primary building providing an area of 5,226m² new build and 2,237m² refurbishment. In December 2018, the project completed Stage 2a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The school referred to by the Deputy will be part of a shared campus. The building project will deliver a new Post Primary school and the new special school building will provide an area of 3,746sqm with 11 classrooms and associated ancillary accommodation to cater for pupils with a range of learning disabilities. In December 2018, the project completed Stage 2(a) - Developed Design Stage,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (28 May 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: Special Educational Needs (28 May 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: Special Educational Needs Staff (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) were established on foot of proposals brought forward by the Labour Relations Commission when the Haddington Road Agreement was being agreed. These supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs continue to operate under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018 - 2020 , and both unions representing SNAs, namely...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Health and Safety (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy will be aware that last October and November my Department carried out initial structural assessments into 42 schools constructed by a particular contractor. In 22 of these schools precautionary measures were implemented to enable continued safe occupation and part of the school to which the Deputy refers was closed following the identification of significant structural issues. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Government is spending nearly one euro in every five of the education budget on special education – about €1.9 billion in 2019. We have significantly increased the availability of special placements for children with special educational needs as well as bringing more and more children into mainstream education. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 May 2019)

Joe McHugh: The permanent site acquisition process for the school to which the Deputy refers is now complete. A planning application for the permanent accommodation for the school was lodged in January 2019. A request for additional information received from the local authority was responded to on 26 April 2019 and a decision is awaited. Following receipt of planning permission the project will proceed...