Results 5,461-5,480 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Facilities (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 132 and 133 together. My Department has in place detailed design guidelines for primary and post-primary schools. These guidelines, which are available on my Department's website, 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, 25m² in area, is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Facilities (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 135 together. In existing buildings, if a school has concerns about the quality of its drinking water the competent authorities to address this are the relevant local authority and Irish Water. It is matter for schools to take their concerns up with those authorities. Following this contact, if any quality issues are identified as a result of a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that the decision making authority for any amalgamation belongs to the Patron/Trustees of the school, and this is subject to the approval of the Department. Any proposed change involves extensive negotiations at local level and must be well planned and managed in a manner that accommodates the interests of students, parents, teachers, local communities and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b) which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. The Design Team is currently working on the Stage 2(b) report which will be submitted through the Board of Management to my Department. Upon receipt and review of this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: My Department has prepared a new Technical Guidance Document for Temporary and Prefabricated Accommodation. It will apply to future projects and not retrospectively and the implementation of this new guidance is currently under consideration. It should be noted that notwithstanding any technical guidance from my Department, all temporary prefabricated accommodation being purchased or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The criteria for the appointment of an administrative principal to a school, which are enrolment related, are set out in Appendix B of Circular 0019/2019. There is no scope to deviate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Establishment (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy may be aware, the Government recently announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022). This announcement follows nationwide demographic exercises carried out by my Department into the future need for primary and post-primary schools across the country and the 4-year horizon will enable increased lead-in times for planning and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning - Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design. The Stage 2(b) report was submitted to my Department in late September 2018 and following an initial review was deemed incomplete. A revised Stage 2(b) report which has been submitted to my Department in late January 2019 is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home School Community Liaison Scheme (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: Currently, all DEIS Urban Primary and DEIS Post Primary schools are included in the HSCL Scheme, which serves 539 schools. The scheme is delivered by 416 full-time HSCL Coordinators who are teachers in these schools and assigned to HSCL duties either in individual schools or clusters of schools, catering for approximately 156,000 pupils. The impact of socio-economic factors on educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commissions of Inquiry (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: The recently published Retention of Records Bill 2019 represents a very important measure in that it provides for the retention of the records of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and the Residential Institutions Review Committee. I must stress that under the legislation establishing these bodies the bulk of their records would, on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 and 145 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that DES Circular 0013/2017 for primary schools and 0014/2017 for post primary schools set out details of a new model for allocating special education teachers to schools. DES Circulars 0007/2019 for primary schools and 0008/2019 for post primary schools also provide details of how the allocations are being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities Data (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 to 151, inclusive, together. On 1 January 2019 the first technological university (TU) in the State, Technological University Dublin, which formerly comprised Dublin Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown and Institute of Technology Tallaght, was established under the Technological Universities Act 2018. This can be regarded as a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 152 and 166 togther. The Deputy may be aware that, in April, 2015, my Department approved an all-in devolved grant for the provision of 2 mainstream classrooms and a WC for assisted users for the school to which he refers. However, the project proceeded to tender on the basis of works that were not approved for funding. The Board of Management of the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: The school to which the Deputy refers applied for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme for flooring works at their school. As the scope of the works were outside the terms of the scheme, the application was refused and the school were advised that the correct mechanism for delivery of works of this nature was the Summer Works Scheme. The application did not contain any...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: Individual school boards of management are responsible for the establishment of special classes. It is open to any school to make application to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to establish a class. In deciding where to establish a special class in an area, the NCSE take account of the current and projected demand and the available school accommodation both current and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I can confirm to the Deputy that an application has been received for additional school accommodation for the school in question. The application is under consideration and as soon this is complete, a decision will be conveyed to the school authority.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: The National Council for Special education (NCSE), an independent agency of my Department, is responsible for planning, coordinating and advising on education provision for children with special educational needs. The Council ensures that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements. Individual school boards of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities Status (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: The National Strategy for Education to 2030 recommended consolidation within the Institute of Technology sector and a pathway of evolution for consolidated institutes of technology (IoTs) to allow them to demonstrate significant progress against stated performance criteria and to become multi-campus technological universities. The Programme for Government supports the creation of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I can inform the Deputy that only eight valid submissions were received for the prequalification process in respect of the retendering of the project to which she refers. One of those submissions failed to meet the minimum prequalification criteria. In that context, tender documents for completion of the project will issue to seven contractors next week.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Mar 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that the matter of temporary accommodation was discussed during a site visit relating to the major capital project currently being undertaken at the school. The Department clarified to the patron, Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board, that there is adequate accommodation available at the ETB's property at Manor Mills to accommodate additional...