Results 5,601-5,620 of 19,559 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received an application, under the Additional School Accommodation scheme, from the school authority in question. The purpose of the Additional School Accommodation scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, is an important piece of legislation which has introduced a more parent-friendly, equitable and consistent approach to how school admissions policy operates for the almost 4,000 primary and post-primary schools. The legislation is part of a suite of measures taken to take greater account of the needs of parents and students in the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: This Government is intent on working to promote life-long participation in physical activity and sport for all sectors of society. The provision of Physical Education in schools is a key element of this, alongside physical activity in the school setting. Research demonstrates that increased physical activity among children can lead to improved cognitive function, better motor skills and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: As Minister for Education, I believe it is crucially important that children and young people are actively supported to access education in its fullest forms. This Government recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry for many Irish families. As part of Budget 2023, I announced a major investment of over €50...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department has a strong record with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings and this performance has been recognised at both national and international level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design and specification. My Department’s approach to the decarbonisation of the school sector is predicated on establishing a credible phased pathway to zero...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/23 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services are being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: As Minister for Education, I believe it is crucially important that children and young people are actively supported to access education in its fullest forms. This Government recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry for many Irish families. As part of Budget 2023, I announced a major investment of over €50...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: The designation of school sites to serve new and expanding communities is the function of Local Authorities through the statutory development plan process. My Department’s Statutory Plans Co-ordinating Unit actively engages with the Statutory Planning process to ensure that sufficient land is zoned to provide appropriate sites for new school buildings. It is within the Local...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: Budget 2024 has provided for an unprecedented €10.5 billion investment in Education and Schools in Budget 2024 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27, 43, 50, 55, 239 and 241 together. It gives me great pleasure to have secured €10.5 billion in total funding for Education in Budget 2024. This significant increase in funding ensures that the total budget is at the highest ever for our primary and post primary schools. The funding will ensure continued reduced costs for families; it will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 Oct 2023)

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 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services are being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: The Programme for Government reflects the Government’s objective of continuing to expand the plurality of schools to reflect the full breadth of society. It sets out that “students of all religions and none should have access to education, regardless of their belief system”. The Programme for Government commitments in this area include:“Achieve the target of at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government. Providing inclusive education to children with special educational needs is a fundamental principle of my Department’s education and training system. This principle is put into practice through the policies of my Department and the Teaching Council and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department has a strong record with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings and this performance has been recognised at both national and international level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design and specification. My Department’s approach to the decarbonisation of the school sector is predicated on establishing a credible phased pathway to zero...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: It gives me great pleasure to have secured €10.5 billion in total funding for Education in Budget 2024. This significant increase in funding ensures that the total budget is at the highest ever for our primary and post primary schools. The funding will ensure continued reduced costs for families; it will continue to tackle disadvantage and it will provide further supports to safeguard...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: The project for Tallaght Community School is included in my Department’s Construction Programme. The brief for this project is to provide a new 1,000 pupil post primary school and accommodation, including 6 classrooms, for children with special educational needs. The project will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT Programme which uses a professional external Project Manager to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/23 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services are being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/23 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In addition, school transport scheme services are being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. Budget 2024 contains a range of measures that demonstrates my commitment to continued investment in our education system. In addition to numerous actions I have taken in recent years to address...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (17 Oct 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department provides funding to recognised Primary and Post-Primary schools in the free education scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the Capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc. and the Ancillary to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. These grants may be...