Results 561-580 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: Arrangements in relation to an Education and Training Board’s (ETB’s) statement of strategy and annual reporting by an ETB on its performance are set out in the Education and Training Boards Act 2013. Section 27 of the Act requires the chief executive to prepare and submit a strategy statement to the board every 5 years. Section 27 provides that a strategy statement shall...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. The Department uses a geographic information system, which facilitates the analysis of data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a programme of school building projects. The brief for the project is to provide a new build replacement school for a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils including a 4 class SEN base. The project is currently at Stage 2b (post planning process) of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capital Expenditure Programme (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1041 and 1042 together. My response to Parliamentary Question No. 1207 and 1206 of 29 July 2025 indicated that bodies under the aegis of my Department do not operate any capital funding programmes or grants for which community organisations are eligible to apply. I trust that no instruction to these bodies is, therefore, required, but I can advise the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1043 to 1047, inclusive, together. Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998 the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. The provisions of article 44 of the constitution recognise the rights of children to attend school without attending religious instruction. Furthermore, the provisions of Section 30(2) (e)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) scheme is one of the key supports provided by my Department as part of the overall DEIS programme. Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) manage the HSCL scheme on behalf of my Department. The scheme seeks to promote partnership between parents, teachers and community family support services, with a view to supporting improved attendance, participation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy the school has been granted capital funding for the provision of 5 SEN classrooms and repurposing of existing accommodation under the Department’s SEN Reconfiguration and Modular Accommodation programme. This programme involves the use of Project Management supports which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: Prefabricated accommodation in schools may be rented or purchased and funded by the Department or by the school authority itself, with or without Department sanction. For that reason, it is not possible to provide the Deputy with a complete picture in respect of all prefabricated accommodation at schools as requested. Within the context of a rapidly increasing school population my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for the allocation of SNA posts nationwide therefore I have asked the NCSE to reply directly to your request for statistical data. Deputies are also welcome to raise such matters with the NCSE directly through their dedicated Oireachtas query line at?.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major building project referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new 16 classroom primary school and accommodation, including 2 classrooms, for children with special educational needs. The project currently has planning permission and is being brought to the level of employer-led design with a Design Team assigned to do so under the supervision of the Department’s project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: In relation to school closures due to elections, overall responsibility for the running of elections and arrangements in this regard is a matter for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Returning Officers are statutorily responsible for the conduct of elections and may, under electoral law, use school premises for this purpose. Schools must, in accordance with electoral...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Projects (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Programme for Government provides for a number of measures to support small schools, including introducing a new national small schools' project and trialling new administrative supports. The Government is very aware that small schools are an important part of the life of local communities. The current small schools' action research project established in 2021 is due to conclude at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 primary staffing arrangements for the 2025/26 school year are set out in Circular 0011/2025. Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to aim to reduce the general...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs. The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years, including an over €30 million permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: The person named is a retired teacher who had worked as a substitute teacher in primary schools ahead of his retirement. The main issue raised by this teacher is that he believes he should have been on a higher point of the primary teacher pay scale before he retired. As the point he was on has an impact on his pension rate, he wants the matter reviewed. His second issue relates to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. My department uses a geographic information system, which facilitates the analysis of data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 975 and 976 together. Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to fulfil their full potential in life is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth, and for the Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 981, 982, 983 and 984 together. As Minister, I am determined to close the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and introduce more innovative solutions to tackle educational disadvantage. That is why I am committed to publishing a new DEIS Plan in 2025. Building on the expansion of the DEIS programme in 2022, the new DEIS plan will work towards...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The primary mechanism for the upgrade of existing science laboratories in schools is the Summer Works Scheme. The purpose of the Summer Works Scheme 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. A new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (29 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Following a Government Decision in September 2012, my Department implemented the outcome of the review of allowances and premium payments by the then Department of Public Expenditure Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. As a result, many allowances were no longer payable to many new public service entrants including “new entrant” teachers. Among the...