Results 5,801-5,820 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (21 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: Save for limited exceptions (provided for in Ministerial Regulations (S.I. No. 32/2014), Section 30, of the Teaching Council Act 2001, prohibits payment from Oireachtas funds to people employed as teachers in recognised schools unless they are registered with the Teaching Council, the statutory body for the registration of teachers. There will be no retrospective payment for a period...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (21 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy may be aware, legal representatives for both parties are working together with a view to concluding the conveyancing. There has been significant progress recently on foot of close and intense engagement from all parties.  All parties continue the work to ensure the acquisition completes at the earliest possible date.  It is not anticipated that the completion of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Expenditure (21 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: No Education projects will be delayed as a result of the Department's contribution to the National Children's Hospital.   The Department of Education and Skills has agreed to pay, in 2019, €10m of an existing €17m commitment to higher education facilities in the National Children’s Hospital.  This funding will come from within the existing overall amount...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (21 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The major building project for this school is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2b – Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been obtained. A legal challenge to the pre-qualification process for the main contract from one...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Closures (21 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: I wish to advise the Deputy that the decision making authority for a school closure belongs to the Patron of a school, and this is subject to the agreement of my Department. Any proposal to close a school must involve consultation with all of the relevant stakeholders, parents, teachers, students and local communities and follow decisions taken at local level. My Department is engaging...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (21 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: Research in Ireland and abroad indicates that a great majority of parents welcome the support of schools in helping them to fulfil their obligation regarding RSE and other aspects of SPHE. The 1995 Report of the Expert Advisory group on RSE which was set by the then Minister for Education, found that various studies have been conducted on the implementation of Social, Personal and Health...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (21 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The Deputy will be aware that under the Project Ireland 2040 National Development Plan (NDP), increased funding has been provided for the school sector capital investment programme.  This funding allows for a continued focus on the provision of a new permanent school places to keep pace with demographic demand and also provides for an additional focus on the refurbishment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (21 Feb 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (21 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by SUSI, to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (20 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The NCSE is responsible, through it's network of Special Needs Organisers, for the development and delivery and co-ordination of education services to children with Special Educational Needs, including the establishment of special class and special school placements. Since 2011, the NCSE has increased the number of special classes from 548 in 2011 to 1,459 across the country now, of which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Grants (20 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. Article 32 (1) of the Student Grant Scheme 2018 provides for the possibility of a review of eligibility during the academic year where a change of circumstance has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (20 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, is my Department’s main policy initiative aimed at tackling educational disadvantage in primary and post primary schools and DEIS Plan 2017, launched in February 2017, sets out the vision for future interventions in the critical area of educational disadvantage policy. It builds on what has already been achieved by schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 110 together. The Schools Bundle 5 Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme comprises five school buildings, including the school referred to by the Deputy, and one further education college across four sites in Bray, Wexford, Carlow and Kells. Completion of these projects was delayed due to the liquidation of Carillion Construction Ltd in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (20 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: Following a consultation process, in June 2018, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht published the 5 year Action Plan for Irish, to provide a more cohesive and coherent framework in support of the 20-Year Strategy’s implementation, focusing on specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-specific actions to be implemented over the next five years to 2022. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Data (20 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The immigration regime which applies to non-EEA students seeking to have their children accompany them during their study period in Ireland is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality. I can confirm that this Department does not administer an immigration levy for non-EEA students attending state schools.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Expenditure (20 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: The major building project for the first school to which the Deputy refers is included on the 6 Year Programme 2016 – 2021. It was announced on 17thNovember 2015 to go to tender and construction. This project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. All statutory approvals have been secured and a report on this stage of the process (stage 2B, detailed design) is expected in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy is aware, in April 2018 my Department announced the opening of 42 new schools and this announcement included a new 800 pupil post primary school to serve Kilcoole & Greystones school planning areas as a regional solution. My Department is currently examining potential site options and discussions with the landowner in respect of a potential site acquisition are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (20 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: As the Deputy will be aware, in April 2018, the Government announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022), including a new 800 pupil post-primary school (to be established in 2021) to serve the Kilcoole & Greystones school planning areas as a regional solution. This announcement follows nationwide, demographic exercises carried out by...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Protected Disclosures (19 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: Yes.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Protected Disclosures (19 Feb 2019)

Joe McHugh: To be helpful, essentially it is an employer-employee relationship issue. I am conscious of this, but I did say publicly that I would become involved to try to facilitate an outcome that would be satisfactory to all parties. The Secretary General has met the president of the university and I did emphasise the word "any". They are going to look at opportunities, but at the end of the day,...