Results 41-60 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Services (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am pleased to announce that, arising from Budget 2026, an additional €8 million in current and capital funding has been allocated to support the sustainability and development of youth services. This investment strengthens the foundation for inclusive, high-quality provision — ensuring continuity, expanding reach, and enabling services to respond to the evolving needs of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am pleased to announce that, arising from Budget 2026, an additional €8 million in current and capital funding has been allocated to support the sustainability and development of youth services. This investment strengthens the foundation for inclusive, high-quality provision — ensuring continuity, expanding reach, and enabling services to respond to the evolving needs of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am pleased to announce that, arising from Budget 2026, an additional €8 million in current and capital funding has been allocated to support the sustainability and development of youth services. This investment strengthens the foundation for inclusive, high-quality provision — ensuring continuity, expanding reach, and enabling services to respond to the evolving needs of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am pleased to announce that, arising from Budget 2026, an additional €8 million in current and capital funding has been allocated to support the sustainability and development of youth services. This investment strengthens the foundation for inclusive, high-quality provision — ensuring continuity, expanding reach, and enabling services to respond to the evolving needs of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am pleased to announce that, arising from Budget 2026, an additional €8 million in current and capital funding has been allocated to support the sustainability and development of youth services. This investment strengthens the foundation for inclusive, high-quality provision — ensuring continuity, expanding reach, and enabling services to respond to the evolving needs of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Project Ireland 2040 (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. In addition, over 200 SEN Repurposing projects delivered maximising the use of existing accommodation while creating opportunities for inclusion and integration. Government support for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am pleased to announce that, arising from Budget 2026, an additional €8 million in current and capital funding has been allocated to support the sustainability and development of youth services. This investment strengthens the foundation for inclusive, high-quality provision — ensuring continuity, expanding reach, and enabling services to respond to the evolving needs of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can advise the Deputy that the Programme for Government commits to developing an appropriate mechanism to allow additional time for students with specific needs and in certain circumstances, and also to ensure that those who use assistive technology can do so in State examinations. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the operation and delivery of the State...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter the department’s pipeline for a project under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The project will provide three general classrooms, a science room with preparation area, a construction room with preparation area, a home economics room, a graphic design laboratory, a music room, a project store, two SET rooms,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my Department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. In addition, over 200 SEN Repurposing projects delivered maximising the use of existing accommodation while creating opportunities for inclusion and integration. Government support for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. The Minister for Education and Youth is determined to close the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and introduce more innovative solutions to tackle disadvantage. The new DEIS plan will be published this year and will include a DEIS plus scheme. Currently, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling educational disadvantage and helping students reach their full potential is a key priority for the Minister for Education and Youth. This is reflected in the funding secured in the Budget. Currently, the DEIS programme supports almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools reaching approximately 260,000 students, with an annual investment of over €180 million. Budget...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Budget documentation published sets out funding for key measures and actions agreed for the coming year. As the Deputy may be aware, in line with standard practice, the final allocation of funding for my Department for 2026 will be set out in the 2026 Revised Estimates Volume (REV) which is due to be published later this year. Further details on the 2026 allocations for my Department will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 495, 496 and 509 together. The Deputy will be aware that, as announced on Budget Day, I negotiated a substantial increase in funding for the Department of Education and Youth in 2026. The Budget documentation published sets out funding for key measures and actions agreed for the coming year. This includes some €19 million of additional funding for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Reform (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The redeveloped Primary School Curriculum is designed to support high-quality learning, teaching, and assessment. It is inclusive and evidence-based, recognising the right of all children to make progress across all areas of their learning. The curriculum is intended to be used flexibly, encouraging a sense of agency and context-specific ownership. Importantly, its enactment is not solely...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the departments pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide a 3 classroom SEN Base.The project was devolved to the school for delivery. Approval to proceed to Stage 2b (developed design) was granted in April 2024. In June 2025, the Design Team advised they were finalising design elements and preparing tender...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling educational disadvantage and helping students reach their full potential is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth. Currently, the DEIS programme supports almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools, reaching approximately 260,000 students, with an annual investment of over €180 million. I am committed to narrowing the performance gap between DEIS and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (14 Oct 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: Budget 2026 (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: Budget 2026 provides funding for 860 additional teachers, commencing in the 2026/27 school year, to support children with special education needs (SEN). These additional teachers will be allocated to work in special classes and special schools, and as special education teachers in mainstream school settings. There is also increased funding to cover the costs associated with an estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (14 Oct 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 505 and 510 together. Budget 2026 provides for a total of €13.1 billion investment in education and in youth services in Budget 2026 – an almost 7 per cent increase on last year. Education Plan 2025, which aims to deliver a world-class education system which breaks down barriers and ensures every child can achieve their potential, clearly...