Results 661-680 of 17,498 for speaker:Helen McEntee

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

Helen McEntee: Since 2011, arrangements have been in place for the establishment of new schools involving the forecasting of demand for school places based on demographic exercises carried out by my department. New schools are only established in areas of demographic growth, as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to ensure that every child has a school place. ...

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

Helen McEntee: The brief for the school referred to by the Deputy is the development of a new 16 classroom Primary School and 5 classes for children with Special Educational Needs at Janeville, Carrigaline, Co. Cork. The project is currently at Stage 1 - Preliminary Design (assessment of site and location suitability and initial sketch scheme). As part of the Stage 1 process the Design Team submit...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: Changes to the duration and content of initial teacher education (ITE) programmes were made in response to recommendations in the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020 and were incorporated into the Teaching Council’s accreditation standards. What was previously the ‘H-Dip’ of 18 months for primary and one-year for...

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

Helen McEntee: The project referred to by the Deputy is devolved for delivery to Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB). It is a campus project. The project brief is for the construction of two new multi-storey school buildings for new post primary schools for Coláiste Pobail Osraí and Kilkenny City Vocational School. The project is currently at Stage 2b of the...

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

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1021 and 1022 together. My Department worked with the Department of Health and other government departments and agencies to support full implementation of the Government’s national drug strategy - Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017-2025 and is working with the Department of Health on the successor strategy. In line with the actions identified,...

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

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1023, 1024 and 1025 together. While there is no single school-based awareness programme in this area, there are a number of related ways in which my Department aims to support students. An Garda Síochána conduct programmes in both Primary and Post-Primary schools which include crime prevention. The Garda Primary Schools Programme, first launched...

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

Helen McEntee: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) as part of a programme of school building projects. The project received full grant of planning permission and is currently at Stage 3 of the architectural planning design process - Tender stage. When this stage is concluded, the project will progress to...

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

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide 1 General classroom, 1 Music room, 1 Textiles room, 1 Art room, 1 Graphics room, 2 Multimedia rooms, 1 Science lab, 1 Science Prep area, 2 Technology and shared Prep areas and a 3 Classroom SEN base under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA)....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Sep 2025)

Helen McEntee: In the lead up to the Budget, my Department receives a number of pre-budget submissions from a range of different stakeholders in the education sector and from organisations involved in other areas of public policy including INTO's pre Budget submission. As in previous years, relevant submissions continue to be reviewed and they will inform the specific budgetary priorities that I will be...

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

Helen McEntee: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Tipperary Education and Training Board. The project recently commenced Stage 2b of the architectural planning design process. This allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining the necessary statutory permissions and the preparation of tender documents. The next stage is tendering for a contractor and then...

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

Helen McEntee: The Government Task Force on Emergency Planning, which is chaired by the Minister with responsibility for Defence, includes senior representatives from all government departments and agencies. It is responsible for the oversight and coordination of national-level emergency management. My Department continues to actively participate in the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG). ...

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

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers has been granted capital funding for the provision of two mainstream classrooms under my Department’s Additional School Accommodation scheme. On approval of the project the school authority was issued with detailed information on the delivery process which includes details on funding pathways. On initiation of the project the school authority...

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

Helen McEntee: The attached table contains the information sought by the Deputy for the school building projects under the remit of DDLETB. For projects at Stage 4 construction a predicted timeline for completion has been provided. However, for projects at Stage 1-2 of the delivery process it is not possible to give a time frame for when these school building projects will go to construction, nor when they...

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

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, responsibility for delivering a major project for the school in question has been devolved to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education & Training Board (DDLETB). The Department of Education originally approved the partial refurbishment of the school referred to by the Deputy and the construction of a standalone extension of just over 4,000 square metres in area...

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

Helen McEntee: My Department is committed to ensuring that all learners, including those from ethnic minority backgrounds, migrant communities, and those with additional needs in primary and post-primary schools, have access to inclusive and supportive education. I am committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality, where every child and young person feels valued and is actively...

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...