Results 7,381-7,400 of 19,968 for speaker:Norma Foley

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Educational Disadvantage (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: During my time as Minister for Education I have shown a strong commitment to addressing educational disadvantage. The Department’s statement of strategy sets out the vision and mission of the Department for an educational system where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach his or her fullest potential. It sets equity of opportunity...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cost of Living Issues (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The Government is very aware of the impacts of rising prices which are a source of concern for society, and of course for those working in the education sector. Overall, the government has made €7.1 billion available to support workers and families affected by cost of living pressures this year. These measures include a top up to child benefit, universal credits applied to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: Whilst the State Examinations Commission (SEC) is responsible for the operation, delivery and development of the State examinations, I am very much aware of the importance for students, parents and education stakeholders of ensuring that the results for Leaving Certificate 2023 are delivered in as timely a manner as possible. While the SEC is not yet in a position to confirm the date for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The Primary Curriculum Framework launched on the 9thMarch 2023, sets out the vision; principles; key competencies; structure; approaches to learning, teaching, and assessment; and suggested time allocations of the Primary School Curriculum. The suggested time allocations are 5 hours 40 minutes at first to sixth class and 4 hours 40 minutes at junior and senior infants. A minimum curriculum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department has a proven track record of delivery, with over 180 projects completed last year within a challenging construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and supply chain issues. This year alone, in excess of 300 school building projects are currently under construction, including 40 new school buildings and 260 projects at existing schools. Under Project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, senior academics and other independent analysts have raised questions regarding the use of GDP as the most appropriate measure of the size of the Irish economy. My department published a paper on this matter in October 2022 to assist users of these statistics to understand this issue. This paper is available on www.gov.ie under OECD briefing notes. The paper...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: All schools in the country have responded in a hugely positive manner in response to the increase in enrolment of children from Ukraine and IPAS children. In the case of this school, my Department has allocated an additional three mainstream class teachers due to the increased enrolments of these children. In addition, the school has been allocated 50 hours per week to support new entrant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The voice of parents and that of children and young people is of critical importance to me as Minister and to my Department in all of our work. Children and parents are engaged with regularly, in a variety of ways, in relation to all significant policy being developed by my Department. To assist with ensuring that they have a strong voice, my Department provides funding to ensure that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System (or GIS) to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit Data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf my Department. 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 provided in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Renewable Energy Generation (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, Budget 2023 included the announcement for the provision of fully funded solar photovoltaic (PV) panels with an output of 6kW for all schools. This funding will be made available from the Climate Action Fund at the discretion of the Minister for the Environment. This significant solar PV programme, will assist schools with their energy needs and costs along with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school referred to has been approved for a project under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The project will provide the following accommodation at the school: 6 x General classrooms, 1 x Technical Graphics room, 1 x Woodwork room, 2 x Science room + shared Preparation area, 1 x Home Economics room, 2 x SEN Base, Ancillary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government. For 2023, the spend by my Department on special education will be substantially increased by over 10% on last year, meaning that for 2023 my Department will spend over €2.6 billion providing supports to children and young people with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, investment and expenditure on General Purpose (or GP) rooms is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the School Building Programme. The provision of General Purpose (GP) rooms at primary, as well as outdoor hard play areas, form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings or where a major building or refurbishment project is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. The brief for this project is to provide accommodation for a long term projected enrolment of 1000 students, including 4 classrooms for students with Special Educational Needs and all ancillary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The Department does not require schools to include the NCCA-developed Religious Education syllabuses at Junior or Senior Cycle as mandatory subjects on their curriculum. Accordingly schools have discretion to determine if they provide the subject at all or if it is to be mandatory or optional in any particular class group or year. Section 30 of the 1998 Education Act provides that a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will be delivered under the Department's ADAPT Programme. The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external Project Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of Architectural Planning to Tender and Construction. The tender process to appoint the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 May 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. There has been an increase of 21% tickets issued to eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 May 2023)

Norma Foley: Under Project Ireland 2040, my Department is investing €4.4 billion over the period 2021 to 2025, to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day. Over the last 3 years this Government has invested €2.6 billion in school buildings. This is a record...