Results 781-800 of 16,190 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: This is across a number of different avenues. Our farmers, business people, those involved in transport and private economy and all of us in our homes need to make sure we are doing every single thing possible to contribute to the overall reduction so that we can achieve our targets. It is something we are committed to doing, as I know the Deputy is.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. This is something that impacts a significant proportion of our population and there are very different reasons people may not have children, choose not to have children, cannot have children or are in different scenarios where it does not happen. It is always open to any individual or group of people to make representations, be it prior to the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Our job in this Dáil is to ensure any of the rules we adhere to and abide by and any of our taxation measures are as fair as possible. It is our job to make sure anything we put in place is fair and applicable to all citizens. It is about understanding what the potential implications are, what measures need to be taken and what the overall cost will be. The Minister for Finance said...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I cannot be any clearer on this. The Minister does not have the report. She does not have recommendations. While elements have been unhelpfully published in online articles, the report has not been presented to the Minister. It stands to reason that while this work is being done, the hospital is not going to sit still and say it will wait for everything. It knows it needs to change its...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: It is clear that to meet the 18% forest target set out in our national forest strategy, we have a huge amount of work to do. We need to plant an additional 500,000 acres and, therefore, it is important that we continue to examine all of our lands, invest in research and make the best decisions possible. A huge amount of work has happened and more is under way to address our overall forestry...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: If we are to achieve our overall targets, which we have set out clearly in law, we need to take a number of measures. I have mentioned just some of the reductions we have seen, including in energy or agriculture overall, which includes our forestry targets, and focusing on our environment, overall economy, transport and private sector. The critical issue is that whatever we do - and I...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I cannot be any clearer with the Deputy on this. We first need to ascertain the facts. We need to ensure that we have absolute clarity as to what has happened, how many people are involved and how we make sure this never happens again. At the same time, we need to ensure that, where families need follow-on care and further information and clinical support, that is provided. The Minister...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I do not think it is helpful for any of us to be discussing certain elements without having the full facts. I appreciate fully and agree with the Deputy that families want all of the facts. They want the information and they do not want it piecemeal. They certainly do not want parts of an unpublished document being published elsewhere and not coming through the Minister or not having that...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We agree on a number of things here. We are all working on behalf of the children the Deputy has mentioned. We are all working to make sure we get answers to what has happened here. We have discussed this a number of times in the Chamber. We are all extremely concerned at the thought of a child having a surgery where that was not necessary. We...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred to by the Deputy had a large scale capital project delivered in 2024 by my Department. There are contractual arrangements associated with this project which need to be managed by the school. My Department will continue to engage with and advise the school authority in order to support it in opening special education classes in this context. These discussions are actively...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project for the school referred to by the Deputy will provide a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school building and accommodation, including 4 classrooms, for children with special educational needs on the permanent site for the school. The project will be delivered under my Department's Design and Build Programme. The decision to grant planning permission for the permanent school was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Educational Research Centre (ERC) was established on a statutory basis in September 2015. This is the only aegis body established by my Department in the last 10 years. Voted funding to this aegis body in the last 10 years amounts to €32,266,837.53. In 2023, the following 4 support services: Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST); Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT);...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 and 233 together. Compulsory retirement in the public service is generally determined by the date of recruitment of the individual public servant and, for the most part, is provided for in primary legislation. The Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004 introduced new superannuation and retirement provisions for new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department has recently received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question. The purpose of the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government. Providing inclusive education to children with special educational needs is a fundamental principle of my Department’s education and training system. This principle is put into practice through the policies of my Department and the Teaching Council...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under the Education Act 1998, the question of enrolment policy in individual schools, including the setting of catchment areas, is the responsibility of the board of management on behalf of the school patron. The selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirement for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (14 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for roof works. The application in question is currently being reviewed by the technical area within the EWS. Once a technical recommendation has been received back from the technical team, the EWS team will engage further with the school as appropriate. The EWS team is aware...

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

Helen McEntee: My department’s main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available for the relevant year, the student should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available, a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Sign Language (14 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can inform the Deputy that currently there are four modules on Irish Sign Language (ISL) available as part of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme. This course introduces students to ISL and aims to develop their expressive and receptive communication skills and also develops awareness and appreciation of the Irish deaf community and its culture. The Department wishes to build on...