Results 8,081-8,100 of 19,968 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: Private primary schools are not recognised by the Minister under the Education Act, 1998 and therefore do not fall within the remit of the Minister for Education. The Department has no responsibility regarding funding or any other matter relating to private primary schools that are not recognised by the Minister as such schools are privately owned and managed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The large scale capital project for the school referred to by the Deputy, is at Architectural Planning Stage 3 - Tender Action and Award. The project brief is to provide a new 8 classroom school with 2 classroom SEN. My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2023 in the context of its available funding. My Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (22 Mar 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 147,900 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (22 Mar 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 147,900 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: My Department has a strong track record of delivery of school building projects and this was achieved again in 2022 notwithstanding the wider construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and supply chain issues. Under Project Ireland 2040, we are investing €4.4 billion over the period 2021 to 2025, to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, on 7 March 2023 the Government approved the establishment of a scoping inquiry to inform the government response to revelations of historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders. The scoping inquiry was established in response to recent revelations of historical sexual abuse in a number of day and boarding schools run by religious...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: As laid out in Circular Letter 0055/2019, the Junior Certificate examination in Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) is no longer available, 2019 being the final year in which students could sit the examination in the subject. Assessment in CSPE has been school-based from the 2019/20 school year. There are currently no plans to reintroduce CSPE as an examination subject. This is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that approval in principle, issued to the school in question for additional accommodation to cater for increased enrolments. My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2023 in the context of its available funding. My Department's published NDP allocation for 2023 is €860 million. High...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design and Build Programme. This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Management team to progress the project through the stages of architectural planning, tendering and construction. My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The site identification and assessment exercise for Wicklow Town ETSS is ongoing. Given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally I am not in a position to comment further at this time. Once a permanent site has been acquired, the project can progress to the architectural design & planning stages. I wish to assure the Deputy that the provision of a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that approval under the Additional School Accommodation scheme has issued to the school in question for the provision of two modular units to include 6 general classrooms, 2 Special Education Needs units and a specialist room under my Departments Modular Accommodation Framework . I wish to advise the Deputy that projects which are funded under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (22 Mar 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 147,900 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: The Government is committed to the delivery of quality public services, and will continue to approach public service pay in a balanced way that is reasonable and fair to both public servants and the taxpayer. This has been achieved through series of national collective agreements applying across the public sector agreed between trade unions and the Government. The value of public pay...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: A major building project for the school in question has been devolved for delivery to Cavan and Monaghan Educational Training Board (CMETB). The Tender Report was subsequently submitted to the Department in recent weeks and is currently under review. The Department will make contact with CMETB following completion of this review. Running parallel to the review of this particular Supplementary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: As Minister, I am committed to inclusive education for all. My Department is fully committed to creating safe and supportive environments in schools, that are welcoming and inclusive for every student. My Department’s Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice (2019) promotes the provision of a whole-school approach to supporting wellbeing, an approach that has been found...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Civil Service (22 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: It is the policy of my Department to provide ongoing learning and development opportunities for staff in the Department. I wish to advise the Deputy that the specific information requested by him on the average number of training days per grade in the years in question is not readily available. My Department provides a range of training opportunities to staff, which includes Continuing...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (21 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: I am very cognisant of the frustration that exists. Any project being paused is one too many, but we have considerable issues regarding the availability of capital. The Deputy referred very genuinely to the fact she was a student herself in one of the schools when the new building was first mooted, but I cannot stand over what has happened in the intervening period between when she was a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (21 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter . It gives me the opportunity to provide an update on the current position regarding a number of school building projects that are on hold from proceeding to either tender or construction due to capital funding pressures. The Department's capital allocation has always been under significant pressure. The Department has a strong track record of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Enrolments (21 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity to set out to the House the position with regard to primary school places in the Donaghmede-Howth-Dublin 13 school planning area for September 2023 and onwards. As the Deputy may be aware, for school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses, as the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Enrolments (21 Mar 2023)

Norma Foley: I again thank the Deputy for giving me an opportunity to outline the position regarding primary school demand in the Donaghmede-Howth-Dublin 13 area. As I outlined, the Department is already providing significant additional primary capacity in the area, on foot of forecasts of school place needs. This includes two recently established new primary schools. While the Department is aware of...