Results 801-820 of 16,182 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department is in receipt of an application for funding from the school in question. This application for temporary accommodation has been assessed under the department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and special education needs (SEN) accommodation is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht is responsible for the approval and operation of Irish language courses in the Gaeltacht as part of Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge. It is a matter for the school board of management to make a decision to approve an educational trip. In this regard, the school has a duty of care, supervision and safety for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 552 to 554, inclusive, together. The Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders recommended the establishment of a Commission of Investigation as its principal recommendation and this has been accepted by Government. Whilst the Scoping Inquiry considered restorative justice approaches...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 555 and 573 together. I wish to refer the Deputy to section 2.1 of Post Primary Circular 42/00, which advises the following: “2.1 With effect from 1st May 1999, where an acting Principal, acting Deputy Principal, acting Assistant Principal or acting Special Duties Teacher post is held for a period in excess of 5 consecutive years, the acting-up...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Energy Conservation (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings as part of our work towards 2030 and 2050 climate targets. This performance has been recognised at both National and International level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design, specification and delivery. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (13 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: Telecommunications Infrastructure (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to inform the Deputy that the school in question is not in the ownership of my Department. As the query relates to development of lands outside of the school boundary, it would be more appropriate to address your concerns with the local planning authority, who would deal with planning and development.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department is in receipt of an application for funding from the school in question. This application for temporary accommodation has been assessed under the department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and special education needs (SEN) accommodation is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Energy Usage (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department is committed to its obligations under the Climate Action Plan and the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate 2025. As part of the SEAI Partnership Programme my Department has made significant progress in reducing our energy usage, provisional results from the SEAI indicate that we have attained our 2030 target of a 50% reduction. Measures taken by my Department include;...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The school referred to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am aware of the recent programme referred to by the Deputy. The Government takes revelations of historical sexual abuse very seriously. It is important that religious orders, including the Christian Brothers, acknowledge the suffering and pain inflicted on survivors who were abused as children while in their care, and that they meet their obligations to those survivors. The Report of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Land Issues (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy may be aware, my department has reached agreement with a developer to dispose of land to the rear of the St. Finian's National School for the development of a public park and housing. The land to the South of St. Finian’s NS is zoned to provide for new residential communities in the South Dublin County Development Plan 2022-2028. There is also a Specific Local...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Land Issues (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department can confirm we are in receipt of the correspondence in relation to the school referred to by the Deputy and my officials will be in further contact with the school shortly. I can also confirm to the Deputy, that my department is not in receipt of a current application from the school for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department has prioritised enhancing English as an Additional Language (EAL) support, recognising the critical role of language proficiency in successful integration and academic achievement. The Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: Patrons have a legal right to design their own programme in accordance with the ethos of their school. Religious education is one of the seven curricular areas of the Primary School Curriculum (1999) and schools are currently required to allocate thirty minutes per day for religious instruction. However, unlike other subject areas, the content of the religious curriculum provided by primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health and Safety (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department has produced a number of documents in relation to safety in school laboratories, including Safety in School Science and Safety in the School Laboratory (most recently updated in 2001) which remain relevant. The introduction of revised science subject specifications does not alter their relevance as the key principles of safety in a science laboratory remain the same. Detailed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise that the Deputy that the current position is set out in Circulars 0044/2019 (primary) and 42/00 (post primary). The person must have held the acting post for a period in excess of five consecutive years to be eligible to retain the acting-up allowance on a personal basis. The post primary recruitment circulars are currently being reviewed in consultation with the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Schooling (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Home Tuition Grant Scheme is a short-term measure available to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school. The Department of Education operates four categories of home tuition: 1. Home tuition for children with special educational needs and on medical grounds. gov - Home...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (13 May 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to open a special class for the 2025/2026 school year. I am pleased to advise that the Start-Up grant payment of €30,000 has been processed by my Department. Additional funding for small scale repurposing works up to a maximum of €70,000 per class is also available to...