Results 841-860 of 15,342 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: As Minister for Education, I want to ensure that all children and young people have the opportunity of access to education that empowers them to thrive and realise their full potential. On 5th February I announced details of the final phase of the free schoolbooks scheme with the extension of the scheme to Senior Cycle, including Transition Year, students in post-primary schools in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major project referred to by the Deputy will be delivered under my Departments ADAPT Programme. ADAPT is an acronym for "Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning and Tendering". The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external Programme Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe during the stages of architectural planning. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The site referred to by the Deputy is situated in the Adamstown Strategic Development Zone for which a planning scheme or masterplan designates areas for development. The subject site is designated for educational use. The current outline planning application for a primary school development does not preclude the department from developing a post primary school on the site. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 624 to 626, inclusive, together. As the Deputy will be aware, the Department has approved the progression of a large scale major project for the construction of a new primary school in the area referred to. This project is being delivered under my Department’s Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning and Tendering (ADAPT) Programme. The ADAPT...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project referred to by the Deputy is devolved for delivery to Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB). The project is currently at Stage 2a (the developed design stage) of the architectural process. As part of this process a stage 2a report will be prepared and submitted by the project Design Team. Once this information is received, reviewed, and approved by my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department of Education has been providing a payroll service for former grant funded school secretaries with effect from 1st September 2023. The provision of this payroll service is part of a package agreed with Fórsa, the trade union representing school secretaries, following a series of engagements at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in 2022. The secretaries had previously...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Schools PV Programme provides eligible schools with up to 6 kilowatts peak of roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) installations on their roofs, which equates to approximately 14 solar panels. The Schools PV Programme is funded by the Government’s Climate Action Fund in line with the Government’s recognition that taking action on climate change is central to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Programme for Government commits to developing an appropriate mechanism to allow additional time for students with specific needs and in certain circumstances, and also to ensure that those who use assistive technology can do so in State examinations. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the operation and delivery of the State examinations, and facilitates...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the Capitation grant to cater for day-to-day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general up-keep, and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for universal access works. The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for pupils with special educational needs. It does so by ensuring the availability...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (19 Mar 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. Home tuition is provided as an interim measure only for children for whom a placement in a recognised school is not currently available and should not be regarded as an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department is committed to enabling children and young people achieve their full potential. As such, the Early Start programme was established in 1994 as a one-year intervention programme to meet the needs of children aged between 3 years and 5 years who are at risk of educational disadvantage and of not reaching their full potential within the school system. It involves an educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Major Building Project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning Stage 2b – Detailed Design, which includes the application for all statutory consents, including Planning Permission, Disability Access Certification and Fire Safety Certification and the preparation of the Tender documentation. All statutory consents have been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: 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 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department has no records of the awarding of contracts to the company in question.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 648, 655 and 709 together. Since 2020, my department has invested over €5.7 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 1,150 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes new school buildings some of which are being delivered in phases. These...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government has accepted the recommendation to establish a Commission of Investigation which is the principal recommendation of the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders. The Report of the Scoping Inquiry made a number of further recommendations, including in relation to consideration of a redress scheme. A high level...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (19 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 650, 677 and 678 together. Since 2020, my department has invested over €5.7 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 1,150 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes new school buildings some of which are being delivered in phases. These...