Results 8,761-8,780 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (8 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department’s gross voted allocation for 2022 amounts to some €10.2 billion. Eighty percent of the funding is for pay and pensions for the schools sector. It is also expended on the school transport scheme, the School Building Programme and on a range of other programmes. The table below sets out payments that issued from my Department directly to schools in County Limerick,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 47 together. The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012) and the Department does not collate data on the number of secondary and primary schools with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.  In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.  In July 2022, Government...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 55 together. The Deputy will be aware that earlier this year I announced an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education where the student is at the centre of their Senior Cycle experience which will: - Empower students to meet the challenges of the 21st century - Enrich the student experience and build on what’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.  In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.    Under...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: A major building project for the school in question has been devolved for delivery to Louth County Council. I am pleased to inform the deputy that the Department recently authorised Louth County Council to issue the Letter of Intent to the preferred tenderer. If all is in order with the Supplementary Tender Report that follows, a Letter of Acceptance will then issue. This will facilitate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: Boards of Management of schools are the direct employers of teachers and my Department acts as paymaster to over 4,000 schools in the primary, voluntary secondary, community and comprehensive schools.  To efficiently process any change that affects payment of salary, my Department relies on schools to notify Payroll Division in a timely manner.Where the notification by the school occurs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early School Leavers (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: Please find attached requested tables for years 2016-2021, the last year for which we have data available. Early school leavers table 2016 Early school leavers table 2017 Early school leavers table 2018 Early school leavers table 2019 Early school leavers table 2020 Early school leavers table 2021 The retention rate is calculated based on the first-year entry, tracking the progression through...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pensions (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: The average waiting time for a retired teacher to receive their pension is currently four weeks. In 2022 Pension Unit in my Department has received 1,211 applications for retirement with only 98 retired teachers waiting more than eight weeks to receive their pension.  Any delays encountered in receipt of pension payments were outside the control of Pension Unit. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: I have made enquiries in relation to the school referred to by the Deputy.  While the assigned psychologist is on maternity leave, the school continues to have access to support and development work delivered by the local team, critical incident response, advisory support from an allocated psychologist and pupil casework via the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Uniforms (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: As Minister for Education, I am acutely aware of the costs faced by families upon the return of their children to school. Policy on school uniforms is a matter for individual schools and Boards of Management.  Taking the above into account, my Department’s Circular 0032/2017, was issued to the Boards of Management of all recognised primary and post-primary schools and to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: The project referred to by the deputy has been devolved for delivery to Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB). The project consists of an extension & major refurbishment of existing buildings to provide for 4 Mainstream classrooms and 2 SET rooms. The project is currently nearing completion of Stage 3 of the architectural planning process. The tender submissions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (7 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.  In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.  As part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (6 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: I have recently written to the Spiritan Order to remind the congregation of the importance of ensuring that all records relating to allegations of child sexual abuse are retained by the congregation. Consideration of any further steps which may be required is ongoing.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (6 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: The Government acknowledges that the housing issue and the current price pressures present particular challenges and are a source of concern for all public service workers, including staff in the education sector. Housing remains a priority matter for Government, led by my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Housing for All strategy delivers on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (6 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: I am aware that primary and post-primary schools are experiencing challenges in recruiting teachers, and I would like to assure the Deputy that my Department and I have taken significant steps to address this and will continue to do so. Newly qualified teachers (NQTs) represent an additional source of supply for substitute and full-time posts in 2022/23, with more than 3,600 primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (6 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In accordance with Department Circulars 0044/2019 and 0031/2011, schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (6 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: The Deputy will be aware that earlier this year I announced an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education where the student is at the centre of their Senior Cycle experience which will: - Empower students to meet the challenges of the 21st century - Enrich the student experience and build on what’s strong in our current system - Embed wellbeing and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (6 Dec 2022)

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,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.  In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.  In July 2022, Government...