Results 8,821-8,840 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT Programme. ADAPT is an acronym which stands for the "Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning and Tendering". The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external Project Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (1 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 251 and 252 together. As part of Budget 2023, I announced over €50 million to provide free books to primary school pupils within the free education scheme from September 2023. This measure will eliminate the cost to these families for all school books at primary school, including workbooks. It delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (1 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, Project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (1 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: The school referred to by the Deputy was established in 2019 to meet emerging requirements for special school places in the area. The school is co-located with Rath Dara Community College. Both schools are under the patronage of Dublin Dun Laoghaire ETB and my Department's engagement with the patron is ongoing regarding the schools' requirements with respect to accommodation and associated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (1 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department makes a return of contracts awarded without a competitive tender as part of the annual Appropriation Account. The details of these contracts with a value over €25000 are listed in tabular form for 2020 and 2021 on the tables attached. Nineteen cases in 2020 and twenty cases in 2021 were awarded on a non-competitive basis. The report in respect of 2022 contracts will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Dec 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school referred to has been approved for a project under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. This project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. The initial approval was revised in May 2022 and will provide for the following accommodation at the school; Six General Classrooms, One WC for Assisted Users, Two...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (1 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, Project...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Staff (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I am very aware that primary and post-primary schools are experiencing challenges in recruiting substitute teachers. Newly qualified teachers, however, represent an additional source of supply for substitute and full-time posts in 2022 and 2023, with more than 3,600 primary and post-primary newly qualified teachers registered with the Teaching Council. Significant additional posts have been...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Staff (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I appreciate his active engagement on this and his acknowledgement that many initiatives have been introduced to mitigate where there are issues. Notwithstanding this, I absolutely accept there are particular challenges in some areas more so than others. The significant action that has been taken ensures that, for example, we have the third and fourth year students...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Educational Disadvantage (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I note the Deputy's concerns. The extension of the DEIS programme progresses the programme for Government commitment to complete the new DEIS identification model and to extend DEIS status to schools serving the highest concentration of pupils at risk of educational disadvantage. The concentration is the issue. The recent expansion will add an additional €32 million to the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Educational Disadvantage (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: Gender is not part of this. It is about concentrated disadvantage.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Educational Disadvantage (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for raising this Topical Issue matter. It has been raised with me previously by Senator McGreehan and others. At the outset I point out that Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, is the main policy initiative of the Department to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. The Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school authority in question. Officials from my Department are completing the final stages of the assessment process. Upon completion of the assessment process a decision will then issue directly to the school authorities. The actual design of a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department approved funding under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, for the school in question. This project was accepted by the school authorities and it has been devolved for delivery. The design of the project, including any implications on the existing GP room, will be determined by the appointed design team in conjunction with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers has been granted funding under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. This funding has been devolved to the school authority for delivery and will provide for 4 General classrooms, 1 Construction Studies/Woodwork room, 1 Construction studies/ Woodwork prep area and ancillary accommodation. A Stage 1/2A Report was submitted in August...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT Programme. The Project Manager has visited the school and is currently arranging site surveys for all projects on this ADAPT Programme including this school. The Project Manager has begun initial engagement with my Department's Consultancy Frameworks in respect of all the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (30 Nov 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 the terms of my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 117 together. The permanent school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy has been assigned to my Department’s Design & Build delivery programme. This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Manager to progress the project through the relevant stages of architectural planning, tender and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential. Supplementing these universal supports, the DEIS programme provides a targeted and equitable way to address concentrated educational disadvantage that promotes equity across the primary and post-primary sector....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (30 Nov 2022)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme and State Examinations processes both determine if an exemption from their respective fees is applicable. My Department does not carry out means testing directly. The determination is based on whether a student or one of the parents/guardians has a current medical card and, if so, are then exempt from the fees. It should be noted that a temporary measure is in...