Results 81-100 of 17,887 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (12 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I refer to your recent representations on behalf of Eimear O'Dwyer of St Mary's NS, Barndarrig, Kilbride, A67 R296, Co Wicklow in relation to accommodation at the school. The school was approved funding under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme 2024: Provision of Modular Accommodation under the Department’s Special Education Needs (SEN) Reconfiguration and Modular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (12 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department can confirm that it owns a 1.9 acre site across the road from the main campus referred to by the deputy. The potential future use of this piece of land is being considered by this department in the context of educational requirements in the area. Once my department has fully determined the requirements in this area we will be in a position to confirm the plans for this land.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pensions (12 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that officials in the Pension Unit of my Department will review the case in question and will communicate directly with the individual regarding their pension scheme status and also liaise with Payroll Unit on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (12 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm that my department is in receipt of an application for funding under the Additional Schools Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school in question. The purpose of the ASA Scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am aware of this case and the situation the school is in. The Deputy has outlined exactly the structure and system that has been in place for many years now setting out how schools can retain a teacher in a developing post. It is the case that this number needs to be reached and there is always a cut-off and a threshold. I appreciate that some schools will be just under it and some will...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Tánaiste responded but I am happy to respond as well. I assure the Deputy that this is being dealt with at the highest level. I have met with Maurice Patton-O’Connell, Miriam Moriarty Owens, Mary Donovan and Mary Dunleavy Greene twice now in the last number of weeks. The Taoiseach has met with them twice. A mediator met with them earlier this week. In between all of...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for his question on this school. It is my objective as Minister for Education and Youth to progress as many projects as possible. At the moment there are about 300 between large-scale, additional accommodation and special education projects that are moving but a significant cohort will come down the line in years to come These projects are at either stage 2a or 2b,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I am aware of the school and of the situation. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan and I meet the NCSE weekly and obviously where issues arise, we want to work with it to make sure they can be addressed as quickly as possible. Where schools have been designated or places provided but they have not come onstream yet, we are working closely with the school and parents to make sure there...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I met personally with the group referred to by the Deputy on Monday 29 September and have also written to them on a number of occasions. An Taoiseach Micheál Martin also met with them on Friday 3 October. Subsequently, both An Taoiseach and I met directly the group in Government buildings on Wednesday 29 October. A number of issues were discussed at that meeting and the group agreed to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 229 and 230 together. The school to which the Deputy refers is at Stage 2b Advanced Architectural Planning. The brief is a new 32 classroom school with 2 SEN classrooms, GP hall and all external ancillary accommodation and external works. A tender report was received from the Design Team in 2023 and was reviewed by my Department, during the course of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: The criteria required to have incremental credit awarded to qualified Special Needs Assistants (SNA) is set out in Circular 0139/2006 and was agreed with the unions representing the Special Needs Assistants, School Management Representatives, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education. To qualify for an award of incremental credit an SNA and their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: Investment and expenditure on sports facilities in both primary and post-primary schools is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the School Building Programme. Practically all schools have outdoor play areas and many schools use adjacent local community facilities. The provision of outdoor play areas form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings or where...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education Provision (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: This matter does not fall under the remit of my Department. It more properly comes under the remit of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: Each year NEPS staffing levels are evaluated and capacity to serve schools is established. Currently, due to vacancies, maternity leave and long-term sick leave it is not possible for all schools to have an assigned NEPS psychologist. Where a school temporarily does not have an assigned psychologist due to a vacancy, it continues to have access to a range of NEPS services, provided in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that requirement for school places is kept under on-going review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: In order to make accommodation provision to meet the needs of students with special education requirements, my department has close engagement with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) which has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. When the NCSE sanction a special class in a school, the school can apply to my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to confirm that the teacher referred to by the Deputy has been recorded as a primary qualified teacher on my Department's Teacher payroll system. Salary will accordingly be paid at the qualified primary teacher rate in the next available payroll on 20th November 2025 together with any arrears due.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: Existing curriculum from early childhood to senior cycle offers multiple opportunities for the development of digital skills and digital literacy, which includes media literacy. Reform of the curriculum at all levels is already underway to ensure that young people are equipped with the digital skills and literacy required to participate fully in society. At primary level, the Primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. As with other sectors, recruitment challenges exist in some schools. To address teacher supply issues, the Government has implemented several measures that have led to:An increase of 20% in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (6 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs. The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years. My Department has secured €39 million...