Results 81-100 of 15,908 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that it is an absolute priority that every child in the State has access to a school place and the Department of Education and Youth are continually planning for and investing in existing and new schools to ensure that this is the case. Since 2020, my Department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to achieve their full potential in life is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth, and for the Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal supports provided to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department is in receipt of an application for additional school accommodation (ASA) from the school in question. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school's existing...

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

Helen McEntee: The school to which the deputy refers has been granted capital funding under my Department’s SEN Reconfiguration and Modular Accommodation programme for the provision of two mainstream classrooms, two special education classrooms and roof repairs. This programme involves the use of Project Management supports which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy it is an absolute priority that every child in the State has access to a school place and the Department of Education and Youth are continually planning for and investing in existing and new schools to ensure that this is the case. Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Investment and expenditure on sports facilities in primary and post-primary schools is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the School Building Programme. The provision of outdoor play areas form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings or where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school. Practically all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (12 Jun 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. At primary level, teachers are allocated to schools at an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. DEIS Urban Band 1 schools receive an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved for delivery to Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB). The project is currently at Stage 2b of the architectural planning process. This stage involves obtaining all statutory approvals, preparing a set of fully detailed Tender documents, and preparing an accurate pre-tender cost plan. My Department manages the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department recognises the vitally important role of secretaries and caretakers within school communities, as a key link between students, school leaders and other staff, ensuring that both the core needs of the school are met. Since September 2023 my department has been providing a payroll service for former grant funded school secretaries. This happened on foot of an Agreement...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: We are living through a period of rapid change and it is essential that we equip children and young people with the skills and competencies they need to succeed and thrive in a changing world. That is a central purpose of Senior Cycle Redevelopment, which builds on Junior Cycle reform which started to roll out in 2014. Senior Cycle Redevelopment will also spread the assessment load on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred to by the Deputy amalgamated with a neighbouring school on 15 May 2025 and so appointments would be made in the newly amalgamated school from that date. Where schools are amalgamating, there is a provision for the allocation of a concessionary mainstream teaching post(s) only in cases where the approved number of mainstream teachers serving in the schools at the time...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: At primary level, teachers are allocated to schools at an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. DEIS Urban Band 1 schools receive an average allocation of 17:1, 21:1 and 19:1 for junior, senior and vertical schools respectively. Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to aim to reduce the general pupil teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reviews (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department of Education’s Circulars 10/2001 for Primary teachers, and 29/2007 and 29/2010 for Post-Primary teachers. The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC). These circulars provide for the award of incremental...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The information sought by the Deputy is currently being compiled by my officials. A response will issue to the Deputy shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 331 and 332 together. Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), which includes the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS), is under the remit of my department since 2021. The primary role of the EWS is to ensure that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives a certain minimum education; to ensure and secure every...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers is part of a campus project and is devolved for delivery to CEIST. Following the recent grant of planning permission for the project, the Department now expect to receive the Planning Report for review. The design team will then finalise and complete the stage 2b report for submission to the Department. As soon as this report is received, reviewed,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Qualifications Recognition (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Teaching Council register teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016 (www.teachingcouncil.ie). As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Council registers teachers under five routes of registration: Route 1 - Primary, Route 2 - Post-primary, Route 3 - Further Education, Route 4 - Other and Route 5 -...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department has not had any expenditure on external training, simulations or advice in advance relating to appearances as witnesses at Oireachtas committees from 2021 to date in 2025. The information in respect of aegis bodies, within the scope of the Deputy’s question, is not held by my Department. Contact details for these bodies are set out in the attached document should the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: We expect to publish final enrolments for 2024-2025 shortly. The final enrolments include the enrolment by class data and we will revert to the Deputy as soon as this data is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (12 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that officials in the Pension Unit of my Department will review the case in question and contact the person concerned directly.