Results 1,001-1,020 of 15,342 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: This Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning. My Department regularly consults with key stakeholders to address critical issues like teacher supply. Further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce are being considered. As with other...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. 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 - Student Teacher. The minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to advise the Deputy that all applications from schools for major capital works must be considered in the context of capacity requirements and climate action commitments. The priority of my Department continues to be the provision of required additional school places to meet demographic requirements as well as for children with special educational needs. My Department is required...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: As Minister for Education, I believe it is crucially important that children and young people are actively supported to access education in its fullest forms. This Government recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry for many Irish families. As you are aware, on the 5th of February this year, I announced the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The furniture and equipment (F&E) area within my Department deals with the provision of furniture and equipment across a number of different streams including the replacement of specialist F&E, to which the issue the deputy has raised refers. As part of the planning for the provision of F&E generally, there has to be a balance between the volume of demand, and the ability of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: Leave entitlements for public servants, including teachers, are determined by the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. Under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998, the Minister for Education, with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, is authorised to determine the terms and conditions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 381 and 382 together. 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 to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred by the Deputy has been approved to enter the Department's pipeline for school building projects under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme , to provide two mainstream classrooms, two Special Education Teaching (SET) rooms and one Special Educational Needs (SEN) Base. This project has been devolved to the school authority for delivery. The Department has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: As you may be aware, the purpose of the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis including external works such as play areas. However, all projects must be fully approved by my Department and be in compliance with the Department’s Technical Guidance Documents (TGD’s) before progressing to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998 the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school on behalf of the Patron. The Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all of the students in their school and care and safety should be at the centre of all policy and practices. Schools should respect any order made by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department’s main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available for the relevant year, the student should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available, a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that the building and land referenced in this question are not under the ownership of my Department. Any matters relating to this property should be raised with the landowner directly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm that a feasibility study was undertaken to consider at the possibility of redeveloping the campus at the school in question to facilitate a proposed amalgamation with two other primary schools. The feasibility study is to examine how the redevelopment could be achieved, while keeping the schools fully operational during construction. A design solution will attempt to address...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. 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 - Student Teacher. The minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school referred by the Deputy has been approved to enter the Department's pipeline for school building projects under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme , to provide two mainstream classrooms, two Special Education Teaching (SET) rooms and one Special Educational Needs (SEN) Base. This project has been devolved to the school authority for delivery. The Department has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. 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 - Student Teacher. The minimum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (4 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 to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometers. This figure includes over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: Senior Cycle Redevelopment is an ambitious programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education that will significantly enrich the student experience. As the Deputy will be aware, this programme includes the revision of all Leaving Certificate Established subjects in five annual tranches, with the last tranche expected to be completed in 2029. This phased approach allows for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commissions of Investigation (4 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 that consideration be given to expanding the remit of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (4 Mar 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 395 and 404 together. Under the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the board of management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. It is the responsibility of the Principal teacher in consultation with the teaching staff to decide...