Results 10,461-10,480 of 20,049 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998 the Board of Management is responsible for the day to day running of a school. Apart from those recognised fee-charging second level schools, recognised primary and post primary schools are precluded from charging school fees. Section 64 of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, which was commenced in October 2018, explicitly prohibits...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (21 Sep 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 announced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (21 Sep 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 announced...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: The Senator is correct that there are two motivations here, but the cost of living is the primary one. Climate action is very much part of the root and branch analysis of the current system.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: I briefly referred to the this in my opening remarks. The review constituted significant engagement and I believe that is what we all wanted. We have had more than 8,000 engagements from parents, 2,000 from students, engagements from bus operators, bus providers. We have also engaged directly with our European counterparts to examine best practice and alternative practice in other areas....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: I am hopeful that it will be completed shortly, by the end of this year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: Every aspect is bring looked at, including eligibility criteria. Therefore, it very much forms part of the review.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: In the first instance the decision that was taken was to waive the fees for those who met the eligibility criteria. It is fair to say that 124,000 pupils in mainstream are availing of that as opposed to 103,000 last year is a significant achievement, particularly in terms of the cost of living. People are asked to apply, to register and complete registration by 29 July. If there have been-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: No, the system was that they applied and they completed the registration by 29 July. The registration closed at that point. Anybody who was eligible at that point and who had registered on time was eligible for a ticket. The criteria did not change as part of the cost of living measures-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: In a small number of instances - it concerns just over 600 people who are eligible - Bus Éireann is currently seeking to find buses, bus drivers or whatever the case might be. They will be provided with bus transport if they have applied on time and they are eligible. It is important to say that in some areas there are constraints in the same way that we have seen in other sectors...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: If I could just-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I agree with his comment that the school transport system is beneficial and important. The Deputy referred to capacity. We have already seen an increase of more than 21% in capacity. As I said, 124,000 young people are now availing of that transport system, as opposed to 103,000 this time last year. Those who qualify to avail of it meet the criteria. The criteria for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: The eligibility criteria are clear.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: To go back to the Deputy's point about the eligibility criteria, it was not possible to make a change. If we had changed the criteria midstream, prior to the completion of this review, it would have been challenged at this committee and elsewhere. If we were to change the criteria, it would mean that others who are currently eligible would become ineligible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: I just wanted to make that point. Bus Éireann is following the eligibility criteria. I am in discussions specifically on that cohort who were concessionary ticket holders previously. They are not eligible; I must say that. I would not wish for any family to find themselves in that circumstance, but they are not eligible. They were concessionary ticket holders. I am in discussions to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: Right now, we are in discussions to secure the additional funding that would be required. We are having those significant discussions-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: -----and we will work with that group.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: I understand, but again I have to say to the Deputy that anyone who eligible is being provided for, and will be provided for, concerning transport. We are now looking at the people who are not eligible, but were concessionary ticket holders. There has been a one third increase in the number of concessionary tickets this year. Where there is no capacity for concessionary ticket holders, we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: The Senator mentioned the timing of this. To be clear, this is a cost-of-living measure. The Government has introduced a package worth in excess of €2.4 billion. A previous school transport measure reduced the cap from €650 to €500. We were alerted to an opportunity for further measures to be put in place. In consequence of that money becoming available, we looked at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Norma Foley: We can engage again. The next speaker is Senator Dolan who will be followed by Deputy Ó Ríordáin.