Results 1,041-1,060 of 17,382 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health and Safety (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department has produced a number of documents in relation to safety in school laboratories, including Safety in School Science and Safety in the School Laboratory. These set out the key principles of safety in a science laboratory. The fundamentals of safe science practice in schools remain constant and schools are supported to embed safe practice through these documents and guidelines. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy 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 and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The SWS operates on a multi-annual basis for a number of categories which could include the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my Department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,375 school building projects. Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. A recent Government decision has approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: We expect to publish final enrolment data for academic year 2024-2025 shortly and we will revert to the Deputy with the requested data as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Meals Programme (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school meals programme was set up in 2003 and the hot school meals element was introduced in 2019. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) has policy responsibility, funds the scheme and has responsibility for administering it. DSP established an Interdepartmental Working Group in December 2024. The Department of Education and Youth (DEY) is a key member of this group and has stepped...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new 8 classroom primary school with accommodation and 2 classrooms for children with special educational needs at Swords, Co Dublin. The project will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT Programme which uses a professional external Programme Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Integrated Project Team to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, responsibility for delivering a major project for the school in question has been devolved to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education & Training Board (DDLETB). The Department of Education originally approved the construction of a standalone extension of just over 4,000m2 in area to include a 2-classroom Special Education needs base. Some works to the existing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Caretakers are valued members of our school communities who carry out work vital to the operations of our schools. At present, the majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker services under ancillary grant funding. The Department of Education and Youth is committed to ensuring that school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail of a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department received an incomplete application from the school employer in relation to the teacher referred to by the Deputy. An official from my Department has been in direct contact with the school employer. The school may be in a position to submit a further application which will be considered for approval.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The purpose of the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme (CASWS) is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The CASWS operates on a multi-annual basis across a number of categories of works such as Windows,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major building project for the school referred to by the deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning – Stage 2(b) Detailed Design, where the Design Team have secured all statutory applications and are preparing the suite of tender documents. The brief for the project is to provide a new 16 classroom primary school with an additional classrooms for pupils...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority of mine. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to fulfil 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: Teaching Council of Ireland (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the state. It is a function of the Council under the Teaching Council Acts (s7(2)) to act as the competent authority for recognition of qualifications obtained by a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for external environment works. The EWS operates on the basis of a minimal scope of works required to remedy an emergency situation and, on this basis, the school was advised to submit further documentation and clarifications. Once this has been received the EWS team will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm that my department received an application in 2018 under the Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) scheme for funding for the provision of eighteen special education classrooms. In this regard my department approved the provision of modular accommodation of four classrooms for the school in question to cater for their immediate needs. This project is complete. I can...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for roof works. The application in question is currently being reviewed by the technical area within the EWS. Once a technical recommendation has been received back from the technical team, the EWS team will engage further with the school as appropriate. The EWS team is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I recently announced €35 million in funding to support digital learning in schools. €35 million in grant funding for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools. Through the ICT Grant, and the Minor Works grant schemes, schools are directly funded for their ICT infrastructure. Schools have autonomy to determine...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 427 and 428 together. It should also be noted that under the Education Act, the Boards of Management of Schools have responsibility for the day to day management of schools. Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is therefore a matter for the Board of Management of each school in the context of their digital learning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy, that the school in question has submitted an application for capital funding, under my department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme, for an additional mainstream classroom, a special education tuition room and a special education classroom. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom...