Results 1,061-1,080 of 17,498 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, 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. This ICT funding is being provided to schools to help them continue to use digital technologies in their teaching, learning and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department does not hold the information requested by The Deputy in a readily accessible format in relation to the total number of CCTV cameras owned by the Department and the specific video file format used in the recording and dissemination of the recorded footage. Therefore, it has not been possible to collate this information within the time available to answer this question....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 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. Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 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. Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 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. Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: NEPS provides educational psychological support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools. NEPS provides all schools with:psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident,a casework service for individual children where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: In June this year, the Department of Education and Youth published the Education Plan. This is the department’s annual plan, which sets out high­ level priorities and associated actions for the coming year. These priorities are derived from the department’s Statement of Strategy, which sets out the vision, mission and strategic goals that guides the Department of Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I wish to inform the Deputy that the property in question is required for future educational accommodation requirements. My Department is examining additional education opportunities that could be facilitated within the property and ultimately its long-term use.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (15 Jul 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, including an over €30 million permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Jul 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. The primary staffing arrangements for the 2025/26 school year are set out in Circular 0011/2025. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Programme for Government provides for a number of measures to support small schools, including introducing a new national small schools' project and trialling new administrative supports. The Government is very aware that small schools are an important part of the life of local communities. The current small schools' action research project established in 2021 in due to conclude at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Programme for Government commits to developing an appropriate mechanism to allow additional time for students with specific needs and in certain circumstances, and also to ensure that those who use assistive technology can do so in State examinations. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the operation and delivery of the State examinations, and facilitates...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: As Minister for Education, I want to ensure that all children and young people have the opportunity of access to education that empowers them to thrive and realise their full potential. In 2024, the free Schoolbooks Scheme was expanded from primary schools and rolled out to all children and young people enrolled in Junior Cycle years in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy may be aware, 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 that, 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm that my Department has recently approved the surrender of our lease interest on the property in question. My Department has issued an instruction to our legal representatives to progress the legal formalities relating to this matter. I can confirm that this file has been assigned to a solicitor and that the legal formalities will proceed in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for life safety system 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 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 Climate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. The department uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: School secretaries are at the heart of the school and are the key interface between students, parents, school leaders and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. In supporting these vital school staff members, we also support the school community as a whole. Since September 2023 my department has been providing a payroll service for former grant funded school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (15 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 471 and 472 together. Please find attached requested data. Data provided is for academic year 2023-2024 and we will revert to the Deputy with data for 2024-2025 when final data is published.