Results 12,841-12,860 of 19,618 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 72 and 73 together. The Department has provided guidance for schools, including publishing an FAQ to assist schools engage with parents where there are particular difficulties arising for individual children. Where issues arise, schools will engage pragmatically and sensitively with parents to explore any particular difficulties arising for an individual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (8 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I can advise the Deputy that the Department has taken the necessary steps to resolve this case.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: Managing ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe. Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided at the end of May following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. A copy of the guidance is published on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (8 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 81 and 82 together. In response to the question recently raised by you, regarding the number of teacher absences that qualify for substitution and that were recorded on the online claims system, I had responded to advise you that the information requested was not readily available, but that the information would be compiled and forwarded directly to you. I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (8 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The permanent building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department's Design and Build programme. This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Manager to progress the project through the relevant stages of architectural planning, tender and construction. An application for Planning Permission was submitted to the relevant Local...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I refer to the matters referred to by the Deputy in relation to the teacher concerned. My officials in the Department are looking into these matters and will be in touch in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The scheduling of the school holiday periods during the academic years is agreed between the managerial authorities of schools, the teacher unions and my Department for the purposes of standardising breaks at Christmas, Easter and mid-term. This is important to ensure certainty for the school community about the dates of school holidays. There are no plans to alter the school break at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: A range of measures are in place to provide enhanced substitute cover in the context of current challenges. Higher education institutions (HEIs) providing undergraduate programmes of post-primary initial teacher education (ITE) have agreed to facilitate the release of year 3 and year 4 B.Ed. students to support schools up to the end of the current term. They have also agreed to explore...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The school referred to in Parliamentary question No. 379 of 23 November is the new 1,000 pupil post-primary school for the Belmayne/Clongriffin area. A new primary school for the Belmayne/Clongriffin area is also being delivered under my Department’s Design and Build Programme and it is the site for this new primary school which is located adjacent to Clongriffin train station. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2020/21 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 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 €224.7m in 2020. For the 2020/21 school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 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 €224.7m in 2020. The purpose of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: Guidance Counselling at post primary level is holistic and includes Career Guidance, Educational Guidance and Personal and Social Guidance.All mainstream schools receive a Guidance allocation and have been asked to provide Guidance using a continuum of support model which supports schools in identifying and responding to students’ needs (for All, for Some, for a Few) in particular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The project referred to by the Deputy is in the early architectural planning stage which involves site surveys, school design stages and the preparation of Planning Permission. As part of the conditions of sale, the lodgement of planning permission is under the remit of the vendor. The Department has been working closely with the vendor to expedite a planning application for the new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. The information in relation to the current school year is not yet available. Table 1 The number of primary teachers that are currently on the Department’s Payroll that are paid a qualification allowance at the pass degree rate for the year 2017/2018, 2018/2019, 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I would like to inform the Deputy that the school in question should make an application for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme, the application form can be downloaded and uploaded when complete via the schools Esinet Portal under the Devolved Projects tab. My Department will then arrange for the application to be assessed as quickly as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Protected Disclosures (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: In accordance with Section 22 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, my Department has published information on protected disclosures received during 2018, 2019 and 2020 online at: In summary, in 2018, 3 protected disclosures were received from workers in the Education sector. In 2019, 1 protected disclosure was received from workers in the Education sector. In 2020, 2 protected...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Social Enterprise Sector (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the promotion and support of the social enterprise sector is not part of the remit of my Department and, accordingly, no specific funding for the promotion and support of the sector has been allocated by my Department for 2022.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: In accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the appointment of a board of management of a school is a matter for the relevant school patron. Under the provisions of this Act, where a Patron determines that the appointment of a Board is not practicable, the Patron may appoint a manager or managers to perform the functions of the Board. In the case of the school in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The project for the school referred to by the deputy has been devolved to the Waterford & Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB) for delivery. I can confirm that a Design Team to deliver this project was appointed by WWETB in February of this year, and the Design Team is now preparing the Stage 1 Report (preliminary design). As the project is at an early stage in the delivery...