Results 12,921-12,940 of 19,618 for speaker:Norma Foley

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: Specifically on the senior cycle, I appreciate the valuable contribution of the committee. It can be assured that the work will be expedited as quickly as possible. On T1 and T2, the consultation concluded only two days ago, on 30 November. That will be part of the consideration. It is important that there was an opportunity to have the widest possible consultation in advance of a...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy and I appreciate his comments. The Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, and I are adamant that keeping our schools open is an absolute priority for us. It is a priority for the Government, and the Deputy is correct that it is a priority also for wider society. If we have learned anything through Covid, we have learned of the need to keep the schools open, and that children...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. The Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, might like to come in here also. I acknowledge that significant funding is being made available for the hire of school transport and given the necessity for sanitisation and so on. We are very cognisant of the need for all of that to be implemented and to be implemented well in our systems. We have made the provision and it is up...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I refer to some of the other issues the Deputy raised. In relation to the HSE and contact tracing in Dublin, he will have seen that is a public health decision. The public health authorities have made various decisions at various times on operational matters. They made decisions in late September on the operation of full contact tracing within our schools. At that point we had thousands...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I confirm that antigen testing is a public health initiative and that we co-operate on it. There has been terrific goodwill and co-operation within the school community to make it operational. The call centre is running and it is my understanding from parents that they receive antigen tests very quickly after applying. As I have said previously, it is an additional tool. There are great...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: As I mentioned earlier, obviously we are supportive of every tool that can be made available to us in the education sector provided it is recommended by public health. Therefore, I appreciate where the Department is coming from, but it is important that NIAC is comfortable with the decision and that it green lights it, as it were. For our part in the Department of Education, we have always...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I apologise to Deputy Tully for not getting that reply previously. I appreciate having the opportunity to respond on the issue now. On the leaving certificate arrangements for 2022, cognisant of many of the issues that have arisen previously for these students, significant accommodation has already been made in the examination papers. Schools were notified of the accommodation at the start...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. In terms of flexibility, I think if I have learned anything from my many years in the education sector, I have learned that enormous goodwill, flexibility and measured judgment is shown by schools on the ground in all respects. They have shown that in abundance throughout the Covid experience. I have every confidence they will do that going forward as well. A great...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Cathaoirleach very much for his question. I express my thanks for the work of the committee and specifically the issue the Chairman has highlighted there. He is completely correct in that we have counsellors in our schools and I am very pleased to say that we have had an increase in the provision of counsellors within schools as a consequence of the budget and a commitment to...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: It has acknowledged-----

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (1 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I acknowledge the Deputy's ongoing commitment to this issue in his constituency. It is an issue on which Deputy Aindrias Moynihan has also engaged with me. I thank Deputy Creed for raising the matter, as it allows me to provide an update to the House on the current position on the provision of interim accommodation for Le Chéile Secondary School in Ballincollig, County Cork. In...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (1 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: This is being given a high priority by my Department. I appreciate the Deputy's ongoing interest in this issue, which he has raised with me a number of times, as has Deputy Aindrias Moynihan. It is a matter of high priority within Deputy Creed's constituency. He can see from the level of engagement that the Department has had with the local authority on interim sites for additional...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (1 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: If I could conclude. The Deputy is aware that pre-planning is a significant and important element of the planning process. If we had not engaged in pre-planning, the Deputy would be quite critical. It points to the fact that the Department has utilised every opportunity available to it to ensure that interim and permanent sites would be made available for this school. I assure him that we...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy again for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House these measures. I reiterate that if there are outbreaks of concern in educational facilities, public health teams continue to provide support to schools where required and the measures we have implemented in schools are on the back of expert public health advice. The on-the-ground experience of public health...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: The Government is committed to supporting schools and keeping them open for all children as we continue to live with Covid-19. The aim of all the Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures in place in schools is to support schools to operate safely and prevent the introduction and onward transmission of Covid-19 among the school community. I will speak specifically on the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: We did that yesterday and are very clear in the guidelines. I know schools and have spent the vast majority of my working life in schools.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I have the floor. I am aware that schools take a flexible approach. We have advised they take such an approach over the coming days.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: Grandstanding on a matter of public health serves no good purpose.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: In relation to there being an opportunity for schools to take a flexible approach, as they always do, they have that flexibility in the coming days. The vast majority of parents are aware, as I am, that many children wore masks on the word of the CMO last week. We are taking an approach advised by public health. The measure is regarded as an additional tool for the benefit of our schools...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House, as he has requested, the current position regarding Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures in schools. Ensuring that schools can continue to operate through Covid-19 has been a key priority for the Government. The Department always has been guided by our public health authorities, such as NPHET, the Chief...