Results 13,341-13,360 of 20,049 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department occupies three main campuses in Marlborough Street, Tullamore and Athlone. In addition, the Department also maintains the ESBS offices in Blanchardstown and 41 local offices throughout the country. The table below displays the total the Department of Education has expended on electricity, gas and oil/lpg in each of the years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and to date in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (2 Dec 2021)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the refurbishment of Government offices is the responsibility of Property Management Services in the Office of Public Works, which acts as an agent for all Government Departments. No air cleaning and/or purification systems have been installed in my Department's office buildings in 2021 and there are no plans to install same in 2022. I recognise the...

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 am pleased to be here this morning together with my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan and officials from my Department. I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to speak to members and for its consideration of my Department’s Supplementary Estimate for 2021. Following approval by the Government, my Department is seeking a net Supplementary Estimate of...

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 acknowledge the great work of your committee, a Chathaoirligh, on an ongoing basis and in a variety of capacities, specifically on senior cycle reform but also on the myriad of other issues you pursue and your helpful co-operation and collaboration with my Department in that regard. As for senior cycle reform specifically, I acknowledge the enormous body of work the NCCA has undertaken, 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 appreciate the Deputy's question. The education sector consistently and without fault has always followed the public health advice. I have said regularly that I hope that it has come as an assurance to parents and guardians and our students and our staff in the entire school sector that when public health advice becomes available, we have always followed it. The nature of Covid has meant...

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. There is clear guidance to the effect that where it is not appropriate for a child to wear a mask, which can be for a variety of reasons, he or she will not be required to do so. We are very clear about that. If there is a specific issue regarding which wearing a mask would disadvantage a child in the way the Deputy has outlined, such as an issue concerning speech or...

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 have to finish this because it is important. The group has acknowledged that there is a place for HEPA filtration. Equally, it stated that, in the longer term-----

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: -----improvements to ventilation should be made to ensure adequate outdoor air ventilation. That is exactly what we are doing in the schools on a case-by-case basis. The Deputy should rest assured about that.

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...