Results 13,461-13,480 of 19,621 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: Access to teachers pay scales is determined by the date a teacher is first appointed to an Oireachtas funded teaching post in Ireland. An offer of employment does not determine access to teachers pay scales. A person first appointed to an Oireachtas funded teaching post in January 2011 and whose date of first qualified teaching service is before 5 December 2011 will be paid on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Functions (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: A parent/ guardian or pupil aged 18+ may apply to their school for an exemption from the study of Irish. The only exceptional circumstances in which a recognised school can grant an exemption from the study of Irish are set out in circulars 0052/2019 (primary) and 0053/2019 (post primary). In all other cases, schools are required to address a wide diversity of need by providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (21 Oct 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.   Planning for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department’s helpline has been provided to all schools should they require assistance in relation to my Department’s guidance for the safe operation of schools. For any queries regarding COVID-19 cases in schools, they can contact the HSE COVID-19 Schools line, details of which have been communicated to all schools. A range of measures have been put in place to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: Since March 2020 my Department has had ongoing engagement with the education stakeholders in the context of Covid-19 and the safe operation of our schools. Arrangements for the recruitment of substitute teachers to cover teacher absences has and will continue to feature. On Thursday 14thOctober 2021 officials from my Department met with representatives of primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Communications (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 217 and 218 together. I can confirm to the Deputy that my diary for the period in question is currently being prepared for publication. This will include details of meetings that I have held. The delay in publication arose due to the need for the Department to prioritise essential work relating to the Covid pandemic.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has previously identified State-owned lands as a possible site for a new permanent building for the school referred to by the Deputy following an unsuccessful site identification process a number of years ago for this school. Given the passage of time since the original site identification process, the Department considered it prudent to carry out a further site...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: A range of measures have been put in place to provide enhanced substitute cover in the context of Covid-19. These include a major expansion of the Primary Schools Substitute Teacher Supply Panels, which now employ almost 380 teachers and provide substitute cover to over 2,500 primary schools across the country. Further work is underway to ascertain if there are ways the operation of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In accordance with Department Circulars 0044/2019 and 31/2011, schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers and ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The total amount of CO2 monitors delivered across the county is in excess of 35,400. All allocations have been dispatched to schools across the county. The breakdown by county is provided in the table below. Sum of No. of Monitors County Post Primary School Primary Special School Grand Total Carlow 260 228 20 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has previously identified State-owned lands as a possible site for a new permanent building for the school referred to by the Deputy following an unsuccessful site identification process a number of years ago for this school. Given the passage of time since the original site identification process, the Department considered it prudent to carry out a further site...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive (HSE). This includes the establishment of special class and special school placements in various geographical areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (21 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The planned establishment of a new post-primary school in 2022 to serve the  Drumcondra_Marino_Dublin 1 school planning area was announced in 2018 as a result of a countrywide demographic exercise.  Further exercises have since been conducted on the necessity for the establishment of a number of planned new schools, including the school to serve this school planning area,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (20 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. I am inundated with invitations to County Wexford and the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, is consistently inviting me. I accept the Deputy's invitation also. When my diary allows it, I will be absolutely happy to visit. I am certainly very conscious of the Deputy's invitation. I appreciate the case made by the Deputy. There is positive news in what I have to say...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (20 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: It is my primary objective, at all times, that all schools are treated fairly in the process. The Deputy will accept that I have an obligation under the public spending code to maximise the use of State assets. Therefore, consideration must be given to the master plan. I am obliged to do that but I hear very clearly the case the Deputy makes. I assure him that the Department is in...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (20 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: It would not be appropriate for me, as the Deputy will appreciate, to comment directly on an individual school and that is not the purpose of the Topical Issue matter. It has always been and will continue to be the case that we will operate on the back of full public health advice. All the operations within our schools, from their reopening and the measures we put in place at that time,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (20 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which has been raised consistently with me by Deputy Calleary and Senator Chambers. As Deputy Ring outlined, I met a deputation from the school and was happy to do so. Nevertheless, this Topical Issue matter gives me an opportunity to set out for the House the position with regard to Holy Trinity National School. Holy Trinity is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bus Éireann (20 Oct 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: Departmental Contracts (20 Oct 2021)

Norma Foley: The Department has not held meetings or conducted correspondence with the company in question.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (20 Oct 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.  Under the terms of...