Results 121-140 of 16,184 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I cannot commit to an amendment on this matter specifically but if there is not an amendment, we can set out how we can enhance what Sage Advocacy is currently doing.

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: While I cannot deal with the issue in this Bill, I am happy to engage with the Senator further on it and on suggestions of a possible way to deal with it elsewhere.

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Senators for speaking on this. I fully support and appreciate the intention behind the amendment. As I stated last week – I agree with Senator Boyhan in this regard – every person responsible for committing the absolutely atrocious crimes and perpetrating such abuse must be held responsible. Those who looked the other way or turned a blind eye must be held...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides psychological support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools. NEPS provides access for all schools to:Psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident.A casework service for individual students where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: This Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning. A number of measures to support primary and post-primary schools to recruit teachers have been introduced including a €2,000 bursary-style fee refund for teachers graduating with a Professional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The project referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new 8 classroom primary school and accommodation, including 2 classrooms for children with special educational needs. The tender has been received and is currently under analysis and review by the Design Team. Upon completion of that review, a tender assessment report will be prepared by the Design Team for my Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The payroll section of my Department provides a payroll service to Primary, Post Primary, Voluntary and Community Schools. The school as the employer is responsible for the timely entry of information relating to their staff to ensure that any salary adjustments are made correctly and on-time. School employers are regularly reminded of the need to enter and approve leave absences in a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department works very closely with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) with respect to the planning for special classes at primary and post primary schools, as well as special school provision. Where there are accommodation requirements, these can be met by reconfiguration of any available accommodation, the delivery of new projects, or projects already in train, or, where,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 280 and 281 together. I propose to take PQs 280 and 281 together. The Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024, which is currently progressing through the legislative process, enables the provision of ongoing health and education supports to survivors of abuse in residential institutions. The package of health supports and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department of Education and Youth’s Circulars 10/2001 for Primary teachers, and 29/2007 and 29/2010 for Post-Primary teachers. The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC). The teacher you refer to is employed in an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Over recent budgets, additional resources have been made available to our schools, including through the delivery of thousands of extra teaching and Special Needs Assistant posts, increased capitation in schools, enhanced supports for school leadership, additional resources for special education, inclusion and wellbeing measures, reduced primary school class sizes, actions to assist teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: A site visit was recently undertaken to the school in question to meet with school management to plan proposed improvement works to the school building during the summer holidays 2025. This is in addition to works already carried out during the school's Easter holidays. The Department will continue to work directly with the school with a view to improving the school’s accommodation.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Each one point reduction in the staffing schedule at primary level for DEIS and non-DEIS schools requires over 400 additional teaching posts and so a four point reduction would require in the region of 1650 posts while a five point reduction would require in excess of 2000 posts.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (19 Jun 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 staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally. At primary level, teachers are allocated to schools at an average of 1...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 292 and 293 together. My Department recently approved funding for an additional 2 Mainstream Classrooms for the school referred to under the Department’s Additional Accommodation Scheme to cater for its interim accommodation needs pending the outcome of ongoing engagement with the school authority on its longer-term requirements. Since 2020, my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department of Education and Youth is aware that costs and funding can pose a problem for schools and is constantly working to address this matter, and to enhance the financial and other supports available to schools. While not wishing to pre-empt the outcomes of any future Budget negotiations or fiscal parameters agreed by Government, the Department will continue to seek and prioritise...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan (NDP), involving the completion of over 1,375 school building projects.? Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. A recent Government decision has approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (19 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The table below shows the number of staff in my Department, the Full Time Equivalent and the number of staff who are on a part-time work pattern. Part time work patterns vary from 30% to 95% of full time. Year Headcount FTE Count of part time staff 2022 1662 1612.80 161 2023 1888 ...