Results 14,281-14,300 of 19,621 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (27 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: DEIS is my Department’s main policy to tackle educational disadvantage. This year my Department will spend over €150million on supports for schools targeted at supporting the educational outcomes of those pupils most at risk of educational disadvantage. The DEIS Plan acknowledges the allocation of additional resources, such as an improved staffing schedule, to Urban Band 1 DEIS...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (27 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) – Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been secured. In late 2020, additional provision for a 2...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (27 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: I would like to inform the Deputy that the responsibility for maintaining schools and their grounds lies with the school authority in the first instance. The main grant funding mechanisms for undertaking works of the nature referred to by the Deputy are the Annual Minor Works Grant or the Summer Works Scheme. The Minor Works Grant last issued to primary schools in December 2020 and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (27 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) – Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been secured. In late 2020, additional provision for a 2...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (27 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The staffing schedule is an allocation mechanism that uses enrolment bands to determine the number of classroom teaching posts allocated to a school. This is a long standing arrangement for allocating teaching posts to our primary schools in a fair and equitable way based on their respective enrolment. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (27 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: Small schools are highly valued in their communities in that they provide a vital link to local heritage and history, help sustain rural populations and often act as a link for sports and social activity. There is a commitment contained in the Programme for a Partnership Government to recognise the importance of small schools. There is a further commitment not to close any small school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (15 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the current school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020. All children who are eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (15 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The number of staff in my Department by location and function is set out in the attached table. The renting/leasing of all offices in my Department, with the exception of office space which a small number of Department staff share with the state-owned Kilkenny Education Centre, is managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) which acts as an agent for all Government Departments in this regard....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (15 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the current school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020. All children who are eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Curaclam Scoile (15 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: Is é ról na Comhairle Náisiúnta Curaclaim agus Measúnachta (NCCA) forbairtí sa churaclam agus sa mheasúnú a threorú agus comhairle a chur ar an Aire Oideachais a bhfuil an fhreagracht deiridh air as an gcuraclam a chinneadh. I ndáiríre, oibríonn mo Roinn go dlúth leis an NCCA chun curaclaim a fhorbairt ar gach...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, the long-term accommodation needs of the school in question have been identified and agreed with the school management authority. The brief for building project is currently being developed by my Department's Professional and Technical staff and once finalised will be issued to the school authority for delivery in the earliest possible timeframe.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (14 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/21 school year more than 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: School Transport (14 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/21 school year more than 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: School Transport (14 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the current school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020. Bus Éireann have advised that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (14 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: I can inform the Deputy that the average direct pay and non-pay cost per annum of employing an Educational Psychologist in my Department's NEPS service is €75,000 per annum. The estimated annual additional cost, therefore, of employing 25 psychologists would be €1.875m. It should be noted, however, that should an extensive recruitment exercise be envisaged, in the first...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Broadband Plan (14 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department is working closely with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications on the implementation of the National Broadband Plan Intervention area, which will see some 679 primary schools provided with high speed connectivity by the end of 2022. This includes the School Connection Points under the Broadband Connection Points programme implementation currently underway....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (14 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: I can inform the Deputy that my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (14 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: I can inform the Deputy that my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (14 Jul 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department aims to provide its customers with a professional, efficient and courteous service and does not distinguish between unsolicited and solicited correspondence. A full statement of commitments contained within my Department’s Customer Charter can be found on gov.ie at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/045e7-customer-charter/ The Customer Charter underpins...