Results 1,421-1,440 of 19,412 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (3 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department provides a payroll service to over 160,000 school staff and pensioners. As part of the payroll service, the Cycle to Work scheme is offered to over 130,000 school staff in primary, secondary, community and comprehensive schools. The terms and conditions of the scheme are outlined in Departmental Circular 56/2020. There are different options for payment which include one...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (3 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school referred to have been approved funding under my departments Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for capital funding for 5 mainstream classrooms, 2 special education tuition rooms, 2 special education classrooms, 1 universal access toilet, 1 textiles room and 1 multimedia room. The school also received approval in 2021 for funding for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (3 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school referred to was approved to enter my Department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide the following accommodation 1 x Special Education Tuition Room under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The responsibility for this project has been devolved to the school authority. I can confirm the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (3 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department provides funding for loose furniture and equipment (F&E) for schools in various ways, depending on the appropriate delivery mechanism. The provision of funding for the replacement of lockers and broken or obsolete furniture in schools is covered by this scheme. The school to which the deputy refers submitted an application on September 27th for the replacement of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (3 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an admissions policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. Under the provisions of the Act, school admission policies are approved by the Patron, following consultation with staff and parents of children who are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (3 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The new Junior Cycle SPHE curriculum specification was introduced in September 2023 for all first years. It has four strands: Understanding Myself and Others; Making Healthy Choices; Relationship and Sexuality; and Emotional Wellbeing. The aim of the course is to build students’ self-awareness and positive self-worth; to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills, dispositions and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (3 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Financial Resolutions 2024 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I am delighted to inform the House that I have secured a budget of almost €12 billion, which is a 9% increase on the funding achieved in budget 2024. There is an increase of €712 million in core current funding and an increase of more than €360 million in core capital funding compared with the original national development plan allocation for 2024. These are the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for roof works. The original application was refused as the works did not fit the criteria of the Emergency Works Scheme but was advised better suited to the Summer Work Scheme. The application in question is currently being reviewed by the Department of Education’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2023/24 school year over 163,800 children, including over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational needs, and 7,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter the department’s pipeline for a project under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The project will provide five mainstream classrooms, one SET room and a two classroom Special Education Needs (SEN) base. The project was devolved to the school authority for delivery. My department received a stage 1 report in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that approval was provided under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme in 2022 for modular accommodation to provide one mainstream classroom and two special education tuition rooms. In early 2023, the brief for the school was reviewed and a further special education needs classroom was added to the scope. This accommodation has since been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 110 together. Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested around €5 billion in schools throughout the country. Around 950 school building projects have been completed and 350 other projects are under construction, which includes 37 new school buildings. These 350 project currently at construction involves a total state investment of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2023/24 school year over 163,800 children were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. This includes over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Following an extensive site identification and assessment exercise, a number of potential site options have been shortlisted for further consideration. This includes more detailed technical and economic appraisals of these potential site options. The Department is working towards securing the most suitable site for this school while ensuring value for money for the exchequer is achieved....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: For historical reasons, most primary schools are State-aided parish schools, with the local Bishop as patron. It is recognised, including by the Catholic patrons, that more diverse provision is required to cater for our changing society. The Department of Education’s ‘Schools Reconfiguration for diversity process’ supports the transfer of schools from denominational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies, or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for pupils with special needs. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is deemed to be a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that approval was provided under my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme in 2022 for modular accommodation to provide one mainstream classroom and two special education tuition rooms. In early 2023, the brief for the school was reviewed and a further special education needs classroom was added to the scope. This accommodation has since been...