Results 16,521-16,540 of 19,632 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Defence: School Transport (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. In the current school year over 113,100 children, including over 14,500 children...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Covid-19 Pandemic (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: School communities have worked incredibly hard to operate safely under Covid-19. The Government has always been guided by public health advice in relation to what is safe in schools. NPHET remain of the view that schools are low risk environments but recognise there is a need to reduce activity and movement to curb the spread of the virus. Regrettably all schools will remain closed to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: DEIS Scheme (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department is in the final stages of refinement of the new DEIS identification model, based on school enrolment data and the latest data available from Census 2016 using the HP Deprivation Index. A detailed quality analysis of the data has been carried out by members of the DEIS Technical Group which contains representatives of the Department’s Statistics and Social Inclusion Units,...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Contracts (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department has not awarded contracts to the named company between 2016 and 2020. Enquiries have also been made with the bodies under the aegis of my Department and no contracts were awarded by them to the named company between 2016 and 2020.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: State Examinations (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: It remains my firm intention to operate the conventional 2021 Leaving Certificate examinations, with appropriate public health measures in place. This view is shared by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), which has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. Planning for these examinations is underway by the SEC and the Department. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Departmental Contracts (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in the format requested. However, the information is being collated by officials in my Department and will be made available to the Deputy in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: School Admissions (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Acts, 1998-2018. On 14th January 2020 a number of sections of the Admission to Schools act were commenced introducing new laws around admission to schools which became operational on 1 February 2020. These provisions...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: School Curriculum (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department’s policy is that the granting of an exemption from the study of Irish may only be granted in the exceptional circumstances outlined in Circulars 0052/2019 and 0053/2019 as relevant. It is important to state that the granting of an exemption from the study of Irish should not be a key factor in planning for the provision of special education teaching for a pupil. The...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: National Educational Psychological Service (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 437 to 440, inclusive, together. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is the psychological service of my Department.  It is a school-based service with an overall objective of providing an educational psychology service to all schools, through the application of psychological theory and practice, to support the well-being, and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Educational Disadvantage (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department is in the final stages of refinement of the new DEIS identification model, based on school enrolment data and the latest data available from Census 2016 using the HP Deprivation Index. A detailed quality analysis of the data has been carried out by members of the DEIS Technical Group.  The work of this group is at an advanced stage and...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: School Accommodation (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: The projects for the first two schools referred to by the Deputy are being delivered under my Department's Design & Build programme. The tender process to establish the new Design & Build Contractors Framework commenced on the 4 December 2019. The second stage of the tender process which involves the detailed tender for several schools has commenced and is expected to be...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Teaching Qualifications (13 Jan 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(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In accordance with Department Circular 31/ 2011, and Circular 44/2019 which are available on the Department’s website under www.education.ie,...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Schools Building Projects (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, a major project for the school in question is included in my Department's building programme to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan (NDP). The accommodation brief for a 1,000 pupil school is currently being finalised. I also wish to advise that in order to meet the immediate accommodation needs of the school, interim...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: School Admissions (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional post-primary school places in a number of school planning areas including school planning areas referred to by the Deputy. Where capacity issues arise it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors: - Duplication...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: School Transport (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 113,100 children, including over 14,500 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. The purpose of my...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Schools Building Projects (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: My Department is committed to the provision of a new school building for the school referred to by the Deputy. A new site is required to facilitate this and my Department is considering a potential option in this regard and are in discussions with the relevant stakeholders. When these discussions are concluded my Department will be in further contact with the school authority.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Schools Building Projects (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: The school building project for the school in question is being delivered under my Department's Design and Build programme. The design is nearing completion and the Project Manager for the Design & Build programme is working towards submission of the planning application.  An on-line meeting will be organised before the planning application is lodged so that the plans...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Schools Designation (13 Jan 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, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Schools Building Projects (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme, from the school in question. Officials from my Department have recently communicated with the school authority and are awaiting a response, when received the assessment will be finalised and a decision will be conveyed directly to the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: National Educational Psychological Service (13 Jan 2021)

Norma Foley: I have made enquiries in relation to the school referred to by the Deputy.  While the assigned psychologist is on maternity leave, the school continues to have access to critical incident and advisory support from NEPS and pupil casework via the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA). A member of the local NEPS team undertakes the role of advisory psychologist...