Results 16,661-16,680 of 19,632 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: Access to relationships and sexuality education (RSE) is an important right for students. Schools have a responsibility to provide for this, importantly, in consultation with parents and having regard to the ethos of the school. Curricular provision for Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and RSE across primary and post-primary level is aimed at ensuring that topics are covered in an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 171 and 172 together. The application for planning permission for the permanent school building for the school referred to by the Deputy was lodged in December 2018 and the notification of the Decision to Grant Permission (subject to 18 no. conditions) was received on 13 June 2019. Two of these conditions were subsequently the subject of a first party...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The Deputy will be aware that a building project for the school in question is included on the Department's school building programme and a site has been acquired for this purpose. My Department is engaging with the school's patron in the context of the planning work associated with the project. In this regard, the school patron will be furnishing certain information to the Department and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, 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, utilising data from a range of sources including information on planned and current residential development, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: A potential site option has been identified and discussions with the landowner are at a very advanced stage with a view to acquiring this site. Once a suitable site has been acquired my Department will be in a position to progress the project concerned into the architectural planning process. I appreciate that the process is taking a considerable length of time but I can assure you that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State. Teachers whose applications meet all the necessary requirements are registered by the Teaching Council under Section 31 of the Teaching Council Act and the Teaching...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Seirbhísí trí Ghaeilge (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: Táim chun ceist PQ 178 agus ceist PQ 180 a fhreagairt le chéile. Tá mo Roinnse tiomanta a chinntiú go gcuireann sí an tseirbhís is fearr is féidir ar fáil don phobal i gcoitinne, sa dá theanga oifigiúil. Bhí ceithre cinn de Scéimeanna teanga don Ghaeilge ag mo Roinnse ó 2005 i leith. Tá an ceathrú Scéim Teanga don...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Foireann Roinne (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: Is iad na príomhghráid sa Roinn atá gafa le seirbhísí a sheachadadh ar phobal na Gaeilge ná na gráid a bhaineann le cigireacht na scoileanna agus le soláthar na seirbhísí síceolaíochta oideachais a chuireann An tSeirbhís Náisiúnta Síceolaíochta Oideachais ar fáil do scoileanna i gceantair Ghaeltachta...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The planning application for the additional accommodation for the school to which the Deputy refers was lodged by my Department with the relevant Local Authority on Friday 11 December 2020. The tender process for the units will be progressed in tandem to the planning application and these costs are not yet available. My Department does not generally disclose the value of particular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The building project referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department's Design & Build programme. This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Management team to progress the project through the stages of architectural planning, tendering and construction. Planning permission was lodged on the 31st March 2020. A Notification to Grant planning was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Holidays (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The scheduling of the school holiday periods during the academic years is agreed between the managerial authorities of schools, the teacher unions and my Department for the purposes of standardising breaks at Christmas, Easter and mid-term. This is important to ensure certainty for the school community about the dates of school holidays. It is also important to note that it is the view...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 to 188, inclusive, together. While the State did implement a number of measures following the revelations of systemic child abuse in institutions where the State was in 'loco parentis', I am aware that survivors have on going needs. I have met with and heard the views from a number of survivors who have been meeting together to set out how they...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The Department has not yet finalised its communications planning for 2021, which will support the achievement of the goals set out in its Statement of Strategy, currently in preparation. Where public communications are required, social media advertising will be considered to support this aim, along with other channels, to ensure appropriate and cost effective communication.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic the Government has identified as an objective that all students should return to education as normal to the fullest extent possible, while minimising the risks from a public health perspective. Schools have put significant measures in place to reduce the risk of coronavirus being transmitted to/within the school and significant funding has been provided...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 198 and 199 together. The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. The starting salary for a new entrant teacher in 2012 was €30,702. As a result of the programme of pay restoration, the starting salary of a teacher is now €37,692. Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and which led the decision not to run the state examinations this summer. In the context of the return to schools of students for the 2020/21 academic year my Department published a range of documentation and support material as part of the Roadmap for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department provides capitation funding to all recognised schools in the Free Education Scheme. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs including heating and refuse costs. I understand the need for improved capitation funding and I am pleased to have been able to provide for a further 2.5% increase in standard capitation funding for primary and...