Results 16,681-16,700 of 19,632 for speaker:Norma Foley

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

Norma Foley: My Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional post-primary school places in a number of school planning areas for the 2021/2022 school year, including the school planning area to which the Deputy refers. Where capacity issues arise it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors: - Duplication of applications –...

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

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, my Department is currently finalising a site identification & deliverability exercise in order to technically appraise suitable shortlisted sites within the relevant school planning areas, for the post primary school to which you refer. This exercise is nearing completion, in line with our comprehensive site selection criteria, technical consideration and...

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

Norma Foley: The major school building project to provide new secondary school accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy commenced on site in late October 2020 and the contract duration is approximately 20 months.

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

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s Construction Programme which is being delivered under the National Development Plan. The project is currently at Stage 1 of architectural planning which entails preliminary site surveys, location suitability and initial sketch scheme. A review in 2019 of the demand for post-primary...

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

Norma Foley: A major extension/ refurbishment project for the school referred to by the Deputy has recently been authorized by my Department to proceed to tender for the appointment of a Building Contractor. The closing date for the completed tender returns is mid-December. Subject to no significant issues arise during the tender process my Department expects that the project will progress to site in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 315 and 334 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 316 and 318 together. Public health specialists working with schools and my Department are closely monitoring the situation in all schools to ensure that where schools are open with appropriate infection prevention and control measures, there is no additional threat to public health. To date the evidence demonstrates that schools are operating safely...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (15 Dec 2020)

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 Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, the building project for the school in question is included in my Department's capital programme. The acquisition of the permanent site for Malahide Portmarnock ETNS is at a very advanced stage of conveyancing. Once all contractual matters have been finalised the site will be assessed for Architectural Planning. While a site acquisition process is underway, given the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, a new site will be required for a school campus development, in order to cater for the permanent needs of St. Patrick’s National School, Celbridge Community College and St. Raphael’s Special School. The Department is presently at a very advanced stage in the process of acquiring a suitable site, located at Donaghcumper. I can confirm that agreement in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: Regarding the interim accommodation required by the school to which the Deputy refers for the current academic year the planning permission was granted with a number of pre-commemcement conditions and it was not possible for installation to commence until such time as the relevant local authority discharged all of these conditions. The conditions have now been discharged. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, a new site will be required for a school campus development, in order to cater for the permanent needs of St. Patrick’s National School, Celbridge Community College and St. Raphael’s Special School. The Department is presently at a very advanced stage in the process of acquiring a suitable site, located at Donaghcumper. I can confirm that agreement in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, a new site will be required for a school campus development, in order to cater for the permanent needs of St. Patrick’s National School, Celbridge Community College and St. Raphael’s Special School. The Department is presently at a very advanced stage in the process of acquiring a suitable site, located at Donaghcumper. I can confirm that agreement in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The school referred to by the Deputy opened in 2007 and was located in interim accommodation initially for 6 months. The school subsequently relocated to its current location in Department owned temporary accommodation comprising 16 temporary classrooms. These classrooms are located on the grounds of the local GAA club and rent is paid to the GAA for the use of its grounds. As the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The school referred to by the Deputy opened in 2015 in an existing school building. In September 2016, the school relocated to a council owned site in temporary accommodation purchased by the Department. The total cost of this accommodation including furniture and equipment/ICT amounted to €3,310,125. In 2018, my Department approved grant for additional rented accommodation at a cost...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 329, 330 and 331 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that in May 2020, my Department gave initial approval to the school in question to acquire 3 temporary classrooms. This project has been devolved to the school for delivery and my Department understands that a decision on the planning permission application is due shortly. When secured and when the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Protection (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The ex gratia scheme, was established on foot of the specific circumstances arising from the O’Keeffe case and in response to the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). It was established in 2015 to provide an effective remedy for a specific category of people, namely those persons who had commenced domestic litigation but who had discontinued those proceedings...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (15 Dec 2020)

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 Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in that area. Under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application, for Additional School Accommodation (ASA), from the school authority in question. Officials from my Department have recently corresponded with the school Patron. Upon receipt of the information requested the application will be progressed and the decision will issue to the school authority directly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Administrative Arrangements (15 Dec 2020)

Norma Foley: The majority of staff of the Payroll Division of my Department have been working remotely since March in accordance with Government guidelines. There are 130,000 payees paid on the payrolls operated by these staff on a fortnightly basis. The first priority during the Covid 19 pandemic has been to ensure that all staff paid on these payrolls continued to be paid on time. This posed major...