Results 17,001-17,020 of 19,632 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (25 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Access to Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) is an important right for students. Schools have a responsibility to provide for this vital aspect of education to young people. The Programme for Government states that this Government will develop inclusive and age appropriate curricula for RSE and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) across primary and post-primary schools. Work...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: As I previously outlined, there has been considerable development in the Cork East area. In respect of the primary schools in the area the building project for Scoil Chlíodhna, Carrigtwohill, a co-educational community national school, which will provide permanent accommodation for the school is currently at stage 2B of the architectural planning process. The building project, when...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the position regarding school developments in east Cork. 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, GIS. The GIS uses data from a range of sources,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank both Deputies for raising these issues as it gives me an opportunity to outline the current position regarding provision for children with special educational needs and the supports in place for schools with special classes. Enabling children with special educational needs, including autism, to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for Government. Next year,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank both Deputies again for raising these issues and giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that my Department is committed to ensuring all children can access an education suitable to their needs. I am conscious of the points Deputy Ó Laoghaire raised. We have gone a step forward in the recent budget, in particular in relation to the measures we put in place as a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department provides each Educational Training Board (ETB) with an administration and maintenance staffing allocation and pay budget to support its individual ETB schools, colleges, head office and other centres of education. It is the responsibility of each ETB to recruit staff and manage staffing levels from within this allocation and budget, which extends to decisions around whether...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Nov 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 an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b) Detailed Design, which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. All...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The Appropriation Account for my Department for 2019 contains details of the contracts deemed to be non-compliant with procurement guidelines for the year 2019. Details from the 2109 Appropriation Account are attached for the Deputy’s information. A complete record is not available in respect of 2020 as the appropriation account is compiled after the end of the accounting period. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The project referred to by the Deputy is currently at advanced architectural planning stage and being progressed towards submission of a planning application. Prior to lodging the application, the School Authority will be invited to attend a meeting with officials from my Department to review the plans. Until such time as planning permission has been secured, it will not be possible to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (24 Nov 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. The Teaching Council inform me that the application of the person referred to by the Deputy has been successfully concluded with effect from the 16thof November...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that my Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school authority referred to by the Deputy. The assessment process will consider the need for additional, permanent accommodation and also for interim accommodation, as appropriate. Once the assessment is completed, a decision will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Process (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has not made any applications to the Oireachtas Business Committee to waive pre-legislative scrutiny of primary and secondary legislation from 1 January 2017 to date.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The official responsible for the Departments Data Compliance and Support Section is the designated Data Protection Officer for the Department and is at the grade of Principal Officer. The unit supports the Department in being compliant with data and information regulations in relation to FOI, Records Management, GDPR and the Data Protection Act and provides corporate support services to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (24 Nov 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 (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I would like to inform the Deputy that the school in question has been granted funding through my Department's Summer works scheme and as this is a devolved project it is the responsibility of the school authority to progress the works.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act 1998. In schools where there are more applicants than places available, a selection process may be necessary. The selection process used by schools and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The building project referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design and Build Programme which tenders to pre-established frameworks of D&B contractors. My Department is currently in the process of establishing a Framework of Design and Build Contractors to which Design and Build projects can be tendered. Once this framework is established, it is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that in 2017, consideration was being given to establishing a special school in the east Cork area. A potential property was mentioned but the owner subsequently disposed of the property. My Department is currently exploring how the needs of those children requiring a special school placement in Cork can be met.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 486 and 487 together. Each primary school receives a Special Education Teaching allocation. The Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses the Language Support (EAL) allocation that schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Tribunals of Inquiry (24 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that there are no tribunals, inquiries or investigations being undertaken currently, or in the process of being set up, by my Department. The Deputy may wish to note that on 3 October I announced that I had asked that a comprehensive independent review of the design and implementation of the Leaving Certificate Calculated Grades process should take place when...