Results 17,081-17,100 of 19,632 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (19 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the 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.  Kildare is one such school planning area. Where...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Staff (18 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: At the outset, I want to acknowledge the hugely significant and important role played by special needs assistants in the education sector. They are an invaluable resource within our schools. In reference to the points made by the Deputies, I acknowledge that a letter issued from my Department. It was sent out in response to the confusion that had arisen as a result of a communication issued...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Staff (18 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I reiterate that the 72 hours in question allow hugely important support work, such as assistance with care planning, learning resource administration and training, to be carried out without reducing SNAs' time with pupils in need of their care. It is vital that the maximum time is availed of by the students in needs of SNA assistance. The recent letter issued by my Department came on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (18 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Brexit Issues (18 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Brexit will bring change in terms of managing relationships between education systems, North and South, and East West.  While many of the potential negative impacts of Brexit in terms of education have been mitigated through the Memorandum of Understanding on the Common Travel Area, my Department's focus has been on protecting and strengthening the collaboration between our...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (18 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The question of enrolment in individual schools, including the setting of catchment areas are the responsibility of the school authorities. It is the responsibility of the school authorities of 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (18 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: It is the responsibility of my Department to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area.  Parents/guardians can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to draft, publish and implement a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pay (18 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 to 104, inclusive, and 106 together. Officials from my Department are collating the information that is available from the payroll databases on the matter raised by the Deputy. I will arrange for the information to be forwarded direct to him as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pay (18 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department does not currently have all the information requested to hand. While my Department is moving to a payroll shared services model for ETBs through the Education Shared Business Services, some of the ETBs still manage and administer their own individual payrolls. My Department will make contact with the ETBs to compile the requested information. This information will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme (18 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I would like to inform the Deputy that the school in question should use its Minor Works Grant to complete these works; minor works payments issued to primary schools during July and a further payment will issue in December of this year. Alternatively the school may apply under my Department's Summer Works Scheme when it next opens for applications.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Data (18 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, to identify where a demand for additional school places  ;will arise.  Included in the data analysed is Child Benefit data and, for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (18 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: Covid-19 Pandemic (18 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has an enhanced Occupational Health Service (OHS) in place to provide employers with occupational health advice in relation to employees’ fitness for work.  Medmark, the current OHS provider has a process in place for school staff with health concerns about their risk of serious illness from contracting COVID-19, through workplace attendance. A detailed on-line...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (18 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware capital funding has been approved, for the school in question, to provide essential mainstream classroom accommodation. The project is currently devolved to the school authority. The immediate priority of my Department is providing 20,000 new and replacement school places each year, to ensure that every child has access to a school place. Under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (17 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The Leaving Certificate written examinations commenced on Monday 16th November and will conclude on Friday 11th December. These written examinations will be based on the normal question paper format, content and structure, and duration as in previous years. These postponed examinations are being provided to students who are unhappy with the outcome of the calculated grades process, as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has published a suite of helpful guidance for the safe and sustainable operation of schools. Each school is required to have a COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe operation through the prevention, early detection and control of COVID-19 in line with public health advice. This guidance is focused on the practical steps schools must take to minimise the risk of transmission of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2021 (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to inform the Deputy that no additional ring-fenced funding has been provided to my Department towards domestic violence services in Budget 2021. However, I can inform the Deputy that my Department is continuing to implement relevant actions from the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, launched in January 2016. The strategy is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The 2020 Leaving Certificate Calculated Grades appeals process has concluded and the appeal outcomes were made available to students at 12pm on Friday 16 October through the Calculated Grades Student Portal. In the processing of the appeals, a total of 33,301 individual subject records belonging to 12,216 students were reviewed.  This number excludes students who initially entered...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Scheme (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that under Budget 2021 I have announced a general reduction in the mainstream staffing schedule to 25:1.  While there has been a reduction in mainstream class size in recent years, there has not been a corresponding reduction for those Urban Band 1 DEIS schools who are already allocated a preferential staffing schedule of 20:1 for schools catering...