Results 17,201-17,220 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 537 and 554 together. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that planning permission was secured in July for the post-primary school in question and the project therefore moved on to tender document preparation stage which is progressing. There is a tender process ongoing for the establishment of a new framework of contractors for delivery of a bundle of design...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has no remit for the reopening of swimming pools under the Government’s Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19. Keeping schools open safely for children and staff is a key priority at all levels of the plan and any decisions regarding the participation of schools in swimming lessons will be taken in line with the public health advice prevailing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The 2019 Annual Appropriation Accounts disclose contingent liabilities as at 31 December 2019. Three categories of contingent liability were disclosed; €1 million in respect of the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme; €335,000 in respect of a pension liability relating to the pension liability for the Middletown Centre for Autism; and a contingent liability in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, a major project to provide an extension to 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 is currently being finalised and it is intended that the project, when completed, will provide capacity for 1,000 students. My Department approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a programme of school building projects. The NDFA is currently undertaking the second phase of the process of appointment of multi-disciplinary technical advisors (design teams) for these projects. Thereafter, it will ensure that the project progresses to design...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that Officials from my Department have identified a number of potential site options in Wicklow Town for the permanent location for Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School and negotiations are ongoing with the landowners. Officials are working towards acquiring the most suitable site for this school while ensuring value for money for the exchequer is achieved. Officials from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The building project for the school to which the deputy refers is being devolved for delivery to Laois & Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB).  The Service Level Agreement (SLA) has been issued to LOETB. The next step is for the ETB to procure a Design Team for the project to design the buildings, obtain the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers was established under the patronage divesting process in 2015 and is currently in interim accommodation pending delivery of the school's permanent accommodation. Under the patronage divesting process, a school can be opened where a school building became, or was due to become available as a result of an amalgamation/closure of an existing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 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.  Once the application has been assessed, the school authority will be contacted directly with a decision.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Personal Public Service Numbers (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Circular 25/2015 lays out the rationale for the introduction of the Primary Online Database (POD) and the use of the PPSN as a unique identifier, extract below: “The Primary Online Database will serve as a vital administrative and management tool in efficiently meeting the Department’s obligations under Sections 6 and 7 of the Education Act 1998. Individualised data on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: European Court of Human Rights (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: As outlined in previous replies, the Department undertook a review of the scheme in response to a determination by the Independent Assessor, Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill that one of the criteria for eligibility is incompatible with the ECtHR judgement. The review which commenced during 2019 is being conducted by officials from my Department in conjunction with the Office of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Online Safety (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Recognising that online safety is not the responsibility of any one Department, a Government Action Plan for Online Safety was published in July 2018. The key objective of the Plan was to set out and implement actions, over a short 18 month period, that were achievable and which have the greatest impact on Online Safety for everyone. The Action Plan was implemented under the guidance of a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not hold information in the format requested. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Promotion (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I welcome the publication last week of the ESRI Report “The Talking about Sex and Sexual Relationships of Young People in Ireland”.  The report concentrates on where, how and when young people in Ireland get their information on sex and relationships, with the two main sources being parents and Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in school. Parents’...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Teaching posts are allocated based on confirmed enrolments from the previous September and the staffing schedule includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board.  A blanket freeze on the normal arrangements for allocations for one cohort of schools, such as those that have additional classrooms, would...

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

Norma Foley: The decision to adopt a model of Calculated Grades by my Department was a direct result of COVID-19, which prevented the state from running the conventional Leaving Certificate Examinations. In the absence of these examinations, every effort has been made to make the system as fair as possible for as many students as possible. The process of national standardisation, which forms a key...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Priorities and the Effects of Covid-19 on the Education System: Department of Education (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank the committee for its invitation to appear before it. I am joined by the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, as well as a number of departmental officials who can help support our engagement. Last Thursday was my first appearance before the select committee and there was discussion about splitting the financial allocations between my Department and the Department of Further and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Priorities and the Effects of Covid-19 on the Education System: Department of Education (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: In recent weeks, the development of school teams has been a significant positive development in the school system. It is a recognition of the invaluable work that is conducted by the public health sector, but it also offers an opportunity to public health teams to be supported by staff in the Department of Education. That is in response to requests to be supportive of public health. In...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Priorities and the Effects of Covid-19 on the Education System: Department of Education (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: It is very important that any decisions relating to public health in the school sector or in wider society are made by public health professionals. For that reason, and with the support of the partners in education, school teams are public-health led. No adjudication as regards what should happen in the school environment is being placed on the shoulders of any school principal or member of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Key Priorities and the Effects of Covid-19 on the Education System: Department of Education (17 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: With all due respect to the Deputy, the expertise that rests with public health means that we accept the adjudication of public health. That is what we do in every environment and I expect that that would be the same in the school environment. I reiterate that at no stage did any principal or member of school management wish to have the burden of making a public health adjudication placed...