Results 17,261-17,280 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Offices (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Office facilities are provided through the Office of Public Works except for a single lease. My Department leases office space directly in the Kilkenny Education Centre for the National Educational Psychological Service. The lease was taken out in 2007/2008 and is renewed annually. The cost of this lease is currently €47,400 per annum and includes the provision of utility and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The major building project referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning, Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design. Updated and amended tender documentation requested upon review of the revised Stage 2(b) report has recently been reviewed by my Department. Further comments have issued to the Design Team who have been requested to carry out a final review of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that overall costs for the period Q4 2018 to the end to the end Q2 2020 were €89.9m excluding VAT and €104.1m including VAT. Costs reflect the very significant level of works completed in 2019 and 2020, complexities to be managed with detailed investigations, developing a remediation solution, retrofitting existing buildings and the need to have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The curriculum is considered to be for all learners regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic background, gender or orientation. It is the aim of my Department that every child has access to equitable education and that each learner feels safe and happy in the school environment, at every stage. At post-primary level, there are a number of prescribed texts for Junior Cycle and Leaving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: On 22 October 2020 the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine notified my Department that it had removed ViraPro hand sanitiser from the product register. On the same day my Department removed the supplier of Virapro and its entire product offering from the Education Sector PPE Procurement Agreement and advised all schools to cease all use of these products. These products have been on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills. The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded the Deputy's query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to him.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: This PQ is for the Department of Further Education.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Supervision and Substitution Scheme (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The Roadmap for the Full Return to School provides for comprehensive supports across a range of areas to allow for the safe reopening of schools. Among the supports provided is the extension of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panel. My Department has worked closely with our Partners on expanding teacher supply panels. The base schools were first identified in collaboration with the INTO...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: 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, including Child Benefit Data from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the Department's own school enrolment databases, to...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Further Revised) (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank the committee for the opportunity to speak this morning. As the Chairman outlined, I am accompanied by the Minister of State, Deputy Josepha Madigan, who has responsibility for special education and inclusion, and officials from my Department. I am conscious that I have only five minutes to deliver my opening statement. I will, therefore, give a very brief overview of the Further...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Further Revised) (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: On the capital projects, almost €800 million is available. We envisage the delivery of more than 200 schools building projects of various sizes before the end of 2021. Some 145 projects are to begin mid-year, around July. That involves a substantial investment in the programme. Regarding the allocation of the additional days to principals and teaching principals, the news has...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Further Revised) (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. With regard to the provisions that have been made available to schools this year, we are talking of a package in excess of €437 million, which supports four to six hours of daily additional cleaning within the schools and the purchase of PPE and hand sanitisers. All of that is covered in the allocation and, indeed, there is a balance of €226 million which...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Further Revised) (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy. In terms of the allocation for school transport, and acknowledging the capacity requirement that now exists, there was an agreement following a memo that was brought to Cabinet. I want to acknowledge the generosity in recognising the need to meet that public health demand and, all along the way, where there have been changes, we have been very flexible in a desire to...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Further Revised) (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: I know school transport is a particularly significant issue in the Deputy's area and he has raised it on a number of occasions. I know that an additional €15 million is being provided just for the increasing number of children within the system anyway . As I said previously, almost €100 million has been made available in respect of the additional 50% capacity. The Deputy is...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Further Revised) (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: At every step of the way we were conscious of the measures that had to be put in place and, indeed, will continue to have to be put in place in respect of Covid-19. At no stage have we been reluctant when it comes to finances. Specifically on the issue the Deputy raised, I will ask for clarification on that and will ask the officials to directly reply to her on it.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Further Revised) (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: On the issue of pay equality, I want to reaffirm the Government's commitment to the body of work that needs to be done to address these outstanding matters. There is a commitment on that and it will be part of the next round of pay talks. On DEIS, this is an area of particular interest to the Deputy, which I acknowledge. As he has correctly acknowledged, there has been a reduction from...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Further Revised) (12 Nov 2020)

Norma Foley: Absolutely. There is incontrovertible evidence that students have been disadvantaged, obviously from an academic point of view but even more so from a socialisation point of view. All of the Irish and international studies are telling us that students are best served within the education environment. I agree with the Deputy's remark. The Government has recognised this by putting financial...