Results 161-180 of 15,908 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The major school project referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new school building to accommodate a 600 pupil post primary school plus accommodation for students with special educational needs. This project is being delivered as part of my Departments Design & Build Programme. Planning Permission was granted in May 2024, following an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department recognises the vitally important role of Caretakers and Cleaners within school communities, as a key link between students, school leaders and other staff, ensuring that both the caretaking and cleaning needs of the school are met. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools receive assistance to provide for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the state. It is a function of the Council under the Teaching Council Acts (s7(2)) to act as the competent authority for recognition of qualifications obtained by a person...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can confirm to the Deputy that my department is in receipt of an application for funding from the school in question. This application has been assessed under the department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and special education needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under Project Ireland 2040, a commitment was given that the Minor Works Grant would be paid in either December or January of the school year to all primary schools, including special schools. In recent years, my department’s approach has been to pay the Minor Works Grant to schools in advance of the start of the following school year, in order to facilitate a better lead in period for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: As the Deputy is aware, I recently announced €65 million in funding to support digital learning in schools and minor building works. €35 million in grant funding for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools, while a separate €30 million in minor works funding is being provided to primary and special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan (NDP), involving the completion of over 1,375 school building projects. Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. Between 2020 and the end of April 2025,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority of mine. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under Project Ireland 2040, a commitment was given that the Minor Works Grant would be paid in either December or January of the school year to all primary schools, including special schools. In recent years, my department’s approach has been to pay the Minor Works Grant to schools in advance of the start of the following school year, in order to facilitate a better lead in period for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the state. It is a function of the Council under the Teaching Council Acts (s7(2)) to act as the competent authority for recognition of qualifications obtained by a person...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Attendance (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is under the remit of my Department. TESS operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has three strands namely the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day-to-day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general up-keep, and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The minor works grant and ICT grant form part of a range of grants and supports provided to schools. The Department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary schools. The minor works grant is provided to all primary and special schools to enable them undertake small-scale minor maintenance and improvement works on a devolved basis. Under Project Ireland 2040, a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the operation and delivery of the State examinations. I have asked the SEC to respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 526 and 527 together. As the deputy maybe aware, if a school suspects the presence of mica in the building materials, the school should submit an Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) application for funding to conduct testing in the first instance. If the tests confirm the presence of mica, the should should then employ a consultant to complete an EWS...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Schools Property Management section of the Department of Education and Youth has contacted the school directly, however they have been unsuccessful in connecting with the school. To progress this matter further we would encourage the school and/or the patron to contact School Property Management directly at schoolproperty@education.gov.ie.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department’s main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area.??Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available for the relevant year, the student should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available, a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: The provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority of mine. The large scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy, is for the construction of a new 2 storey 32 classroom school with 2 classrooms for children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: Under Project Ireland 2040, a commitment was given that the Minor Works Grant would be paid in either December or January of the school year to all primary schools, including special schools. In recent years, my department’s approach has been to pay the Minor Works Grant to schools in advance of the start of the following school year, in order to facilitate a better lead in period for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (10 Jun 2025)

Helen McEntee: This Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. Special schools are staffed annually on the basis of their actual student profiles and the disability category of each student. In 2025 over €2.9 billion will be spent...