Results 19,061-19,080 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 423 and 425 together. To assist with the development of plans for the reopening and operation of higher education in an environment that may require social distancing and other public health requirements, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is engaging with relevant stakeholders from the higher education sector,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. For the 20/21 academic year student grant applications will be assessed based on gross income from all sources for the period 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019. Postgraduate students who meet the qualifying conditions for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department has commissioned and just this week received a report with estimated costing to carry out comprehensive repairs on the roof of the school referred to by the Deputy. The Department is also awaiting a report with costings on the sewerage system at the school which is due in very shortly. Once these reports have been examined, decisions will be made in respect of what remedial...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: For over 20 years, my Department, has provided funding to the organisation referred to by the Deputy towards the day-to-day expenses of the community-based drug rehabilitation project in question by way of an annual grant. The grant allocation is approved on an annual basis with the conditions of funding set out in the annual allocation letter which includes full compliance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. 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 2019/2020 year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Autism Support Services (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Ensuring that every child has a suitable school placement is a key objective of my Department. Significant resources are allocated each year to ensure that appropriate supports are available for children with special educational needs. A list of special classes for the current school year, including special classes for children with autism, is available on the National Council for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The decision on eligibility for student grant applications is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an independent student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question has made the application under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme to which he refers. The school has been requested to supply additional information in relation to the application and this has not yet been received. A decision on the matter cannot be made until this information has been supplied.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (21 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers opened in September 2019 in interim accommodation in a building at Kill Lane, Kill of the Grange, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, and there is sufficient accommodation to cater for the school for this coming academic year 2020/21. In relation to the permanent school site, a number of site options have been identified which are now being comprehensively...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I acknowledge that the Deputy has previously raised the issue of Firhouse Educate Together school and I have referred it to the relevant officials. I appreciate the difficulties there are for all concerned and I am very aware of the preferences of the parents and young people, which the Deputy outlined. I guarantee that my officials will revert to the Deputy on that. On St. Paul's...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I again confirm, absolutely and unequivocally, that I am hugely committed to the safe reopening of schools. I acknowledge once again that there has been complete buy-in from all of the stakeholders, including parents, teachers, students, managerial bodies and the entire school community to ensure that what is now an objective will be a reality at the end of August, early September, or...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the Deputy's acknowledgement of the free books scheme. It is a great achievement and one that we hope to roll out on a wider basis going forward. On the issue the Deputy raised of the release of the leaving certificate results, the next step is that students will re-engage with the portal regarding their desire to receive calculated grades. At that time also, the date for...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: To Deputy Crowe, I say well done. He raised quite a number of schools in his locality and I appreciate that. I recognise that the demands in schools can be as individual as they can be universal. The Deputy specifically named individual schools and I assure him my officials will engage. I will revert to the Deputy in due course with an update on those schools. Equally, I appreciate...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I appreciate the comments and thank Deputy Berry for his good wishes. The Deputy asked about clarity around the reopening of the schools. I have no wish to repeat myself again. I want to make it clear that there is no ambiguity on this issue. Importantly, from my point of view, there should be full and frank engagement with all stakeholders. There are many constituents in education and...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: That is fine. I have just one or two other points regarding other issues that were raised. Regarding children with particular needs, I highlight that continuing support is being provided to 890 DEIS schools, catering for more than 180,000 students, and to the school meals programme, etc. All of those resources will be put in place. The ability of students to engage in the education system...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. I agree with him that the classroom, and indeed all of our world, will be a very different place now than it was prior to the arrival of Covid-19. Regarding the issue of the pupil-teacher ratio, there is a clear acknowledgement in the programme for Government on that issue. In respect of the future, however, it should be acknowledged that there has...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputies for their engagement and questions, some of which were repeated. I want to be absolutely unequivocal regarding the reopening of schools. My first engagement on appointment was meeting with a wide variety of valued stakeholders in education, including parents, teachers, students, managerial bodies, principals and deputy principals. Following those consultations, I was...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I anticipate that announcements on the reopening of schools will come at the end of this month. I imagine that the costs will be available at that time, though perhaps not all of them will be. It would be premature at this stage to put any figures before the House because discussions are still ongoing. I will highlight some of the points Deputies have made regarding the reopening of the...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: I move the following Revised Estimates: Vote 26 — Education and Skills (Revised) That a sum not exceeding €10,133,218,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2020, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Education and Skills, for certain services administered by that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Establishment (16 Jul 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, using data from a range of sources, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to...