Results 19,221-19,240 of 19,666 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (14 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 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The current standard rate of Ancillary Grant is €171.00 per pupil. The estimated full year cost of increasing the rate of ancillary grant to €171.50 per pupil in primary schools is circa €0.3m. The Ancillary Services grant was increased by €24 from 2016 to 2020, in order to enable primary schools to implement the arbitration salary increase for grant funded...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Data (14 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The Deputy will be aware that the project to which he refers has been devolved for delivery to the school authority under my Department's Summer Works Scheme. As such, it is a matter for the school authority to progress the project.  However, I can also inform the Deputy that officials in my Department are aware, from our regular engagement with the school in respect...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: On Wednesday 1 July 2020, I welcomed the publication of interim public health advice for the safe re-opening of schools in late August/September. This interim health advice sets out the key public health requirements that will be required for a safe full reopening of schools and the measures that will be required to achieve this.   Receipt of public health advice and the Return to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: On Wednesday 1 July 2020, I welcomed the publication of interim public health advice for the safe re-opening of schools in late August/ September. This interim health advice sets out the key public health requirements that will be required for a safe full reopening of schools and the measures that will be required to achieve this.   Receipt of public health advice will underpin...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The latest set of audited accounts available for the IoT/technological sector is the 17/18 financial year. It should be noted by the Deputy that the audited accounts of each publically funded Higher Education Institution are available publically on the Oireachtas website. The accounts of two IOT's, IT Tralee and Waterford IT respectively indicated an accumulated deficit position. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: In re-opening our schools, my Department will be guided by the available public health advice and comprehensive engagement with stakeholders including the school management bodies and staff representatives as well as students and parents. I have published the interim public health advice received from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre and also made it available to schools across the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The Boards of Management of schools are responsible for the employment of ancillary staff.  Funding to cater for these services is made available from my Department through the Ancillary Services and Capitation Grants. It is a matter for the Board of Management of the school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its particular needs. My Department recognises that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Substitute staff are employed by the managerial authorities of schools as replacements for teachers and Special Need Assistants  absent on approved leave from their posts. The details outlined in the Table is based on 2019 expenditure and covers the cost of employing substitutes for teachers and special need assistants. The information relates to substitute staff...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Budget 2020 is the third successive budget to provide for an increase in the number of principal release days.One additional release day will be allocated to each school with a teaching principal with effect from 1stSeptember 2020.  This will bring the number of release days to 19, 25 and 31, depending on the size of school.  This is an increase from 14, 18 and 22 days since...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (14 Jul 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: My Department is engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on the requirement to provide funding to support enhanced cleaning needs and we will provide further details of the support available once the arrangements are finalised. Arrangements have also been made for a drawdown framework to be established to enable schools purchase hand-sanitisers for use in the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: As part of the implementation of the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 - Enhancing Teaching, Learning and Assessment, funding of €210m for ICT Infrastructure will be distributed by my Department to primary and second level schools over the five years of the Strategy. €110m has issued over the last three years and a further €50m has recently been issued in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: The proposed building at City West is State-owned and within my Department's control. It has provided high quality, fully serviced, permanently constructed accommodation for two other primary schools up until last September. There is currently over 30 permanent classrooms, full staff facilities, ancillary rooms and an external play area available for occupation before the start of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (14 Jul 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Draft guidelines were developed to provide clarity to schools around reduced timetables and to set out the procedures to be followed by schools where such an option is being considered and used. The guidelines provide for TUSLA Education Support Service to be notified if a reduced timetable is implemented. The aim is to ensure that the use of reduced timetables is limited solely to those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: A system of Calculated Grades was put in place by my predecessor due to the inability to run the normal Leaving Certificate examinations. The purpose of this process is to allow as many students as possible to progress to employment, further education and training, or higher education in a way that is fair and equitable to all Leaving Certificate students. For the calculated grades...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: Budget 2020 has provided for a budget of more than €11 billion for the Department of Education and Skills in 2020. This is the highest ever allocation to the sector and an increase of nearly €2 billion since 2016.  The number of teachers has increased from 63,556 in 2015/16 to almost 70,900 in 2019/20, an increase of over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (14 Jul 2020)

Norma Foley: On Wednesday 1 July 2020, I welcomed the publication of interim public health advice for the safe re-opening of schools in late August/ September. This interim health advice sets out the key public health requirements that will be required for a safe full reopening of schools and the measures that will be required to achieve this.   Receipt of public health advice will underpin...