Results 1,961-1,980 of 19,412 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Pertaining to financial and other supports that have been made available to the school in question, no applications have been made for Emergency Works or Summer Works in the last four years. However, funding is available for unforeseen emergencies that impact on school buildings that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS). An...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Budget 2017 allowed for the commencement of restoration of middle management posts as part of an agreed distributed leadership model and meant lifting the rigidity of the longstanding moratorium on these posts. The equivalent of approximately 1,300 middle management posts (Assistant Principal One (API) and Assistant Principal Two (APII)) were restored in our primary schools. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2023/24 school year over 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: 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. Under the current terms of the School Transport Schemes, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: In relation to the application for the new school building, - I can confirm that my Department is in receipt of an application for a new school building under the Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme, from the school in question. The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 for my Department. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 for the Department. As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As part of Budget 2023, I announced a major investment of over €50 million to provide free schoolbooks in recognised primary schools and special schools. This was a landmark moment in Irish education and one that furthers our goal to provide free education for all and ensure that every child can benefit from free education. In 2024 over €47 million was allocated to continue...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department of Education publishes details of the total number of teachers appointed to primary schools, and to Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive post primary Schools each year, and this information is available at gov - Teacher Statistics (www.gov.ie) . My Department does not currently collate, or publish, details of appointments on a per County basis and therefore the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers, is part of a campus project for two schools in Wexford. The project is devolved for delivery to Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB). The Design Team for the project are currently progressing through the Stage 1 of the architectural process (preliminary design) and will submit the Stage 1 Report to the Department in due course....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The large scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy is at Architectural Planning Stage 4 - Construction. Works commenced on site in June 2023 with an estimated completion timeframe of 18 months. However, due to a number of unforeseen site issues, and additional delays in relation to the relocation of ESB wires, which were outside the control of my Department, the campus...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that rental accommodation had been approved by my Department for the school in question. The rental company are due to connect the necessary utilities and carry out final checks before the accommodation can be used by the school. The school authorities are working with the accommodation provider on these matters. I can assure the Deputy that the necessary funding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, the school in question was approved as a single-stream, eight class primary school and accommodated in a property leased by the Department. Although sanctioned as an eight classroom school the school grew its enrolments to nine mainstream classes. The Department approved the provision of modular accommodation on the school site to meet this additional need as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 for the Department. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, my department has invested in the region of €4.9 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 900 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 30 new school buildings. These 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.2bn....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The first phase of the Schools PV Programme was launched on 23rdNovember 2023. It provides eligible schools with up to 6 kilowatts peak of roof-mounted solar PV, which equates to approximately 16 solar panels and offers an opportunity for schools to reduce their carbon emissions and their energy costs. Each school which has been approved for funding under the programme is required to inform...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy is aware, the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 was published last year and is underpinned by an investment of €200m to support schools over the period of the strategy with this funding committed to under Ireland’s National Development Plan (NDP). My Department’s aim is to provide better clarity and certainty for schools on the timelines for payment of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department of Education is committed to providing schools at both primary and post-primary level with as much detail regarding grants, grant amounts and expected payment timeframes for each academic year as far in advance as is practicable. For the 2024/25 academic year, officials in the Department are currently considering the presentation of schedules for grants that should include, as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: My 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 Admissions (23 Jul 2024)

Norma Foley: 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 for the Department. As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a...