Results 1-20 of 12,815 for speaker:Helen McEntee in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 75 together. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is the psychological service of the Department of Education and Youth and provides critical services to the almost 1 million children and young people and almost 100,000 staff who work in our primary, post-primary and special schools daily. The vital and broad-ranging services...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools, and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs. The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years, including an over €30 million permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools, and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs. The commitment in the Programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years, including an over €30 million permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: At post primary level a one point reduction would create circa. 1,200 additional teaching posts at an annual cost of approximately €65 to €70 million per annum (first year cost - approximately €22 to €23m). The salary costings will rise in line with the Public Sector Pay Agreement 2024-2026. The estimated one-off capital cost of reducing the pupil teacher ratio...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: It should be noted that under the Education Act, the Boards of Management of Schools have responsibility for the day to day management of schools. This includes decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools which are also a matter for the Boards of Management and principal of each school in the context of their digital learning planning. Schools are advised to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: It should be noted that under the Education Act, the Boards of Management of Schools have responsibility for the day to day management of schools. Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is therefore a matter for the Board of Management of each school in the context of their digital learning planning. Schools are advised to consult with members of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: It should be noted that under the Education Act, the Boards of Management of Schools have responsibility for the day to day management of schools. Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is therefore a matter for the Board of Management of each school in the context of their digital learning planning. Schools are advised to consult with members of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: It should be noted that under the Education Act, the Boards of Management of Schools have responsibility for the day to day management of schools. Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is therefore a matter for the Board of Management of each school in the context of their digital learning planning. Schools are advised to consult with members of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department is committed to supporting the emotional well-being of all children including those who may have experienced trauma. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has engaged in extensive national training of school staff in the area of trauma-informed practice and have developed a eLearning course for school staff - ‘Introducing a Trauma Informed Approach: The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Teacher recruitment is a priority for my Department and there are now more qualified teachers than ever working in our schools. Analysis of payroll data, as of March 2025, shows that there are 79,225 teachers employed in our schools across the country with 43,221 at primary level including special schools and 36,004 in post-primary schools. The Department publishes data on teachers,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Following a Government Decision in September 2012, my Department implemented the outcome of the review of allowances and premium payments by the then Department of Public Expenditure Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. As a result, many allowances were no longer payable to many new public service entrants including “new entrant” teachers. Among the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: We have committed in the Programme for Government to expanding opportunities for pupils and students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, to establishing Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand, and also to supporting parents choosing Irish-medium education for their children. Work is currently underway in my department on the development of a new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My department is taking a progressive, sequenced approach to developing a comprehensive policy for the Irish language in the education system. As it relates to the Department of Education and Youth, there are three strands to this work: the Policy on Gaeltacht Education; the policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht; and the action plan to support the teaching and learning of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: NEPS provides educational psychological support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools. NEPS provides all schools with:psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident,a casework service for individual children where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: My Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries arising,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Ancillary Services Grant is payable to recognised primary schools and special schools in the Free Education Scheme. The grant is intended to cater for the cost of employing Secretarial and Caretaking staff. It is up to the Board of Management to allocate this funding as per their priorities. As per Circular 0040/2009 the capitation grant provided for general running costs and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to fulfil their full potential in life is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth. The DEIS programme is a key policy of government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. My department is investing over €180 million annually to provide additional?supports?to almost 1,200 schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 96, 97, 119 and 120 together. I propose to take PQs 40030/25, 40031/25, 39864/25 and 39865/25 and answer as one. My department is committed to supporting the participation, inclusion, and progression of all students in the education system. From September 2025, the capitation rate for Traveller supports will be €92 per pupil at primary level and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 100 together. Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. There are more qualified teachers than ever working in schools with recent analysis of payroll data showing over 79,000 teachers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Jul 2025)

Helen McEntee: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101, 102 and 103 together. The school building project referred to by the Deputy is included in the Department of Education and Youths’ Construction Programme. The brief for the project is the delivery of a new replacement 1,000 pupil post primary school and accommodation including 6 classrooms for children with special educational needs as part of...