Results 21-40 of 16,404 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Schooling (1 May 2024)

Norma Foley: Under Article 42 of the Constitution, the State acknowledges that the primary and natural educator of the child is the family. The State guarantees to respect the right and duty of parents to provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and social education of their children. Parents are free to provide education in their homes, in private schools, or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (1 May 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department supports and encourages the use of school buildings for community and recreational purposes where feasible. My Department first published the Guidelines on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours in October 2017. The purpose of these guidelines was to provide guidance to schools in relation to their current arrangements for the use of school buildings outside of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (1 May 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department supports and encourages the use of school buildings for community and recreational purposes where feasible. However, the decision on the use of school property is a matter for the property owner taking into considerations the requirements of the school, students and staff. The Guidelines on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours were published in October 2017....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 May 2024)

Norma Foley: The project to which the Deputy refers, includes an extension to the existing school buildings, decanting if required, necessary to satisfactorily develop the post primary school on its existing site to cater for an enrolment of 700 pupils. The project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority and it has appointed a design team to progress the project. The Stage 2b architectural...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 May 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter the Department’s pipeline of school buildings for a project to provide 2 Mainstream Classrooms, 2 Classroom SEN base and Early Intervention Unit. This project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority and is currently awaiting approval to construction. My Department has a strong track record of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (1 May 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. Two such grants are the Capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc. and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. Schools...

Visit of Malaysian Delegation (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: There you go now.

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Second Stage (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Today I bring the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill before the House. I am deeply conscious in introducing the Bill of the enormous trauma that has been endured by all survivors of abuse, and I know that nothing we do now can ever truly undo the hurt which has been caused. Nearly 25 years ago, on 11 May...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, my Department has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 800 school building projects. Construction is currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 31 new school buildings. Projects at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.2bn. I recently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The purpose of the Remote Area Boarding Grant scheme is to give students who are disadvantaged because of their remoteness from schools an opportunity to attend school on the same basis as students not so disadvantaged. The terms of this scheme are set out in Circular 16/2016 which is published on my Department’s website at: gov.ie -...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (30 Apr 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. It is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not always be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in our schools throughout the country. Around 800 school building projects have been completed and 300 other projects are under construction. School building projects under construction involve an overall State investment of over €1.2 billion. This is a record level of investment and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The large scale capital project at the school is for the provision of a new 600 pupil school and ancillary accommodation. The project is at Architectural Planning Stage 3 – Tender Action and Award. The original grant of planning expired in December 2022, but due to changes to the Planning Acts in September 2021, it was no longer possible to apply for an extension to the planning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Infrastructure (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department currently has 11 ISDN/PSTN lines and 42 DSL lines. The lines are predominantly in use in my Department's regional offices. The necessity for PSTN/ISDN and DSL technology is mainly due to the unavailability of fibre connections at that location. Additionally, these lines are required for fax, franking machines and lift services. However, with the continuous expansion of fibre...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current 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 are transported on a daily basis...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in our schools throughout the country. Around 800 school building projects have been completed and 300 other projects are under construction. School building projects under construction involve an overall State investment of over €1.2 billion. This is a record level of investment and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that in Q1 of 2023 formal approval was issued to an ongoing ASA project nearby allowing them to utilise an adjacent department-owned land for traffic management associated with that school and the school in question. This is a very positive step forward for the future of both projects, which should assist in terms of alleviating significant planning concerns...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools receive assistance to provide for cleaning services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a staff member to support those functions those staff are employees of individual schools and responsibility for terms of employment rests with the school. The Department is aware of many instances where schools elect to contract cleaning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current 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 are transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 Apr 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has recently received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school authority in question. The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special...