Written answers
Tuesday, 23 July 2024
Department of Education and Skills
Departmental Policies
Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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759.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the key pieces of policy research conducted by the central policy unit in the past five years; and the extent to which the recommendations have been integrated into policy decisions. [32409/24]
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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In my Department, responsibility for policy research rests primarily with the lead policy section. The Central Policy Unit includes Irish Government Economic and Evaluation staff (IGEES) which can assist with the research requirements of individual policy sections when requested. These staff have contributed to various key pieces of policy research since 2019, as detailed below:
| Title | Key Actions |
|---|---|
| Spending Review: Monitoring Inputs, Outputs, and Outcomes in Special Education Needs Provision (2019) | The review helped inform a pilot In-School Therapy Project, and this review and the associated data are being used to inform further internal discussions on developing a systematic approach to collecting and analysing student outcomes in special education. |
| Spending Review: Teacher Allocation Model (2020) | |
| Spending Review: Teacher Allocations - Developing a Model for Mainstream Teacher Projections (2021) | The findings and data projections from these two reviews have informed the costings and projections used a part of the annual Estimates process. |
| Spending Review: Trends in Teacher Substitution (2021) | The review findings have informed teacher supply and strategic workforce planning actions taken. These actions include a suspension of limits on a teacher on a career break working as a substitute, continuation of primary school substitute panel, a relaxation on the number of days retired teachers can work as a substitute without reducing their pension. |
| The Primary Schoolbooks Schemes (2022) | The research informed the expenditure required to remove the cost from families of funding schoolbooks, workbooks, and copybooks for all pupils in recognised primary and special schools. |
| The Post Primary Schoolbooks Scheme (2023) | The research informed the expenditure required to remove the cost from families of funding schoolbooks, including eBooks, and core classroom resources for all Junior Cycle students in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. |
| Review of the School Transport Scheme (2023) | The research has been incorporated in the publication of the School Transport review published earlier this year. |
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