Results 1-20 of 18,527 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Properties (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm that the Department of Education is in discussions with a developer on a potential disposal of the lands to the rear of the St. Finian's National School for the development of a public park and housing. I want to assure the Newcastle Secondary School Committee that some lands will be retained for the benefit of St. Finian's National School. The sustainable development plan of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: The large scale capital project at the school for the provision of a new 600 pupil school and ancillary accommodation is at Architectural Planning Stage 3 – Tender Action and Award. A new grant of planning was received in December 2023, with a number of conditions attached. The Design Team are examining the implications of these conditions along with reviewing technical design...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (7 Nov 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 163,800 children, including over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational needs, and 7,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: The project for the school referred to by the Deputy will provide a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school building and accommodation, including 4 classrooms, for children with special educational needs on the permanent site for the school. The project will be delivered under my Department's Design and Build Programme. The decision to grant planning permission for the permanent school was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas. The department uses a geographical information system, using data from a range of sources, including CSO Census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved to enter the departments pipeline of school building projects under the Department’s Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for reconfiguration works to existing accommodation to provide SEN accommodation and 2 SET rooms. The project was devolved for delivery to the school authority. I can confirm that in Q3 2024 my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: The Major Building Project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently completing Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes securing all statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents for the first phase of this project for new educational spaces, with Stage 2(b) for the refurbishment works to existing buildings to follow. All Statutory Approvals have been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: The Department along with the Government is committed to supporting the provision of appropriate education to children with disabilities. Budget 2025 provides for a record level of investment in special education with €2.9 billion of my Department’s overall budget allocated for special education. This represents 6% or a €159 million increase on the 2024 provision. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (7 Nov 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 163,800 children, including over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational needs, and 7,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were transported on a daily basis to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application for additional school accommodation (ASA) from the school authority in question. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT Programme. The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external Project Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of Architectural Planning to Tender and Construction. The brief for this project is to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies, or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for pupils with special needs. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is deemed to be a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that to date the school in question has not submitted an application for capital funding, under my Department's Additional School Accommodation Scheme. 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 education needs is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Island Communities (7 Nov 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 the Department’s website at - . Under the terms of the scheme, a second-level school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Funding (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has received direct EU funding for the following current and capital works projects in 2023 and to date in 2024: Project Description Project Type 2023 2024 to-date EU contribution to The Centre for European Schooling Current Project €317,883 €0 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: The School Completion Programme (SCP) is funded by my Department via Tulsa Education Support Service (TESS) and is a central element of the DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) programme, a key policy initiative of my Department to address educational disadvantage at school level. TESS have operational responsibility for the SCP, with Local Projects operating under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: Since 2020, my department has invested over €5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 950 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 350 other projects, which includes 37 new school buildings. These 350 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.5bn. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is not in receipt of a current application for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question. The purpose of my Department’s ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: My Department does not currently have refurbishment works in progress at the school referred to by the Deputy. The major building project for the school will deliver a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including two classrooms, for children with special educational needs. The project is being delivered under my Department's Design and Build programme in two phases. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (7 Nov 2024)

Norma Foley: The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies, or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for pupils with special needs. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation. An emergency is deemed to be a...