Results 141-160 of 17,887 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I think I have been very clear.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy either wants to hear the answer or does not.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Deputy either wants to hear the answer or does not.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Staff (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I cannot do everything at once. What I have said clearly is that I am willing to look at every measure. In fact, I have met with the unions many times. My teams engage with them regularly on all of the issues that the Deputy has outlined but he is talking about giving teachers an opportunity to move from Dublin to other areas when it is clear that the shortages are in Dublin and some of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I am conscious and aware of both schools. I regularly visit schools, including the two the Deputy has mentioned. My Department has a strong focus on provision for school place needs, underpinned by robust forward planning including demographic analysis informed by residential development plans. Dunshaughlin is an area that has seen...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Educational Disadvantage (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: Shortly after being appointed to the role, I met with a large group of principals, deputy principals and people working in schools where there is educational disadvantage and they were clear they needed this scheme brought in as soon as possible to support and complement the huge amount of work they are doing. On identifying schools, we will not require schools to apply for inclusion. We...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Educational Disadvantage (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I fully agree and am eager to get this published as soon as possible and get these measures in place. The Deputy mentioned certain things and we are looking at all the things that have been asked of the Department. I am assured the asks are based on the understanding, knowledge and experience or our schools, principals, teachers and, particularly, the children who will benefit from this. ...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Irish Language (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: Tá gealltanas i gclár an Rialtais an Ghaeilge a chosaint agus a chur chun cinn. In education this includes the work towards aligning Irish language curriculums with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, CEFR, to enhance spoken Irish. This work is being led by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. In certain circumstances, a primary or...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Irish Language (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: In relation to the curriculum, a number of subjects saw a slight reduction in the time allocated to them but there is more flexibility within the time schedules, so schools can increase the number of hours provided for Irish or the time spent on Irish. The overall figure for exemptions at primary school level is extremely low. It fell from over 18,000 maybe five years ago to just over...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Irish Language (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I assure the Deputy there is no inertia or lack of will to support young people studying the language. I was in a school yesterday and was asked this question by a student. I want students to enjoy studying the language and, most importantly, speaking it. On the figures, it is important to say that in the 2024-25 school year, there were over 19,000 exemptions. That is higher than we...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality has responsibility for provision of services to children of preschool age. The access and inclusion model, or AIM as we know it, provided by that Department enables the full inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities or additional needs in the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: Where a need is identified through engagement with the NCSE, this is where early intervention classes are opening. To give context - the Deputy will forgive me but I believe my figures from the Minister for children are right - approximately 96% plus of young children between the ages of three and five are accessing the ECCE scheme. Those children, without having to do any means test or...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: To answer the Deputy's previous question, and rolling into the next one, the Department looks at, reviews and assesses the level of need and that includes the early intervention classes. The new timeline and the new structure we have put in place will look not just at the demand for a special class place or special school place but also at the potential demand for the early intervention...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Educational Disadvantage (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. Tackling educational disadvantage and, in particular, supporting students to fulfil or achieve their full potential in life is a key priority for me. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level and it is important to acknowledge the success it has been over recent years. More than €180 million...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Schools PV Programme provides eligible schools with up to 6 kilowatts peak of roof-mounted solar photovoltaic – known as PV - installations on their roofs, which equates to approximately 14 solar panels. The Schools PV Programme is funded by the Government’s Climate Action Fund in line with the Government’s recognition that taking action on climate change is central...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: Earlier this year I announced two new measures to address ongoing challenges and boost teacher supply. These measures are aimed at ensuring that newly qualified teachers can gain permanent contracts earlier and to assist eligible teachers who trained outside of Ireland to work here. In relation to the first measure, teachers who have taken up their first contract in a viable teaching...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Summer Works Scheme has been renamed to reflect the strong climate focus and is now called the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme. The purpose of the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme, or CASWS, is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: The joint major building project referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning - Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the application for statutory approvals, to include Disability Access Certificate (DAC), Fire Safety Cert (FSC) and planning permission. This joint school building project will deliver a new extension and refurbishment of some...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: The Government has significantly invested in our schools and in our teacher workforce in recent years. Through government investment in recent years, the general average of pupils to teachers in the Primary Staffing Schedule improved from 26:1 five years ago to 23:1 for the current school year; the lowest ever ratio at primary level. The Programme for Government commits to make further...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (4 Nov 2025)

Helen McEntee: Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan (NDP), involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. In July the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan...