Results 1-20 of 1,162,464 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Michael McDowell OR speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor OR speaker:John Paul Phelan OR speaker:Gary Gannon OR speaker:Michael Moynihan OR speaker:James Browne OR speaker:Norma Foley OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Kieran O'Donnell OR speaker:Fergus O'Dowd OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Ossian Smyth OR speaker:Cian O'Callaghan OR speaker:Johnny Mythen OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh OR speaker:Roderic O'Gorman OR speaker:Gerald Nash OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh07 OR speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue OR speaker:Catherine Connolly OR speaker:Eoin Ó Broin OR speaker:John McGuinness OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh05 OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh20 OR speaker:Sorca Clarke OR speaker:Neale Richmond OR speaker:Martin Heydon OR speaker:Dessie Ellis OR speaker:Denise Mitchell OR speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn OR speaker:Jack Chambers OR speaker:Seán Sherlock OR speaker:Paschal Donohoe OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh09 OR speaker:Thomas Gould OR speaker:Mattie McGrath OR speaker:Michael Collins OR speaker:Brendan Smith OR speaker:Micheál Martin) in 'Committee meetings'

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. I begin by wishing the Chairman a speedy recovery. I am pleased to be here this morning together with officials from my Department. I thank the committee for the opportunity to speak with its members and ask for their consideration of the Department's Supplementary Estimates for 2024. Following approval by the Government, the Department is...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Sorca Clarke: I thank the Minister and I welcome her and her officials. My questions cover a number of different areas, so I do not know if she wants to take them as a block or one by one. Will the Minister outline to the committee what impact, if any, the Supplementary Estimate will have on the pay and conditions of school secretaries and caretakers? Will she also outline what, if any, impact the...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: On school secretaries and caretakers, the Deputy will be aware that all school secretaries who were keen to come onto the payroll of the Department of Education have now signed up and crossed over. They are now automatically paid by the Department of Education as distinct from receiving payment from their school board or through grants received by the board. I gave a commitment that a...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Sorca Clarke: The school transport funding costs and subhead A15.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Yes. As regards school transport, a number of recommendations came out of the review of school transport. A phased implementation of the review has begun, and that includes the pilot projects. We have funding in place to continue the pilot projects and add to them. Our ambition is, as we have outlined previously to this committee, to ensure that by 2030 we will have a further 100,000...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Sorca Clarke: On subhead A15, infrastructure.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Mr. Loftus is very keen to cover that one.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I was giving the committee the opportunity to hear from the head of planning and building. The subhead is used to fund school accommodation. This is A15: to buy sites, deliver smaller scale works in schools, provide furniture and equipment and address remediation works. The current allocation subhead provides for grants towards rental of temporary school premises at primary and...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Sorca Clarke: I am conscious-----

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Sorca Clarke: It is just that it seems such a broad heading. I ask, through the Chair, that the Department come back with a greater breakdown of what it is. "Infrastructure" is a very general term.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: By infrastructure, we mean school buildings, really, specifically the project roll-out of those school buildings. I am very happy to come back-----

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Sorca Clarke: Yes, but the Minister also said "remediation works". Equipment and furniture are mentioned here.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Yes, absolutely.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: We have a forward planning unit within the Department and it is very successful. We now liaise with local authorities, for example, on their future projections. We also gather all the data that is necessary. It is a GIS system. We engage with child benefit and so on. As regards the figures we are talking about here, we have currently 350 projects on the ground at construction, and the...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: 100%. We have a very strong record of being on time and on budget. I acknowledge the work of the planning and building unit and am here in the company of Mr. Loftus, but I also acknowledge the work of all those who work with the Department to ensure there is strong delivery.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: Yes.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: In the first instance I want to talk about the National Council for Special Education and how we have expanded it significantly. We made provision in the previous budget for an additional 160 staff and that they would be specifically people who were on the ground, such as the special needs organisers who are engaging directly on the ground with the schools. We also see it now as part of...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Norma Foley: I thank the Deputy very much.

Report of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying: Motion (Resumed) (17 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: For the public who may be watching, this debate was scheduled for later in the evening but, obviously, business moved much more quickly, and it is concluding now. I am very grateful for the opportunity to speak on it. I will not be supporting any motions on this next week. While I understand why Deputy Kenny is doing that and bringing it forward, because he has very much championed the...

Report of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying: Motion (Resumed) (17 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Deputy. Does Deputy Kenny wish to finish off his interrupted closure?