Results 20,021-20,040 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: It is the policy of my Department that all children with Special Educational Needs, including those with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The project referred to by the Deputy was authorised to proceed to tender in October 2016. However, as the pre-qualification of contractors had first been conducted by the design team in April 2015 the design team, concerned about the possibility of legal challenges, asked the Office of Government Procurement for advice on this matter. The advice was that it would be prudent to run the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware the building project for the school in question is included on my Department's capital programme. Officials in my Department have worked closely with officials from the relevant Local Authority under the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the acquisition of a suitable permanent location for the school. A suitable site has been identified and my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Patron of the new Malahide/Portmarnock post-primary school (Educate Together) has decided for operational reasons that it is in the best interests of the school to postpone its opening to September 2018.  My Department has been working in close co-operation with Educate Together to facilitate the opening of the school and will continue to do so with a view to its opening in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Patron of the new Swords post-primary school, Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB) has decided for operational reasons that it is in the best interests of the school to defer its opening to September 2018.  The Patron has confirmed to the Department that Swords Community College will open in September 2018, with a high number of applications...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware the building project for the school in question is included in my Department’s capital programme. Officials in my Department are liaising with officials in Fingal County Council in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the identification and acquisition of a suitable site for the school. Due to commercial sensitivities relating...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: Officials in my Department are aware that this matter has been ongoing for some time. I can confirm that officials from my Department have had consultations with the school authorities and other stakeholders on a number of occasions and have also been in ongoing correspondence with the club since the proposals were first made. A joint technical inspection has been carried...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: Officials in my Department are aware that this matter has been ongoing for some time. I can confirm that officials from my Department have had consultations with the school authorities and other stakeholders on a number of occasions and have also been in ongoing correspondence with the club since the proposals were first made. A joint technical inspection has been carried...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department allocates the recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual institution. A Financial Review of the Institutes of Technology sector was published in October...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: Budget 2017 sets out the resources available for schools for the 2017/18 school year. This Budget represents the start of a major reinvestment in education, and the first phase of implementation of the Action Plan for Education, aimed at becoming the best education system in Europe within a decade. The budget provides for over 2,400 additional teaching posts for our primary and post...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 443 and 445 together. In 2017, €98.7m has been allocated for apprenticeship training which represents a 40% increase on the 2016 spend of €69.6m. This funding is being made available from exchequer and national training fund resources. Future years' allocations will be determined through the normal budgetary process which takes account...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff Appeals Mechanism (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Provision (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department operates a number of home tuition grant schemes, including a scheme for children, other than those with special education needs, who do not have a school place, are without the offer of a school place and for whom a school place is being actively sought. This scheme is available to children who are between the age of 6 and 16 years. A child who is over 16 but has not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department of Education and Skills and the HEA have been working closely together to strengthen governance arrangements in the higher education sector in recent years. During 2015, the HEA reviewed its approach to the oversight and governance of higher education institutions and built on existing governance and accountability infrastructure with improved and more transparent mechanisms....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department met with the school referred to in the context of an application received for a replacement school.  The school were advised that, due to the need to prioritise available funding towards the provision of essential classroom accommodation to meet demographic demand, it would not be possible to progress a major project for the school at this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The project referred to by the Deputy was authorised to proceed to tender in October 2016. However, as the pre-qualification of contractors had first been conducted by the design team in April 2015 the design team, concerned about the possibility of legal challenges, asked the Office of Government Procurement for advice on this matter. The advice was that it would be prudent to run the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware the building project for the school in question is included on my Department's capital programme. Officials in my Department have been liaising with officials in the relevant Local Authority regarding the potential development of an educationally zoned site to accommodate the school.  There are currently infrastructural issues...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Brexit Negotiations (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: On 2nd May, the Government published a comprehensive document on Ireland and the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.This document sets out the approach of the Government to the forthcoming negotiations, following the successful campaign to have key Irish issues recognised in the EU negotiation position. Following...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: In the context of the new Framework for Junior Cycle 2015 and as set out in my Department's Action Plan for Education 2016-2019, two new subject specifications for Junior Cycle Irish (Language 1 (L1) and Language 2 (L2)) are to be implemented for first-year students in post-primary schools from September 2017. This is the first time, in the history of post-primary education in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The project to which the Deputy refers is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme 2016-21. The school and its design team submitted their Stage 2(b) report for this major building project to my Department on 24th April and the submission is currently under review. Following receipt of that submission my Department has authorised the Board of Management...