Results 20,181-20,200 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: In general terms, there is nothing preventing a lone parent who is in receipt of Rent Supplement, One Parent Family Payment and/or Jobseeker's Allowance Transition payment(s) from applying to SUSI for maintenance funding under the Student Grant Scheme. Rent Supplement, One Parent Family Payments (where paid to the applicant) and Jobseeker's Allowance Transition...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Administration (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The next update of the DEIS Identification Process will take place later this year when the relevant Census 2016 and school pupil data become available for use in this process. Schools are not required to apply for inclusion in the programme as the independent data on which assessment is based is available to my Department. A key feature of the new DEIS identification process is its use...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Status (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: Schools included in the list published by my Department on 13th February are those whose level of disadvantage has been identified as being at the same level as the current DEIS category for schools serving the highest concentrations of disadvantage.  Schools which have not been included at this stage, including the one referred to by the Deputy, are those which have not been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaeltacht Policy (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 658 and 659 together. An annual budget of €1 million has been allocated for the implementation of my Department's Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022 for 2017. While it is expected that the allocation for the implementation of the Policy will rise annually over the term of the Policy (2017 to 2022), specific allocations in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Status (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 660 and 661 together. Schools were selected for inclusion in DEIS on the basis of their identified level of disadvantage which was determined by the DEIS Identification Process using centrally held data available to my Department. Through this process a school was identified as having a concentrated level of disadvantage to be eligible for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that Budget 2011 provided for a number of student grant measures which came into effect for the 2011/12 academic year, including the change in the assessment of the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant from 24 kilometres to 45 kilometres. The 24km distance criterion was originally set in 1968 and had not been updated in more than 40...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Senator Reilly for raising this matter, which is about the second phase of accommodation for Lusk. As stated by Senator Reilly, the first phase was completed some years ago. This project will provide permanent accommodation to cater for the full projected enrolment of 1,000 pupils, including a special needs unit, a sports hall with a fitness suite and changing facilities and...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (20 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I will check the history of this. I can only go back to November 2015 when this was announced as being on a building programme. The Department has moved that ahead of the schedule that was then set out. No Senator knows better than Senator Reilly the difficulties we went through between 2010 and 2014 which was the planning date initially hoped for. No doubt one of the reasons for the...

Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Martin for raising this issue. There has been substantial progress. As the Deputy knows, we negotiated with the TUI, which was the obstacle to this. That has now been approved by ballot by the TUI and, on foot of that, we will be bringing forward amendments and I will be going to Government for permission to draft those amendments within the next couple of weeks. Obviously,...

Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: To reassure the Deputies, the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill was drafted and largely built on the Bill by my predecessor. That will be on Committee Stage next Wednesday. That Bill, which deals with-----

Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: Let me answer. That is the Bill that was drafted to deal with admissions. There is much consensus on how we should deal with, for example, giving powers to the NCSE to designate a place for a pupil with special needs or making it illegal to discriminate on all sorts of grounds in admissions. It is an important Bill. The Dáil decided that the second issue, the issue of how we deal...

Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: What we need is an amendment that is robust at the end of the day.

Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I need to ensure I have a legally robust amendment so we can deal with this issue. I share the belief of all that we need to change this.

Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: No, I am very happy for it to go to Committee Stage.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (21 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school.  The welfare and safety of pupils is of paramount importance and schools have a duty of care to the pupils under their control.  School management should, therefore, take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that no pupil or staff member...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (21 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The project to which the Deputy referrs was authorised to proceed to tender in October 2016. Tenders are due back in mid-July.  Subject to no issues arising it is anticipated that construction will commence in late 2017 and the project is scheduled to take approximately 18 months to complete. Following requests from other members of the Oireachtas, including Deputy Alan Farrell...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (21 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: Teachers' Remuneration (21 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: As a consequence of the financial crisis, there was a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure so as to stabilise the country's public finances. A previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable to all new entrants to public service recruitment grades by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011. This decision also required that such new entrants would start...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (21 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The majority of English language schools in Ireland are privately run.  The relationship between teachers and private providers of education is based on a private contract, and issues relating to working conditions are a matter between the two parties and do not come under the remit of my Department.  If teachers working in the English language sector have a concern about their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (21 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the matter of enrolments is one for managerial authorities of schools who are required to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.  In regard to the school referred to by the Deputy, it is a matter for the Board of Management to determine the number of junior infant places available for September 2017.  ...