Results 20,281-20,300 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Brexit Issues (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under existing rules, all EU higher education students are treated the same as a national from the country in which they seek to study. Depending upon the negotiated terms of Brexit there may be future implications for Irish students studying in the UK.  My Department is keeping this matter under constant review and it is my stated intention to seek to have the best outcome for our...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Contracts (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012) it is the Board of Management or Education and Training Board, as appropriate, which is responsible for employment of school staff in accordance with procedures published by the Department following consultation with the education partners. These procedures are published on my Department’s website...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department issued comments to the Board of Management on 7th February and has requested confirmation from the Board that the new school site has been finalized between the Patron body and the land owner. My Department has recently been in contact with the BOM who has advised that the site agreement is nearing completion, the BOM, as client cannot provide a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Regulations (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: While the material referred to by the Deputy may be a component in some standard building products, particularly in insulation products, the Department can confirm that the type of cladding to which he also refers has not been used in school builds or school developments in the past two years.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Agencies Data (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: My officials are in the process of collating the data sought by the Deputy and will respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools, which have enrolled pupils with special educational needs, including pupils with Specific Learning Disability (SLD); of which Dyslexia is one such SLD, in order to ensure that wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have access to an appropriate education.   The National Council for Special Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Protected Disclosures (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 to 114, inclusive, and 116 together. The Protected Disclosures Act 2014, which came into effect on 15 July 2014, allows for any employee of a higher education institution (HEI) to make a disclosure to the Chief Executive Officer of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on any matter relating to the funding, planning and development of higher education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department and the HEA have been working closely together in recent years to strengthen governance arrangements in the higher education sector. A key result of this shared commitment to underpin governance arrangements in the sector is the new Governance Framework for the Higher Education System, which was agreed in 2015 following consultation with my Department, the higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Protected Disclosures (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 118 together. The Deputy has not named the Institute in question so I can provide only limited information. The Protected Disclosures Act 2014, which came into effect on 15 July 2014, allows for any employee of a higher education institution (HEI) to make a disclosure to the Chief Executive Officer of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on any...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Protected Disclosures (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The conditions governing the payment of salary for Civil Servants while on sick leave are contained in circular 12/2015. Section 3.9 of the circular provides an avenue for a staff member to avail of the Civil Service Employment Assistance Service for the overall wellbeing of the staff member.  Section 3.11 provides a mechanism for a member of staff to apply to extend the period of paid...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 132 together. In December 2012 An additional €3 million was approved to supplement the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) following a survey conducted by the HEA in relation to the demand for the Fund. This supplementary funding was a once-off exceptional measure which was taken in the context of long grant delays/issues encountered by Student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Relations Contracts Data (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding as a block grant to the institutions. As autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of this funding, along with any funding it receives from private sources, is a matter for individual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Protected Disclosures (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 provides a framework within which employees can raise concerns regarding potential wrongdoing that has come to their attention in the knowledge that they can avail of appropriate protections if they are penalised by their employer or suffer any detriment for doing so.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: Budget 2017 sets out the resources available for schools in 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department is aware of the research referred to by the Deputy. I do recognise the need to improve capitation funding for primary schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years.  The Action Plan for Education outlines hundreds of actions to be implemented over the 3 year period 2016 to 2019 which include restoring capitation funding as resources...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Administration (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: As noted in DEIS Plan 2017 – Supports to schools participating in the School Support Programme come in many forms – additional financial assistance, enhanced grant payments, additional teaching resources, psychological and behavioural supports, access to Home School Community Liaison and School programmes and priority access to School Meals Schemes.  The objective of these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Panel Rights (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: A value for money review of the Supply Teacher Scheme was published in July 2006. The review found that only approx. 60% of supply teachers' time was used to cover sick leave absences. This reflects the unpredictable nature of sick leave absences. While there are benefits for schools in having these teachers it is considered more cost effective to use the normal substitution arrangements...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are provided to assist recognised schools to cater for pupils with disabilities, who have additional and significant care needs, in an educational context and where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in medical and other professional reports as being so significant that a pupil will require additional adult assistance in order to be able to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (28 Jun 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 130 together. 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...