Results 21,601-21,620 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 143, 144, 146 and 147 together. My Department’s policy is that children with special educational needs including those with Autism, should be included in mainstream placements with additional supports provided, unless such a placement would not be in their best interests or in the interests of the children with whom they are to be educated, as is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 to 154, inclusive, together. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across these areas will arise. The GIS uses data from a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The higher education system continues to respond strongly to the challenge of meeting Ireland’s human capital needs and has continued to increase enrolments in recent years to meet the demand for higher education places. The performance of the system in meeting human capital needs is also strong by comparison with other European countries: Ireland has one of the highest rates of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department is very aware of the importance of small schools to rural communities, particularly the most dispersed and remote communities. As the Deputy will be aware in order to sustain primary schools in these communities my Department has a more favourable staffing schedule for small schools that are more than 8km distant from the next nearest school of the same type of patronage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department's 6 Year Capital Programme (2016-2021) priorities building projects to meet demographic demand. The 6 Year Programme contains details of the new building projects and major extensions, including special schools, that will be progressed in areas where significant demographic need has been established. In addition, the 6 Year Programme also...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Health and Safety (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department has been advised by the Design and Build Contractors and their Consultant Engineers on this building project that the tanks are located approximately 13 metres from the building. The acceptable tank separation distance for a tank of this size between other gas tanks and other buildings, boundary walls etc is greater than 3 metres. The remedial works to the windows have been...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Traveller Education (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Senator Kelleher for raising this issue. No doubt this is a challenging and complex area. As the Senator will be aware, in June-July of this year the first National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy was published and the education committee within that has met in the intervening period. The strategy involves, as the Senator stated, a number of important education elements. At...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Traveller Education (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I agree. The two-year pilot will be rolled out shortly. I think it is in a position to go live very soon and it will involve Tusla. It will enhance Tusla education welfare supports and additional home, school, community liaison co-ordinators, which we will fund. In addition, it will also fund the Traveller community workers in pilot areas to work with Tusla staff where Traveller children...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: As Minister for Education and Skills, in accordance with the Education Act 1998, I am currently the Patron of the nine model schools. The nine model schools operate as denominational Catholic or Protestant schools in accordance with the historic traditions that go back to their foundation and the community to be served at the time they were established. Religious education is one of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The building project at the school referred to by the Deputy is for a new build 24 classroom school including a Special Needs Unit, with an approx. floor area of 4,748M2. The project is currently at Stage 2B of Architectural Planning - Detailed Design Stage, which includes applications for all statutory consents, including Planning Permission, Disability Access Certificate and Fire...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: Maynooth Community College opened in 2014 with an Irish-medium Aonad and it was stated that should the Aonad demonstrate sufficient viability after four years from its date of establishment, a Gaelcholáiste would be established, in a partnership patronage model between Kildare and Wicklow ETB and An Foras Pátrúnachta. As part of the Major School Building Projects...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school to which she refers is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme. I wish to advise the Deputy that the project brief is currently being prepared. This is part of the preparatory work required to facilitate the progression of the project into the architectural planning process and my Department will be in further contact...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that a building project for the school in question is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme. My Department has commenced the preliminary work, which includes devising the schedule of accommodation and will continue to liaise directly with the school authority in the context of advancing the project through the architectural planning process.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The policy of my Department is to ensure that all children with Special Educational Needs, including those with Autism, 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 educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question has recently submitted an application for capital funding for the provision of additional accommodation. The application will be considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Oireachtas Joint Committee Recommendations (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I welcome the publication of this report by the Joint Committee on Education and Skills which examines the eligibility of maintenance grants to students in private colleges. Under my Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution as defined in the scheme. The definition of an approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The organisation referred to by the Deputy is recognised in statute as the body which collectively represents a number of statutory bodies under my Department’s remit. Similar to the funding provided by my Department to school management bodies, an annual grant of €168,650 is provided to this body as a contribution towards the annual general running costs of carrying out its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy may be aware, my Department recently approved the provision of permanent mainstream classroom accommodation at the school to which he refers, to replace prefabricated accommodation in poor condition. The school subsequently submitted options to my Department to deliver additional specialist accommodation together with the replacement classroom accommodation previously...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Transition Year grant is paid on a per capita basis – therefore it increases/decreases in line with actual participants. The rate is €95 per annum per student. Capitation grants are paid to schools on the basis of enrolment regardless of what year the student is enrolled in. The amount of funding provided by my Department for transition year has risen from €3.1m in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Garda Vetting (26 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: In April 2016, the Minister for Justice and Equality commenced the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 (the Vetting Act) which put in place statutory requirements for the Garda vetting of persons involved in working with children and vulnerable persons. The Vetting Act applies not just to schools but to any relevant organisation that employs,...