Results 22,061-22,080 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) consulted on proposals for structure and time allocation in a redeveloped primary curriculum between January and June this year. This consultation was the first time, in almost twenty years, when teachers, principals, parents and the wider public had an opportunity to consider how the primary curriculum is structured and how time is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Freedom of Information Data (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The information as requested by the Deputy is set out in the following tables. Number of FOI requests received to date in 2017* Granted Part- Granted Refused 539 65 93 154 Number of FOI requests received to date in 2017* Number of FOI requests completed within four week period of consideration Number of FOI requests with an extended period of consideration 539 468 11Note: There are also...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Protection (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, the primary statutory responsibility for child protection rests with the Child and Family Agency (Tusla). The role of my Department is to provide guidance to schools and other educational organisations in implementing child protection policy and referral of any child protection concerns to the Child and Family Agency. Where child protection concerns are brought to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: Services for former residents of institutions who received awards from the Residential Institutions Redress Board are available through Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund. Because the fund is a finite one, services are not extended to spouses or family members of those that are victims of abuse.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Catchment Areas (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy has indicated, 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 the country will arise. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Catchment Areas (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Meakstown, Dublin 11 area is located within the FingalEast-Ballymun11 school planning area. There are 9 primary schools and 1 post-primary school serving the Finglas East_Ballymun_Dublin 11 school planning area. These schools are listed below with the total enrolment figures for the 2016/2017 school year: Roll_No School_Name Address_1...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, officials in my Department have been working closely with officials from the relevant local authority towards the acquisition of a permanent site to meet the needs of the school to which he refers. A suitable site has been identified and officials are working to advance the acquisition process.  Unfortunately, due to the commercial...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school in question is included in my Department's 6 Year Capital Programme.  In that regard, my Department is awaiting clarification from the patron in relation to the current status of its plans to advance a development for a therapy building on the site. My Department sent further correspondence to the patron in this regard...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions Expenditure (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: Higher education is a central part of our plan as a Government to support a strong economy and deliver a fair society and I have taken a number of steps towards achieving this important objective. As committed to in the Programme for Government, I have referred the Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Cathaoirleach. She has outlined the background to the Supplementary Estimate, which provides for €124 million. The main lump relates to superannuation for the increased number of people going out on pension. That provision amounts to €81 million. A provision of €4 million has been made for additional rental accommodation. Bringing forward the Lansdowne...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I will address Deputy Thomas Byrne's point. The actual number of retirees is not that different from last year. There has not been a big surge. Forecasting in this area is, as Deputy Jan O'Sullivan states, a difficulty. People have discretion to retire between the ages of 55 years and 70 years. There has been a difference in forecasting method as between our forecasts and those accepted....

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: First, on teachers' pay, I was in a position to negotiate on the restoration of teachers' pay and we succeeded in restoring 75% of the gap. We have also reached a point where the scales at higher levels are now identical. Substantial progress has been made before the more recent agreement. Under the most recent agreement, a settlement of €900 million to be paid over the next three...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Chairman raised a number of issues. As I understand it, rent paid to another school is met from the normal capitation with which schools are provided. There is no arrangement whereby schools submit applications for extra funding based on rising rents. There is a capitation scheme. The minor works grant was, I understand, introduced a number of years ago to avoid individual...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: To explain, the student support framework is decided at the beginning of the year and then we do an estimate of what it will cost. I am not at liberty to take money that is saved on that scheme and, halfway through the year, decide that I will run a new scheme. One has to go by a budget. There has been a small drop-off in the number of students getting grants. They are down by about 1,700...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (5 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Chairman and members of the select committee for taking the Estimate.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy knows, this issue has been raised in the House in the past few weeks, including by members of his party, and I explained at that stage that money was very tight but we were reviewing the capital position for the end of the year and I was endeavouring to find a solution. I am pleased to tell the House that I yesterday announced that €28.8 million minor works grant funding...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: It is a discretionary grant, not a permanent one and is not part of the first call on a capital budget. As the Deputy recognised, it has not been paid every year. Nonetheless, I recognise the point he has made and am very keen that as we shape our ten-year long-term capital plan schemes such as this would become a permanent fixture and I will be putting that case to the Government....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I understand what the Deputy said. I will seek to have this incorporated in a ten-year plan but I have no doubt that if Deputy Barry Cowen was here he would be demanding extra capital spending on housing and if Deputy Kelleher was here he would be demanding extra capital spending on health-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: -----but the Minister, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, has to add up all those demands and ensure a balance is achieved in terms of what is affordable. That is the exercise that has to be done each year at budget time but I take the point the Deputy is making. I would certainly like to see this being put on a permanent footing over time but this is a reasonable arrangement for the schools.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Funchion for her question. The entire House acknowledges that we are dealing with unprecedented levels of homelessness and the Government is seeking to respond to that. My Department has a number of schemes that support the position of children who are homeless but the first point of call would be the Tusla educational welfare service.  The Action Plan for Housing and...