Results 22,281-22,300 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (14 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: Details in relation to expenditure on photography, advertising, communications advice, public relations, website development and media interview training and preparation in 2017 in my Department is not collated until early 2018. I will arrange to have the information forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it has been compiled. The information requested by the Deputy in respect of...

Order of Business (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Taoiseach spelled out the work done in the Department with a 44% increase in the resources being invested in this area, a massive expansion in the number of resource teachers with 3,000 extra special needs assistants, SNAs, and 1,500 extra resource teachers in the past two years.

Order of Business (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: It has always been indicated that until the service has been developed further that the cost of implementing this would be significant. The Department has not been in a position to date to implement the terms to which the Deputy referred. That does not in any way diminish the commitment in this area to develop programmes and to see that children with special needs are not only welcomed but...

Order of Business (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Deputies are correct in that one of the companies involved in the joint venture to build a number of PPP schools has gone into liquidation. At this point, the National Development Finance Agency, NDFA, is dealing with the remaining shareholder and has expressed confidence that there should not be significant delays in the execution of these projects given that they are 90% built. It...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: First-Aid Training (16 Jan 2018)

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 Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all of the students in their school and care and safety should be at the centre of all policy and practices. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) advise that, by law,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department's policy is focused on ensuring that all children, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post-primary network. In terms of the education provision for children who have autism, my Department has always recognised the importance of early intervention. Children with autism...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Children First Guidelines (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Department of Justice and Equality is responsible for the national criminal justice framework and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs is responsible for national policy in relation to the protection and welfare of children.  My Department’s role is to give guidance and direction to schools in relation to meeting their statutory and other obligations in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Payments (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Minor Works Grant in respect of the school year 2017/2018 was paid to the school referred to by the Deputy on 12 December 2017. The payment of the Minor Works Grant is not confined to any particular date and can in fact, if paid, be issued during any month of the school year. As part of our longer term infrastructural planning, my Department will explore whether it will be possible to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Eligibility (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy refers may apply for the works in question under any future Summer Works Scheme.  In the meantime, the school authority can use its Minor Works Grant to address ongoing repairs and maintenance.  If health and safety works are identified that require immediate attention, an Emergency Works...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 was published on 6 July 2016. The Bill passed Committee Stage on 28 June 2017 and will shortly proceed to Report Stage. In relation to the issues raised by the Deputy, during the Committee Stage debate of the Admissions Bill, I outlined my intention to bring forward proposals at Report Stage to address this issue.  I can confirm that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Data (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 306 and 370 together. My Department has a regional office of the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) based at Drogheda. At present, the staffing at the office consists of 1 Senior Educational Psychologists, 7 Educational Psychologists and I Clerical Officer. Currently there are no plans to make any additional appointments to the staffing cohort.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the major building project to provide a permanent school building for the school in question is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b). All statutory approvals, which includes Planning Permission, Fire Certificate and Disability Access Certificate have been secured. Following receipt and review by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: The school referred to by the Deputy applied to my Department for funding to replace an existing prefab. The school was advised that it is my Department's intention to replace all purchased temporary accommodation with permanent accommodation, where the need is established, over the lifetime of the Department's Capital Programme (2016-2021). To enable this development, my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Property (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: In general, individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care.  In the case of traffic entering and leaving a school site, the school authority is expected to have a plan in place to manage this in accordance with its own particular circumstances.  It is open to existing schools to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Relocation (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy refers opened in September 2017 to serve the Scribblestown/Finglas West school planning area. The school is temporarily accommodated in the Broombridge Educate Together National School building at Bannow Road, Dublin 7 (which is in my ownership) as a short-term arrangement, pending delivery of the school’s permanent accommodation in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: A number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 have been commenced, including those establishing the National Council for Special Education and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children. The Sections of the EPSEN Act which have not been implemented are those which would have conferred a statutory entitlement to – -...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Major School Building Project to which the Deputy refers, is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b). All statutory approvals have been secured. Following the necessary appointment of a replacement Mechanical & Electrical Engineer, the Design Team in conjunction with the new Engineer are working on a revised M and E Report, which will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology Funding (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 313 to 315, inclusive, together. My Department allocates the recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions including Institutes of Technology (IoTs) such as Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT). Upon my appointment as Minister I commenced a programme of reinvestment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to 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 the individual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions Data (16 Jan 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 317 and 318 together. I attach, for the information of the Deputy, a table showing details of the enrolment figures for each higher education institution, by graduate and undergraduate students, for the years 2007/08 to 2016/17, including percentage changes for each year. Institute Type / Institute / Course Level, Enrolment Numbers 2007/2008 2008/2009...