Results 22,721-22,740 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that under the 6-Year Construction Programme, major capital projects will be progressed for one primary and two post primary schools in Naas, details are  listed below: St Corban's BNS:My Department has carried out a site visit to the school. The next step includes the formulation of the accommodation brief for the project and this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118, 120, 121 and 127 together. My Department’s six-year capital programme priorities building projects for demographic areas, including County Kildare. The Capital Programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms for schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified or where an additional teacher has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The major building project for St. Joseph's National School in Kilcock is at an advanced stage of architectural planning Stage 2b (Detailed Design), which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been secured. The Stage 2b submission has been reviewed by my Department and comments have issued to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has recently received an application for major capital funding from the school in question.  The application will be assessed and my Department will convey a decision on the application to the school authorities when this process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received an application for major capital funding from the school in question to construct a General Purpose Hall and to replace temporary accommodation. Due to the competing demands on my Department's capital budget in providing essential mainstream accommodation, it is not possible to consider the school's application for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware there is only one school in Rathcoffey, Co. Kildare. My Department approved funding for the provision of 2 additional classrooms at the school in question together with funding towards the conversion of existing accommodation to a multi-purpose room.  The conversion works funding was to be added to funding raised by the school. An updated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 and 134 together. As the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school to which he refers is included in the Department's 6-Year Construction Programme. In the context of progressing the building project, my Department has undertaken a site visit to the school. The building project will be devolved to Kildare Wicklow Education Training Board (KWETB)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware there is only one school in Straffan, Co. Kildare. In March 2015, this school was approved a grant for the provision of 2 x 80m2 mainstream classrooms and 1 WC for assisted users. The funding was increased in September 2015 to provide a stairs and an additional WC for assisted users. A further 2 mainstream classrooms were approved in June 2017. As this is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Budget 2018 marks the second year of major reinvestment in the education sector, as we continue to implement the Action Plan for Education, which has the central aim to make the Irish Education and training service the best in Europe within a decade. Budget 2018 provides for an additional 1280 teaching posts in the 2018/19 school year. This includes a one point improvement in the staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department’s six-year capital programme priorities building projects for demographic areas, including County Kildare. The Capital Programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms for schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified or where an additional teacher has been appointed. There are currently 29 major capital projects that are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 130, 132 and 138 together. It is the policy of my Department that all children with Special Educational Needs, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Ensuring that children with special educational needs are supported and given the opportunity to reach their full potential is a key priority for this government. To this end my Department has allocated SNA support to over 12,000 extra pupils since 2011 and provided extra resource teachers to meet the expansion in children in need of teaching support. Since 2011, the increase in SNAs has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaelcholáistí Issues (1 Feb 2018)

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: Education Policy (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: In September 2016, I launched the first Action Plan for Education (2016-2019), which sets out our ambition to make the Irish education and training service the best in Europe by 2026. The Action Planning process recognises that there is no big bang solution and that our success will be achieved by the implementation of hundreds of actions across the sector in its entirety. I noted at the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Funding (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am committed to securing continuing investment in education and training in order to deliver on the actions set out in the Action Plan for Education ad to meet our ambition of making the Irish education and training service the best in Europe by 2026. During my time as Minister, the Government has allocated over €1 billion additional funding to education and training over the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that over the lifetime of my Department's Capital Programme, it is my intention to replace all purchased temporary accommodation with permanent accommodation, where the need is established. To enable this development, my Department will be carrying out an assessment of the number of prefabs being used in schools to deliver the curriculum. This will also determine...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidelines on Mental Health (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department is strongly supportive of the promotion of positive mental health awareness in schools. The Department adopts a holistic and integrated approach to supporting the work of schools in promoting positive mental health and to supporting those with the broad range of problems, behavioural, emotional and social. The processes span the curriculum in schools, whole-school ethos,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Services (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department does not operate the schools medical examinations service and I am not therefore in a position to comment on the matters raised by the Deputy. These matters are therefore appropriate to my colleague, the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. Parents can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Administration (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I understand from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection that the Respite Care Grant name was changed in 2016 to the Carers Support Grant to better reflect how the grant is used by carers. Carers can now use the grant in whatever way they wish, it may be used to pay for respite care or other services, but it is not a requirement to do so. Under the terms of the student...