Results 22,821-22,840 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a building project for Presentation De la Salle, Bagenalstown, Co. Carlow is included in my Department's 6 year Construction Programme (2019- 2021). I wish to advise the Deputy that a school site visit, by my Department's technical staff, has taken place, in the context of progressing the school project concerned. Schedules of accommodation, for purposes of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Quality and Qualifications Ireland Administration (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) was established on 6 November 2012 by the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012 through an amalgamation of four predecessor agencies - the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC), the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC), the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) and the Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Arts in Education Charter (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Arts in Education Charter, launched in 2013, is a joint initiative of the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht working in association with the Arts Council to promote arts-in-education.  The appointment of a chair to the Arts and Education Charter High Level Implementation group is a joint decision between myself and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Strategic Communications Unit (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I attended a meeting with the Strategic Communication Unit on 29 September 2017 at my Department's headquarters in Marlborough Street. The purpose of the meeting was to appraise me and officials on the remit of the Unit which will streamline communications and keep the public informed of major cross Governmental campaigns. The Government Strategic Communications project is part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, approved course, previous academic attainment and means. The income thresholds for the Student Grant Scheme are announced annually as part of the Budget process. No changes to the thresholds were included in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question submitted an application for capital funding to provide 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: Schools Health and Safety (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Irish Building Regulations Part B do not require sprinklers in schools. In February 2014 my Department published a Guidance Document for design teams on Fire Strategy in Schools Design. This document which was compiled following consultations with the Fire Officers Association is available on my Departments website at

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that my Department has received correspondence in respect of the school referred to in regard to a proposal to enhance the school's facilities. The proposal, which includes an application for addition accommodation together with a request to extend the school site, is being considered and my Department will be in further contact with the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy refers opened in 2014 under the Patronage Divesting process and is located in temporary accommodation.  A former school building was acquired under the Redress process for the purpose of permanently housing this school and my Department is preparing for the necessary refurbishment works to be undertaken to the property in this regard. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Applications (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Schools are not required to make an application for inclusion in the DEIS programme as all schools are assessed using a new uniform identification model. We have, for the first time, introduced an objective, statistics based model for deciding which schools merit inclusion in the DEIS Programme, so that all stakeholders can have confidence that we are targeting extra resources at those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff Remuneration (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Differential pay scales were introduced by the then Government in 2010. It must be borne in mind that the pay reduction for post-2011 entrants to the public service applied to all public servants, and that any restoration of these measures would be expected to be applied elsewhere across the public service. Any further negotiation on new entrant pay is a cross sectoral issue, not just...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Freedom of Information Data (8 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The number of freedom of information requests received by my Department in each of the years 2013 to 2017 is set out in the table. Dealing with FOI requests forms part of the standard duties of officials and the time spent on processing such requests is not monitored separately.  Year No of FOI request received ‘The number of requests for these years  that...

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: As Deputy Howlin well knows, the original Bill on school admissions, which was introduced by the previous Government, did not deal with the baptism barrier or other concerns of Deputies, including the need to give the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, the power to designate a school that would have a special unit.

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: To accommodate these, we have been drafting new amendments and very good progress is being made with the Attorney General. The issues are delicate because they raise constitutional provisions and we must be insured to deal with them.

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: It has not been a year.We are dealing with these issues. On the issue of when the Department decides to build additional accommodation and sanction new schools, this is applied on the same basis in every one of the 314 planning areas. The Department will only sanction additional new schools where there is a scarcity of places in the area. We are not in a financial position to build...

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Every one of the additional schools I have provided at primary level have been under either multi-denominational or a non-denominational patronage.

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The position is the same in every area. We only build additional places as and when they are designated as required by demographics in the area.

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Every school must have an admissions policy.

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: In any case where a child is refused admission, an appeal can be made to the Department of Education and Skills and it will turn over instances where schools are discriminatory against children with special educational needs. The admissions Bill currently before the House contains explicit provision not only to outlaw discrimination of that nature but to give the National Council for Special...

Order of Business (13 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: 3 o’clock I assure the House that, in line with demographic changes, we are conducting a review of the capacity of all schools in all areas and that work will soon be completed.