Results 22,901-22,920 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gender Equality (14 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: NUI Galway is an autonomous body within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997. Under the Act, the University is an autonomous body for the purposes of staffing, appointments and dispute resolution in relation to personnel matters subject to the provisions of the Equal Status Acts 2010-2015 and other general employment legislation.  Therefore, I am not in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Data Protection (14 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department has established a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Readiness project. As part of this project my Department is currently undertaking work to ensure that it will be compliant with the GDPR. In June 2017, my Department assigned an interim Data Protection Office (DPO) whose role is to inform and advise staff of my Department who carry out processing of personal data of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (14 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The property referred to by the Deputy is not in my ownership. In common with other buildings of its kind, there is a charging lease in place on the property dated 21 January 1960 for 99 years to protect the State's investment in the property. In circumstances where a property has ceased to be used as a school, and a request is received from the property owner to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Completion Programme (14 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Second Level school completion rates are published by my Department in the annual report titled ‘Retention Rates of Pupils in Second Level Schools’. These reports can be found on my Department's website at: . In the most recently published data, 91.2% of students who entered secondary education in 2010 sat their Leaving Certificate. Retention rates by area, from 1996 to 2010,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Completion Programme (14 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The School Completion Programme forms an integral part of Tusla's educational welfare service and has the aim of increasing the numbers of young people remaining in primary and second level education and in doing so improving the numbers of pupils who successfully complete Senior Cycle. The programme is a key support for schools under the DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (14 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school to which he refers is included in my Department's six-year Construction Programme. The next stage involves the preparation of the project brief. 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 Refurbishment (14 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department contacted the principal of the school in question earlier this week to ascertain if cost estimates had been secured for the proposed insulation works. The principal advised that cost estimates are awaited from the school's Consultant and will be furnished to my Department when available. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Data (14 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 124 and 125 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 the country will arise. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (14 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Additional investment has allowed the successful recruitment of over 5,000 additional teachers in the last two years.  Since 2012/2013, there are 8,900 more teachers in our schools. No other part of the public service has seen this sort of growth, which is testament to the Government’s commitment to, and the importance of education in, fulfilling our national ambitions. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Data (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy may be aware my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Following the appointment of a replacement architect for the major building project at the school referred to by the Deputy, the project has completed Stage 1 of architectural planning and has been authorised to proceed to complete stage 2A, developed design stage, since January 2018. Stage 2A allows for development of the design and to accurately cost the option agreed with the client to a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Initial teacher education, ITE, for primary and post-primary teachers is facilitated through a range of concurrent, undergraduate, and consecutive, postgraduate, programmes. The Teaching Council is the statutory body that sets and upholds the standards for entry to the teaching profession. All ITE programmes that lead to registration with the Council must have professional accreditation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gender Equality (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 129 together. The HEA national review of gender equality in Irish higher education institutions, which was published in June 2016, contained a list of 61 recommendations; 22 of which were for implementation by higher education institutions. None of the recommendations was mandatory. I have attached a list of these recommendations and their associated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Total capital funding expended in the period January 2013 to December 2017 in County Wexford amounts to €90,097,522. Details of expenditure on a district or constituency basis are only available on receipt of school names and roll numbers. Details of all school capital works that have been funded by my Department may be viewed on my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Facilities (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not have reliable information regarding the physical education or general purpose facilities in schools in County Wexford. I also wish to advise the Deputy that the physical education curriculum has been designed on the basis that facilities in schools may vary. Many primary schools have a general purpose room and practically all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that the conveyancing process for the acquisition of the requisite site for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage. The Department has been working through some technical issues associated with the site with the assistance of the vendor and the Local Authority.  These are now largely resolved and all parties are working towards the completion of this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognized post-primary teachers under Circular 29/2007 was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council. This Council is comprised of representatives of teachers, school management, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Education & Skills and is chaired by an official of the Workplace...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Fees (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: A key requirement for all recognised schools in the Free Education Scheme, is that the school does not operate a charge, in whatever form, that is in effect a mandatory fee and that is contrary to the principle of not charging fees which distinguishes schools in the Free Education Scheme from those recognised post-primary schools that have elected to charge fees. Certain charges may,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The STEM Policy Statement and Implementation Plan, which I launched in November 2017, aims to make Ireland the best in Europe in STEM by 2026. This Policy Statement focusses on the many strengths in STEM education in Ireland while providing a roadmap to address the areas for development. Achieving our goals will require a multifacted focus, looking to increase engagement with STEM...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Student grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State within a specified reference period. The means test arrangements of the Student Grant Scheme are applied nationally. The assessment of income from the same starting point is deemed to be fair and reasonable because this approach eliminates any distortion which might arise from...