Results 22,921-22,940 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

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

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received an application from the school in question for additional accommodation. The application will be assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process is completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Supports (15 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 139 together. Government policy on homelessness recognises the provision of long term secure housing as the key solution to ending homelessness.  The Government has sought to respond to homeslessness in a variety of ways. Homelessness is of concern to everyone.  Any issue which impacts on teaching and learning outcomes in schools is a...

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

Richard Bruton: My Department’s review of its programme for capital expenditure in 2018 and 2019 involving the scheduling of projects that are advancing to construction is currently ongoing and will be concluded shortly.  The overall capital allocation available to the school sector in 2018 amounts to €570 million and will be expended primarily on the provision of essential school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Data (20 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: School Management (20 Feb 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 Rules for National Schools provide for a midday recreation interval of one half-hour. The arrangements within the recreation interval for pupils to eat their lunch are a matter for each board of management to determine.  My Department has not issued...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start.  I negotiated together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, a 15-22% pay increase for new teachers. The agreements to date have restored an estimated 75% of the difference in pay for more recently recruited teachers and deliver full equality at later...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: In accordance with the general policy and principle regarding the recovery of debt as set out in the Student Support Act 2011, all student grant overpayments are liable to be repaid to the Exchequer. SUSI implements a flexible repayment policy with minimum instalment amounts and timeframes that are designed to be as student-friendly as possible. SUSI actively manages all overpayments as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question applied for funding under the Summer Works Scheme (Category 6), to provide a roof over each of the school's courtyards. The scheme is designed to address necessary and immediate works; funding is not made available for projects unless considered by the Department to be essential. In view of the scale of demand, nearly 50% of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: SUSI operates a comprehensive set of processes and controls to manage the assessment process and to minimise the risk of incorrectly awarding grants. However, the nature of the assessment process undertaken by SUSI means that there is a risk that some students may be awarded maintenance grants and/or fee grants for which they are not eligible. Where overpayments do occur, SUSI treats the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Legal Cases (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: In responding to an PQ earlier this year, concerning the type of abuse suffered by the individuals concerned, I stated that it was inappropriate for me to comment on the type of abuse suffered by an individual.  Firstly, this data is personal data and secondly, it is data that I do not and should not have access to given that the State Claims Agency is mandated to deal with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: It is a matter for the organisations to which the Deputy refers to arrange payment to teachers and substitute teachers in accordance with approved rates of pay. My Department has no direct involvement as the payrolls are operated by the organisations concerned. The Deputy may wish to note that my Department is establishing the ESBS Centre to deliver a number of shared...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Circular 0068/2017 sets out the arrangements for panel access for fixed-term/temporary and part-time teachers to the Supplementary Redeployment Panel for the 2018/19 school year. Applicants must meet all of the published criteria in order to gain access to the Supplementary Redeployment Panel. The teacher referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application to be included on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 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 6 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 with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 181 and 182 together. The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department provides funding to all recognised schools by way of per capita grants. The two main grants for primary are the Capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc. and the Ancillary Services grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. Enhanced rates of the Capitation grant are paid...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy may be aware, the project to which he refers was announced as part of my Department's Six Year Capital Programme in 2015. Officials in my Department are working closely with officials from the relevant local authority under the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the acquisition of a suitable permanent location for the school to which the Deputy refers. A...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 185 and 186 together. The person referred to by the Deputy is a former employee of Kildare and Wicklow Education & Training Board(KWETB).Relevant employees of the ETB are members of the  Education and Training Board Teachers Superannuation Scheme, or the Education Sector Superannuation Scheme, both of which are statutory pension...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The policy of my Department is to ensure that all children with special educational needs can be provided with an education appropriate to their needs. My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools, including special schools, which have enrolled students with special educational needs, in order to ensure that wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 188, 190 and 201 together. As the Deputies may be aware, the 2012 Report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector recommended that demand for patronage diversity should be met in areas of stable population by divesting patronage of existing schools where there is evidence of parental demand for change. In this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Brexit Issues (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Consultation has been fundamental to my Department’s preparations for Brexit. I have attached particular importance to engagement at political and institutional level on our Brexit agenda. Last year I met my former UK counterpart, Justine Greening MP and I look forward to an occasion in the near future to meet her successor, the recently appointed Secretary of State for Education,...