Results 22,961-22,980 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Centre Network (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of a capital application from the Educational Centre in question. This application is being considered in the context of the need to prioritise available budgets towards the provision of essential classroom accommodation. My Department expect to be in contact with the Educational Centre, in question, shortly.  

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Centre Network (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: There are 21 full time and 9 part time Education Centres.  The Education Centre network provides a national infrastructure for the delivery of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers and Centres.  Every centre has a locally elected Management Committee and a Director appointed on secondment.  My Department is the main funder of Education Centres...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Redundancy Payments (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise that my Department is not in a position to sanction a redundancy application by the person concerned as a redundancy situation does not arise. This was communicated by my Department to the employer of the person concerned on the 31 January 2018.

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 points in...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Facilities (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I will give a bit of context to the Senator's question. Since 2011, despite very difficult economic conditions, my Department has built 200 new schools and provided 120,000 new school places. We are providing school places at a rate of 20,000 per year because we are in the fortunate position of having a demographic bulge going through our schools. We are working very hard to meet needs but...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Facilities (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I take the Senator's point but as the reply states "a school site visit by my Department's architectural staff has taken place". The next step is the drawing up of the project brief and there will be further communication with the school.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Facilities (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: There is a process in place. On the wider issue, it is important we try to give a better view of the future for all the projects because when people see a school appearing on the list they tend to think that is an automatic commitment that it will be built-----

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Facilities (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: -----but that signifies it is entering into a planning phase at that stage and there is a process that follows that. We can communicate better; the Senator made a fair point in that respect. Efforts will be put in place to try to manage that better and in that way people would have a clearer view of the path ahead. This is an important project for the school. On the Senator's point about...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Enrolments (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. It dates back well before my time to 2012 and the report of the advisory group to the forum on patronage and pluralism in the primary sector which recommended that demand for patronage diversity be met in areas with a stable population by divesting patronage of existing schools where there was evidence of parental demand for change. In that...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Enrolments (20 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: There is a huge surge in demand for non-denominational schools but we must begin from a starting point where 95% of schools are denominational. The State honours its commitment to provide free primary education through that structure.The constitutional provision is that no child should be forced to take religion in their class. There is not a provision, however, which states every parent...

Topical Issue Debate: School Patronage (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Tóibín for raising this because it is an issue that needs some understanding. The background to this issue is that in 2012, a group was formed to examine patronage. It recommended that the demand for patronage diversity should be met in areas of stable population by divesting patronage of existing schools where there was evidence of parental demand for change. This...

Topical Issue Debate: School Patronage (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The school was identified in an area where there was not demographic pressure. These specific areas did not face demographic pressure and the idea was to divest an existing school through an amalgamation, with a transfer to a new patron. That was the context in which this project was developed; it was not included in the expanding areas, in which case all new schools are entirely...

Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I can well understand the frustration of parents waiting for a school. That demonstrates the wider context in which the previous discussion took place. There is huge pressure on capital budgets to meet expanding needs when we are in the fortunate position of having increasing numbers of children entering our school. The major building project for...

Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I understand the Deputy's point and I am always keen for projects to be released. However, I have to be careful and to make sure my officials are satisfied that the commitment they make is robust, so I have to allow them time to finalise their thinking. We are setting a firm timeline for completing this work.

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I listened to the three previous speakers and although I am a long time in this House, I have never heard such negative, old-style politics in my life. There is a complete refusal to recognise what is being done here.

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: This is a plan that is not developer-led. This is a plan that is not about vanity projects. This is a plan that is not about one for everyone in the audience.

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Deputy Seamus Healy can shout me down all he likes. He had his opportunity to speak and it was not any sort of coherent analysis of the plan that was set out.

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: In this House we have to be able to debate maturely. I believe that this is a fundamental shift. We are moving away from the developer-led policies that have afflicted our city. I agree with Deputy Catherine Murphy that this is the first time a Government has sought to put €116 billion of Exchequer and public funds behind the spatial plan. It is the first time we have ever tried...

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: That was a very short allocation of time.

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: They will be back anyhow to listen to me in due course. I move the adjournment.