Results 23,241-23,260 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Establishment (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy may be aware, 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 the Central Statistics...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: A review of senior cycle programmes and vocational pathways in senior cycle has been commenced by the NCCA with a view to recommending areas for development. As a first step, to inform this review, the NCCA commissioned research to scope international developments in upper secondary education. This research will feed into a public consultation process in spring 2018, which commenced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Social, Personal and Health Education, SPHE, curriculum is mandatory at primary level and up to junior cycle at post-primary level.  A Framework for SPHE at Senior Cycle is also available to schools. The SPHE curriculum aims to provide a range of diverse and inclusive skills such as communicating, making decisions, knowing where to find reliable data, belonging and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff Retirements (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: Legislation is currently being drafted to provide for the Government decision to change the compulsory retirement age of some public servants. In this regard my Department is currently preparing a circular letter which will notify all education and training sector employers and staff of temporary arrangements to allow certain staff, including primary school principal teachers, be retained in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: Special Needs Assistants, SNAs, are provided to assist recognised schools to cater for pupils with disabilities, who have additional and significant care needs, in an educational context and where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in medical and other professional reports as being so significant that a pupil will require additional adult assistance in order to be able to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Charges (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and therefore the day to day operations including the determination of the fee rate applicable for individual students in relation to re-sitting examinations is a matter for the governing authority of each institution. Accordingly, my Department has no function in relation to such matters. The final decision on this issue is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has approved substantial devolved funding for the provision of the long-term accommodation solution for the school referred to. My Department is in ongoing contact with the Patron and the school authorities in respect of the proposed project, which includes finalising the project brief. In that regard, it is not possible at this point to advise...

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

Richard Bruton: I understand that the students to which the Deputy refers, recently appealed the decision of the Appeals Officer in SUSI to the statutory independent Student Grants Appeals Board (SGAB). Their appeals will be heard within the 60 day timeframe set out in the Student Support Act 2011. The decision of the SGAB will be communicated directly to the students in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: On 14 March last, officials from my Department and the National Development Finance Agency, along with representatives of each of the six schools included in the Schools Bundle 5 PPP Programme, met with the Dutch Infrastructure Fund (DIF). At that meeting, DIF, representing Inspiredspaces (the PPP Company responsible for Bundle 5), provided an update on its plan for the delivery and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a project to provide a new site for the school in question is included on my Department's Capital Programme. Discussions with relevant parties regarding the potential acquisition of a preferred site option are currently in progress with a view to advancing matters as expeditiously as possible. I can assure the Deputy that my Department is in communication with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Supports (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: In December 2017 I launched 'Languages Connect', Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026. One of the aims of the strategy is to support the languages of immigrant communities in Ireland, including the Lithuanian community. Sustaining the language capacity of these speakers will support the growth of language competencies which is sought by this Strategy. I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Discipline (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is aware of the position at the school property referred to and appropriate security measures have been put in place.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: Individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of children in their care. In this instance, school authorities should consult the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) for information and guidance on the issues associated with EMF radiation if they have concerns in this area.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years. Restoring capitation funding as resources permit is one of the actions included in the Action Plan for Education. Budget 2018 marked the second year of major reinvestment in the education sector, as we continue to implement the Action Plan for Education,...

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

Richard Bruton: The level of fundraising activities is a matter for each Board of Management. However, I do recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years. 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...

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

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

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: This Government is committed to ensuring that all children with Special Educational Needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is an independent statutory body whose functions include planning and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, a building project to provide permanent accommodation for the school in question is included in my Department’s 6 Year Construction Programme. My Department has been working with the local authority to acquire the site on which the school is currently located. It is intended to progress the building project for the school into the architectural planning...

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

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware the school to which he refers was allocated devolved funding under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme 2017 to provide 1 standalone mainstream classroom with en-suite toilets, 1 WC for assisted users and 2 resource rooms. The school submitted an application for significant additional funding for works outside the scope of the approved project in February...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Autism Support Services (20 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for organising and planning provision for children with Special Educational Needs, including the establishment of special classes in mainstream primary and post primary schools. Special classes offer a supportive learning environment to students with ASD who are unable to access the curriculum in a mainstream class, even with...