Results 23,281-23,300 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (21 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that the area referred to is in my ownership; the property is leased to the Bishop of Meath for school use.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Staff Data (21 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: The table give details of the ministerial appointments made at my Department to assist the Ministers of State and I in carrying out our duties. They are non-established Civil Servants and as such they are subject to the terms of the Civil Service code of conduct and this is stated in their contracts of employment. Section 5 of the code addresses the matter of Civil Servants and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (21 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: The major building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2b – Detailed Design, which includes the applications for planning permission, fire cert and disability access cert and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been obtained. A letter recently issued to the school and the design team...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Career Breaks (21 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I understand that the leave and pay arrangements applicable to teachers who were members of the Houses of the Oireachtas during the period referred to by the Deputy were (i) the teacher members of the Oireachtas were entitled to the payment of full salary and increments as recognized teachers by the paymaster; (ii) fully qualified replacement teachers were appointed on a temporary basis and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Screening Programmes (21 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department does not operate the HSE health screening programme and I am not therefore in a position to comment on the matters raised by the Deputy or provide the details sought. It appears that these matters would be more appropriate to my colleague, the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (21 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: Officials in my Department have been working closely with officials from Cork County Council to acquire a permanent site to meet the needs of the school to which the Deputy refers. A number of potentially suitable sites were identified and comprehensively technically assessed. Engagement is currently underway with a landowner in respect of a site option for the school and...

Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising the issue. It is an issue of considerable concern. I have spoken to the Deputy's constituency colleagues, including the Minister, Deputy Creed, and others, who share his frustration. I understand it. It has a very long history. The planning process started way back in 2012 at which point planning permission was refused by Cork County Council on the...

Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: Deputy Moynihan rightly indicated why the Department does not give firm timelines, because we do not know what might happen during a tender process that was not anticipated. I refer, for example, to issues arising with ground conditions that were not fully anticipated. The Department does not say a project will take a specific period because, as Deputy Moynihan rightly said, people would...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Projects (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: A copy of a business case in relation to the project referred to by the Deputy has been received and is being considered by my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Data (22 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: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: The school in question is an ETB school.  The ETB was approved devolved funding in December 2017 to address an acoustic deficiency in its ASD Unit. The tender process for the Consultant has been concluded by the ETB and the tender report has been submitted to my Department for review.  As soon as a decision on the tender outcome has been made the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 76 together. The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I, together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, negotiated 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Applications (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: Further to my reply on 07 February 2018, the update of the identification model is continuing.  As previously advised, this will take account of updated school data as provided by schools for the current school year combined with the Pobal HP Index of Deprivation, based on CSO Small Area Population statistics derived from the 2016 National Census. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Data (22 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: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: My 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 appropriate education. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) which is a separate independent statutory body, plans and co-ordinates the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department received an application for the provision of additional accommodation at the school referred to in respect of both classroom and ancillary accommodation. The application was assessed by my Department and it was determined that there was no deficit of essential accommodation at the school. This decision was advised to the school authority....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Meetings (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that, in previous years, under the arrangements in place for the Social Partnership process, officials in my Department met on a regular basis with the Community and Voluntary Pillar to discuss educational issues raised by that sector. A series of bilateral meetings took place between Officials in my Department and the Community and Voluntary (C&V) Pillar...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: After-School Support Services (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for a Partnership Government committed to the utilisation of primary school buildings for after-school care provision for school age children to offer more options and flexibility to parents, where there is demand for such a service, in partnership with community groups or private providers. I can confirm that, further to consultation with relevant school authorities,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: HEIs are not considered State Boards and therefore the Public Appointments Service (PAS) is not involved in the process for filling positions arising on their Governing Bodies. The exception to this is in respect of Chairpersons of the Governing Bodies of the Institutes of Technology (IoTs) where PAS has agreed to undertake the appointment process for such positions....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school to which she refers is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme. In the context of progressing the building project, my Department will be undertaking a technical site visit to the school and contact will be made with the school authorities in this regard.