Results 24,101-24,120 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research Students (17 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: Innovation 2020, Ireland’s strategy for Research and Development, Science and Technology proposes the development of a national policy on structured progression for researchers to help them maximise their potential. The Irish Universities Association has been developing the proposed framework and has consulted policy makers and research funders. It is envisaged that their work on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gender Equality (17 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: Higher Education institutions in Ireland are covered by the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2011, which outlaw discrimination on gender grounds. In addition, under the Universities Act 1997 and the Institute of Technology Acts, higher education institutions are responsible for promoting equality, including gender equality, within their institutions. The HEA’s National Review of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (17 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: The National Strategy on Higher Education to 2030, which was published in 2011 by the then Tánaiste Mary Coughlan, stated that there was no case for the establishment of any new universities in Ireland on the basis set out in Section 9 of the Universities Act 1997. The National Planning Framework includes a national objective regarding the expansion and consolidation of higher education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (17 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: Higher education is a central part of our plan as a Government to support a strong economy and deliver a fair society. The Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding (Cassells Report) which was published in July 2016, clearly outlines the funding challenges in the higher education sector and offers a number of potential policy approaches for consideration. While Cassells deals with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (17 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Department agreed to the proposed amalgamation of Scoil Bhride Girls and Scoil Phadraig Naofa and also the re-organisation of Presentation Primary School and St. Joseph’s CBS from the start of the school year 2018/19. The proposal was agreed subject to all 5 primary school including Scoil Oilibheir Naofa agreeing a Common Application and Enrolment Policy and having a commitment to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department website. 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 30 September. The criteria for the appointment of an administrative principal to a school,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (17 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application from the school referred to for the replacement of prefabricated accommodation. The application is currently under consideration and my Department will be in direct contact with the school authorities when the assessment process has concluded.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (17 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: Circular 12/2016, which is available on the Department website, outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year in order to assist them fulfilling their principal duties. Under these arrangements my Department pays for a substitute teacher to be employed by a school to facilitate administrative functions to be undertaken by the teaching...

Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, I recently announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years, 2019 to 2022. This announcement follows a nationwide demographic exercise carried out by the Department into the future need for primary and post-primary schools across the country. The four year horizon will enable increased lead times for planning and delivery of the...

Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will have to ask a more precise question. He asked about the status of the plans for the 42 new schools. As a result, I explained that the 42 were selected from 314 areas. In deciding which areas got new schools, we looked at where there was capacity in existing schools to expand. That is how the figure of 42 was reached. A patron selection process will now be initiated. We...

Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy does not understand the way this works. Scores of areas had ambitions to have new schools. The Department undertook a demographic exercise looking at the enrolment in existing schools, at birth and at housing developments identified by local authorities. It picked the 42 areas based on that information where it believed the demographic need would have to be met by establishing a...

Priority Questions: Disability Support Services Provision (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Funchion for raising this matter. The July provision grant scheme provides funding for an extended school year for children with severe-profound general learning disabilities or children with autism spectrum disorders, ASD. Under this scheme, the school year of participating schools is extended by four weeks in July. Only special schools or mainstream schools that have...

Priority Questions: Disability Support Services Provision (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: I understand what the Deputy is saying, but we are talking about a voluntary scheme. Each school makes the decision to participate or not, based on its own staffing and capacity to extend the school year for another month. They get a capitation rate, but the implementation of the scheme depends on whether staff are willing to work for the extra month. If the staff work the extra month they...

Priority Questions: Disability Support Services Provision (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: I will ask the NCSE if there is any way it can better support parents, but over 6,000 children are availing of that back-up scheme under the home-based July provision scheme, providing ten hours per week over four weeks. Those 6,000 people are spread throughout the country, so it is difficult to co-ordinate that centrally and provide a clearing house for that provision. I will ask the NCSE...

Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: The code of behaviour each school is required to develop has to set out the procedures, particularly procedures relating to the suspension of children with special needs. The guidelines set out the approach that should be taken in taking account of the particular needs of children with special needs, including that the school meets with parents, makes sure that the child understands the...

Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can appreciate what the Deputy is saying. That is why two changes are being made in the legislation. One change gives the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, a right to make a submission to the section 29 hearing. The second gives the NCSE a separate power to designate a school as suitable. While it is certainly very unfortunate that a section 29 procedure would be used,...

Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: The purpose of section 29 is that it looks at the whole case de novo. It is not part of a bureaucratic process whereby the parents may feel they have been through the board and the principal only to get the same response. This is an entirely fresh look at the issues by fresh eyes. Those making the decision have access to the NCSE evidence and look at whether the decision of the school was...

Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: The purpose of the review of career guidance is to ensure that high-quality, relevant career guidance information is provided to students from post–primary level up to further and higher education. The review will examine the quality of information available to students and adults concerning career guidance, the sources of this information and how the system is organised to support...

Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: There was certainly no intention to exclude any school in any way. I can give the Deputy the assurance that the needs of special schools will be included in this review. I do not know from where the idea that they were excluded arose but if there is a particular group that needs to make a submission, and it believes it will not be able to make it by 25 May, I will make sure that the...

Other Questions: School Admissions (22 May 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for acknowledging the Report Stage amendment that will be debated in the House next week. I am of the view that it constitutes a fair and balanced response. I share the view of a lot of Members that it is not fair that in publicly-funded schools, 95% of which are denominational, if a child does not subscribe to that religion then another child from a long distance away...