Results 25,021-25,040 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: I have made clear during the passage of the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 that I wish to support Irish medium schools and to ensure that the Bill does not unintendedly limit the opportunities of students who have attained a level of proficiency in the Irish language from pursuing their education through the medium of Irish. Accordingly, I brought forward an amendment in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Contractors (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 96, 100 and 131 together. The Schools Bundle 5 Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme comprises five school buildings and one further education college across four sites in Bray, Wexford, Carlow and Kells. This programme has been affected by the liquidations referred to by the Deputy. It is recognised that these liquidations came as a particular blow...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: Once the company for the project to which the Deputy refers went into liduidation, steps were immediately taken by the client, which is the local Education and Training Board (ETB), and its Design Team to get the project back on track. These include: - The development of a critical time path to carry out all of the necessary design and re-tendering procedures in the shortest timeframe...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: In the last two years we have hired 5,000 additional new teachers. It is the case that many teachers who would have been available to carry out substitute work are now gaining permanent and long term contracts. I am aware of reports that some schools are experiencing difficulties in finding substitute teachers.  In the last school year I suspended the limits that teachers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can inform the Deputy that my Department introduced a new model to support pupils with special educational needs in our schools following a pilot which demonstrated strong support from principals, teachers and parents.  The new model differs significantly from the old Resource Allocation Model, as schools are now front-loaded with additional resources based on the profile of each...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: Recently published Circular - 40/2018 is available on the Department’s website, which 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: A building project for the school to which the Deputy refers has recently been approved.  The intention is to devolve the delivery of the project to an external agency.  Contact will be made directly with the school authority when the appropriate arrangements have been made in this regard.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: Recently published Circular - 40/2018 is available on the Department’s website, which 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: A project for the school to which the Deputy refers has recently been approved which will increase the capacity of the school to 900 pupils.  The intention is to devolve the delivery of the project to an external agency.  Contact will be made directly with the school authority when the appropriate arrangements have been made in this regard.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Junior Cycle Reform (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Framework for Junior Cycle presents a dual approach to assessment that supports student learning over the three years of junior cycle and also measures achievement at the end of those three years. This dual approach reduces the focus on one externally assessed examination as a means of assessing students and increases the prominence given to classroom-based assessment and formative...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Education Review (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, in September 2016 I requested the NCSE to lead the Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme. The Review set out to ensure that the Scheme is achieving the best outcomes possible for children with special educational needs. The Review which was published by the NCSE on the 30th of May this year identifies and recommends how, in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Unions (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: Officials from the Department of Education and Skills engage with The Union of Students Ireland (USI) on an ongoing basis through USI representation on relevant steering committees and working groups, for example the Inter Departmental Group on Student Accommodation. Under the National Student Accommodation Strategy (NSAS), the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is 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 have worked closely with officials from Meath County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the identification and acquisition of a suitable permanent location for the school in question....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: In April of this year, I announced a major review of the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) curriculum and this review is underway by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. The review will cover both the content of the RSE curriculum and support materials, as well as the delivery of the curriculum to students. Discussions at Cabinet are confidential as provided for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: University Global Rankings (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: At the outset it is important to note that that there is a diversity of ranking systems under which universities are assessed on the basis of a number of different models.  The most recent world rankings published by QS are one of a suite of ranking models which are published annually which also include the Times Higher Education and U-Multirank.  In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Springboard Programme (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: Springboard+ 2018, which was launched in May, will provide for over 8,000 places on 245 higher education courses.  Courses will be delivered in public and private educational institutions throughout Ireland in the following skills areas: ICT, Engineering, Manufacturing, Construction, Hospitality, Business, Administration, Law, Entrepreneurship, Animation, Medical Devices Decontamination...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Establishment (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government recently announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022), including a new 600 pupil post-primary school to be established in 2019 to serve the Drogheda and Laytown school planning areas as a regional solution. This announcement follows nationwide, demographic exercises carried out by my Department into...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (4 Jul 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 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 convergence of the pay scales at later...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission is statutorily responsible for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. I have been advised by the Commission, which is the independent body in place to operate and deliver the Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations, that it has an absolute responsibility to examination candidates to ensure that their work is marked to the highest...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (4 Jul 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a project to provide four new classrooms has been approved for the school to which he refers under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme.  The project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority for advancement.