Results 7,121-7,140 of 9,832 for speaker:Thomas Byrne
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: My second point relates to school places and the capital spend. The briefing from the Department refers to 40,000 places replaced or provided. However, I am looking at page 102 of the Estimates document, the details of programme. I see in 2018 an output target for additional places at primary, additional places at post-primary, enhance or replace at primary and enhance or replace at...
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: Is it the case that we are getting less growth in the context of school places for substantially more money?
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: Am I right? I do not know whether the officials have the figures.
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: Even with primary school numbers nationally decreasing, or beginning to do so, there will still be massive pressure in urban areas.
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: There are also Cork and Galway.
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: Are any other members offering? I have other questions but I will ask them after other members.
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: The budget relating to schools is by far the largest. I have one very quick question and the Minister has touched on it. I find the capital programme and the figures on school places frightening. The Minister mentioned Gorey. My colleagues from the area have contacted me. I keep mentioning Ashbourne and I need an answer on this also. I have had a colleague on from Ennis and I have heard...
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: I will move on to skills development, which is programme B. Does the Minister wish to speak about this or will we go straight to questions?
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: I will briefly add a question about the results from apprenticeships. In 2017, the Department targeted 13 new apprenticeship programmes and the outturn was 11. Last year, the target was reduced to ten and this year the target is 35. It has been very slow progress. If we make 35 extra programmes this year it will be fantastic, but is the Minister confident this will happen given that we...
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: What the Minister has just said is that the Department knew how many teachers would be retiring but did not provide for it in the Estimate.
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: It did not provide for them because it had to present a Supplementary Estimate.
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: Therefore, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform sanctioned funding that was less than expenditure.
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: Previously the reason given for presenting a Supplementary Estimate was there had been unanticipated additional retirees. We are now getting a slightly different story, that the numbers had been anticipated but the money was not available.
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: We move on to programme C, third level. Does the Minister wish to comment?
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: Subhead C4 is for general current grants to universities, institutes of technology and other designated institutions. The Estimate here appears to have been cut by €15.5 million in 2019. Will the Minister explain the reason for that, particularly given the ever-increasing number of students? It has been predicted that the number of full-time undergraduates will increase from 159,000...
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: Nobody has raised the issue of the National Training Fund, which is mentioned on page 106. The issue is slightly off-balance sheet so we will deal with it after this round of questions. Is that okay?
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: I want to ask questions on the issue. I also want to ask questions about the Estimates in terms of €10 million for the children's hospital. I ask the Minister to go ahead.
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: Funding has been withdrawn.
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: The amount that the Department gives has been cut because there is more coming from the National Training Fund.
- Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Revised) (26 Feb 2019) Thomas Byrne: Cutting funding was not the idea when my party supported the initiative. The Minister has been very open about the matter but a cut was not part of the idea.