Results 15,041-15,060 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Budget 2016 provides for a one point adjustment to the staffing allocation to primary schools, which will be implemented for the 2016/17 school year. This will see the primary staffing schedule operate on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 27 pupils. Lower thresholds apply for DEIS Band 1 schools, ranging from 20:1 to 24:1 depending on the type of school. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 98 together. The business case put forward by the Kildare Wicklow ETB for the development of a new Education and Training Facility in Maynooth, County Kildare, requires a substantial capital investment. There is currently no dedicated capital funding for Further Education and Training projects and my Department's overall capital budget for 2016...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools which have enrolled pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in order to ensure that, wherever a child is enrolled, they will have access to an appropriate education. Children with ASD may be enrolled in a mainstream school and can attend all mainstream classes. In such cases these children will receive...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department furnished an application form to the school in question in April 2015 in response to its enquiry relating to accommodation needs. The school was invited to complete the application form and return it to my Department. My Department has no record of receiving the application from the school.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Government has committed to establishing a Public Service Pay Commission to examine pay levels across the Public Service, including the entry pay levels to which the Deputy refers. The Government recognises the importance of being able to attract quality new entrants to the Public Service, particularly so in important professional areas like education. The restrictions in entry pay...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Closures (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department is very aware of the importance of small schools to rural communities and particularly the most dispersed and remote communities. To sustain primary schools in these communities my Department has a more favourable staffing schedule for small schools that are more than 8 km distant from the next nearest school of the same type of patronage and language of instruction. This...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that in 2006, the school in question received funding from my Department to construct a classroom and a general purpose room. This project was completed in 2008. My Department has no record of receiving an application from the school for grant aid for the extra facilities to which he refers.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I am aware of the impact budgetary decisions taken in our economic crisis have had on capitation and related grants to our primary schools. I do recognise the need to improve capitation funding for primary schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over the recent years. In 2015 the first increase in education spending was secured in recent years and a further increase in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: As of the 31st March 2016 the apprenticeship population was 9,628. This includes 820 redundant apprentices. The apprenticeship population fluctuates based on the number of apprenticeship registrations and the numbers completing their apprenticeships. As apprenticeship registrations in the existing trades have been increasing in recent years, more apprentices are in the earlier years of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The National Skills Strategy target covers both apprenticeship and traineeship whereas the Programme for Government commitment referred to only covers apprenticeship. There is a separate commitment in the Programme for Governemnt to significantly increase the number of traineeship places.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. Currently the SEC operates a Scheme of Reasonable Accommodations at the Leaving and Junior Certificate examinations for candidates with special needs in the examinations. The Scheme applies to candidates who have a physical or medical disability, including...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Currently the SEC operates a Scheme of Reasonable Accommodations at the Leaving and Junior Certificate examinations for candidates with special needs in the examinations. The Scheme applies to candidates who have a physical or medical disability, including visual and hearing impairments, or a specific learning difficulty (dyslexia is one such specific learning difficulty). All applications...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Service Provision (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The overall policy of my Department is to offer the best quality connectivity to all schools in line with technical solutions available in the market and within required financial parameters. As the Deputy is aware, all post primary schools receive at least 100mbts connectivity through a programme undertaken jointly between the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources (now...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scoileanna Gaeltachta (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Mar is eol gan dabht don Teachta, áiríodh tionscadal tógála don scoil dá dtagraíonn sé sa Chlár Caipitil 6 Bliana de chuid mo Roinne a fógraíodh i mí na Samhna seo caite agus tá an tionscadal sin le dul chun tógála in 2019 - 2021. Mar is eol, b'fhéidir, don Teachta, chuir an scoil i gceist moladh faoi bhráid...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: My officials are currently liaising with the school to which the Deputy refers as to how and why the application for additional funding for its devolved school building project arises. When all of the relevant information has been supplied by the school and reviewed the school will be informed of my Department's decision.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has made an application to my Department for capital funding for additional accommodation. The application is currently being assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as this process is finalised.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for Government 'A Programme for a Partnership Government' has a commitment to enhance the guidance counsellor allocation in our secondary schools. The current budget provides an improved staffing allocation to second level schools for the purpose of enhancing guidance provision. This improvement takes effect from next September. It brings the basis of allocation from 19:1...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware of the provisions in the Student Support Act 2011 which provide for appeals to Appeals Officers within SUSI. Determinations of Appeals Officers can in turn be appealed to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The Deputy will appreciate that it would be inappropriate for me to seek to interfere in this statutory independent appeals process. However, my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Visiting Teacher Service (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Review of the Visiting Teachers service for blind and visually impaired and deaf and hard of hearing pupils (VTVHI) report was published on my Department's website on 10th February, 2015. The report is available at the following link: . The review recommended that a dedicated specialist sensory support service incorporating current services for children...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The draft financial statements of the following Institutes of Technology are showing a deficit for 2014/15 academic year: Athlone Institute of Technology Cork Institute of Technology Dundalk Institute of Technology Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology Letterkenny Institute of Technology Institute of Technology Tralee Waterford Institute of Technology. It should be noted that a number of these...