Results 15,761-15,780 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Order of Business (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Minister of State, Deputy John Halligan, is dealing with school transport. As the Deputy knows, he has indicated that a review of school transport is being undertaken. It is certainly his objective to minimise any disruption that would occur to any pupil. That is his objective and he will be reporting back in due course. He has answered parliamentary questions in the House recently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, is an independent statutory body established pursuant to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012. It is the Board of Caranau, which is representative of survivors, that would have approved the changes to the eligibility criteria for accessing funds. I have asked Caranua to respond directly to the Deputy concerning the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: As a consequence of the financial crisis, there was a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure so as to stabilise the country's public finances. A previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable to all new entrants to public service recruitment grades by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011. This decision also required that such new entrants would start...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Maternity Protection Entitlements (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department's Circular 0017/2013 covers the Maternity Protection entitlements, including provision for breastfeeding, for Special Needs Assistants (SNA) in Recognised Primary and Post-Primary Schools. Special Needs Assistants are entitled to take maternity leave in the same way as all other employees in the State that is, 26 weeks paid leave and 16 weeks additional unpaid leave. Paragraph...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The position is that the third level institutions are autonomous institutions and my Department does not have any function in their day to day operational affairs, for which the Governing Bodies and the management staff of the institutions are responsible. Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise that the policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs, including children with autism, should be included, where possible and appropriate, in mainstream school placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where children with special educational needs require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaelscoil Issues (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, the Arts and the Gaeltacht and her officials are briefed on education matters as they relate to the Gaeltacht and in particular as they relate to the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language and the Gaeltacht Act 2012. The Government has set out its commitments to the Gaeltacht and to the Irish language in the 20 Year Strategy for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Arts in Education Charter (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Arts in Education Charter, launched in 2013, has been a landmark development in relation to the promotion of arts education and arts in education in Ireland. The Charter is an initiative of my Department, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, working in association with the Arts Council. My Department is involved in ongoing liaison with the Department of Arts, Heritage and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department. Officials of my Department have asked the Higher Education Authority to request the information from the Universities and I will arrange for it to be sent to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Training Fund (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: Funding provided from the National Training Fund (NTF) for Skillnets programmes for the years 2011 to 2016 is set out in the following table. Funding for Skillnets programmes from the National Training Fund from 2011 to 2016. 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Estimate €000 €000 €000 €000 €000 €000 Skillnets - Training Networks Programme 14,500...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Programmes (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Skills and Labour Market Research Unit in SOLAS, on behalf of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), monitors participation in lifelong learning in Ireland, comparing the results with other EU Countries. Reports on this monitoring work are published on the EGFSN website www.skillsireland.ie. The most recently published report relates to data collected from the Quarter 4 2014...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Universities Act, 1997 contains a provision for universities to borrow within a framework agreed with the Higher Education Authority. This framework, which was agreed with my Department and the now Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, has been in operation for many years. A similar provision to allow Institutes of Technology to borrow is contained in the Institutes of Technology...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions Data (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: Higher Education Institutions have responded positively in recent years to increasing student demand despite challenging financial circumstances, and have continued to provide opportunities for increasing numbers of students to undertake a higher education qualification. In the last five years alone, there has been a significant increase in both undergraduate and postgraduate numbers....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies Data (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The information requested on unfilled board positions in bodies under the aegis of my Department and in regard to the Higher Education sector is included in the following table. Certain of these vacancies are in the process of being filled via the Public Appointments Service. The Deputy should note that Board appointments, while made by me as Minister, are not in all cases made at my sole...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, the new Programme for Government outlines that this new Government will continue to support the creation of Technological Universities. This is in line with the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 which provides a framework for the development of the higher education sector to 2030. The national strategy was developed by the Strategy Group on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for his invitation to meet with his constituent. I am engaged in a round of initial meetings with stakeholder organisations across the sector and I regret that I cannot provide for the meeting requested. The Programme for Government 'A Programme for a Partnership Government' has a clear commitment to enhance the guidance counsellor allocation in our secondary schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that no application for funding has been received from the school, referred to, in respect of this issue. I understand that this school has sufficient classroom accommodation to meet its needs. I understand also that it is the school's intention to utilise the prefab in question for ancillary purposes. On this basis, my Department raised no objection to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: Under the Constitution and in accordance with Section 30 of the Education Act 1998, parents have a right to have their children opt out of religion classes if they so wish. The manner in which any school ensures that the right to opt out of religion classes is upheld is a matter for the school concerned. Each individual school must determine the particular arrangements which are most...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Data (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 174 and 181 together. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) does not collect statistical data on students from the Republic of Ireland studying in the United Kingdom. However, I understand from the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland that in the academic year 2014/15 there were 2,345 full-time and part-time Republic of Ireland domiciled enrolments...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (5 Jul 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Government has a contingency framework in place which maps the key issues that will be most important to Ireland in the coming weeks and months. The Government has published a summary of the key actions that will be taken to address the contingencies arising from the UK's decision to leave the EU. My Department participated fully in and contributed to the preparation of this framework...