Results 16,401-16,420 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: The position is-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: We have put in place a junior certificate process. It is public policy and is being rolled out in all schools. One of the unions has decided not to engage, which is very unfortunate. We are continuing to engage with that union. In respect of the Deputy's specific concern, we have invited the ASTI to consider lifting its blocking of the English element in particular so that students coming...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: This is the issue of whether they should be ex quota. The allocation this year, which came into effect on 1 September, is not ex quota so the principal has some discretion in deciding on the allocation. The issue that has to be decided going forward is whether we should move to restore an ex quota provision. There are arguments on both sides of that which the Deputy has probably heard. A...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: Legal fees relate to cases which require the assistance of counsel as they go through the court system because when cases are brought to court we do not have the in-house capacity to contest them. Decisions have to be made as to whether cases are to be defended and these are made on the best legal advice, sometimes including that of the Attorney General. The move to bring services from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: That provision was made in mid-year. The agreement which concluded two weeks ago will come to be paid in 2017 and will need to be provided for in the 2017 provision. The Lansdowne Road agreement did not anticipate the settlement which has been negotiated subsequently. We will honour that agreement, however.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: My understanding is that the provision allows the merger of the two pay scales. In the Haddington Road agreement there was a provision to ensure the pay scales merged as people went up, in order to minimise the impact on pensions. This agreement contains provisions that bring about further convergence of pay scales to minimise the impact on pensions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I will address Senator Ruane's point first. I would welcome any suggestions to make the Estimates easier to understand. I have spent most of my life on the Senator's side of the table and I fully appreciate her point. We have been trying to make it better. What goes into the REV, the Estimates book, is something that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform does right across the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: Right.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I will ask for a response on that for the Senator from both the NCSE and the State Examinations Commission. Efforts are being made to reform that area. There has been criticism that accommodations at junior certificate level are often harder to get at leaving certificate level, which throws children into disarray, so to speak. I will revert to the Senator on that. On the difference...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: It has been piloted. The pilot is being evaluated. We then have to take a decision on foot of that pilot in terms of when to go ahead with it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: There is no decision on it. It has funding implications. We also would like to meet the committee to get an input into that. With any change of this nature there will be concerns about whether there will be losers as a result of it. The NCSE has designed it to make sure there will not be losers and that we could win support for it but we have to make sure we are ready to deliver. Much...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I do not believe there is an alternative practice. Even in this dispute, if there is a ruling that there is a withdrawal from working the Croke Park agreement hours, which are designed to have provision where all teachers are available to meet with parents and avoid disruption to the schedule, that objective cannot be delivered if all teachers are not participating. In effect, we cannot...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I will begin with Deputy Nolan's questions. I have every reason to believe all the posts have been taken up and the cost will be met from the 2016 budget. There will be a knock-on impact next year. Approximately one third of the provision was made for this year and, therefore, the allocation will be trebled for 2017. I take her point about guidance counsellors. I recognise their role...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I am sorry. A separate panel for competence in Irish is being established by the Public Appointments Service, PAS. My Department will recruit from that panel to meet these needs. We are also developing a policy for teaching Irish in the Gaeltacht, where a separate set of issues is emerging. Sometimes the quality of the language levels within the Gaeltacht are under some pressure. I take...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I assure Deputy Thomas Byrne that fulfilment of the commitments in A Confidence and Supply Arrangement for a Fine Gael-Led Government is, of course, a priority. However, it is not a question of doing so in year one. That said, I take the Deputy's point. We are committed to restoring guidance counselling. We are obviously committed to making changes in certain areas - such as the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: That is a fair point. I will seek a response for the Senator on the issue. I was not aware of the restrictions to which the Senator refers. Deputy Nolan asked about future plans in the context of the budget. The budget has not yet been agreed, although if I knew the answer to the Deputy's question I would probably not be able to tell her. The same is true of the multifunctional rooms...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: There are no ready statistics on temporary accommodation. The programme in that regard is still under consideration. It is a case of prioritising programmes that can be implemented. I take the Senator's point about the need for more training in special education at primary level. There is huge emphasis on continuous professional development, including in the area of special needs...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: We published it but it is a draft plan so we will accept commentary.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: A number of Deputies made submissions in advance that we took into account. We have brought the plan to Government to publish in draft form so that the committee can give it consideration. Other groups that are interested can make a contribution. The methodology is that we will publish early in 2017 a programme for 2017 so there is an opportunity for us to adapt what we do in 2017 to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I know all about them because I have two of them in my family.