Results 17,041-17,060 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Tax Collection (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: Officials in my Department are making arrangements to issue the relevant documentation regarding the misclassification of PRSI to the person referred to by the Deputy. When the required documentation has been received any refund of PRSI due will be processed as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: Supervision and substitution duties are compulsory for all teachers since the Haddington Road Agreement. As part of the S&S scheme finalised at this time a limited group of teachers were allowed to opt-out of the duties in return for a pay reduction. Department Circular 0006/2014 states that with effect from the beginning of the 2013/14 school year, participation in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Awareness (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department is strongly supportive of the promotion of positive mental health awareness in both primary and post-primary schools and provides support and resources in this area. The Department adopts a holistic and integrated approach to supporting the work of schools in promoting positive mental health and to supporting those with a broad range of problems, behavioural emotional and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 228 and 242 together. It is widely accepted that the quality of school leadership is a key determinant of school effectiveness and the achievement of good learning outcomes. Indeed international research indicates that school leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on pupil learning. Budget 2016 provided 250 posts to second...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 229 and 247 together. Reducing class sizes has been a target of successive Governments. Budget 2016 provided for an improvement in the staffing schedule in primary schools by one point, from 1 teacher for every 28 pupils to 1 teacher for every 27 pupils for the 2016/17 school year.  The Programme for Government has a commitment to reduce class...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commencement of Legislation (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 230, 232 and 244 together. The Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority for the regulation of the teaching profession. One of its key functions is to maintain the register of teachers in the State. The Fitness to Teach (Part 5) provisions of the Teaching Council Acts were commenced on 25 July last in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Proposed Legislation (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware the Programme for a Partnership Government provides that the Government will introduce a stronger complaints procedure and charter for parents. My Department has been working on draft legislation to provide for replacing the current Section 28 of the Education Act, 1998. The legislation will provide the statutory basis for ministerial guidelines which will form the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (15 Nov 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. These included pay reductions and also reductions to the pay of new entrant public servants, including teachers, since 2011. Collective agreements reached between the Government and the public service unions provided vital...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I have included a specific action in the Action Plan for Education that expresses my commitment to working with the Committee to deliver change in this area. As the Deputy is aware, the Government proposed and the Dáil agreed that the Equal Status (Admission to Schools) Bill would proceed to second stage in June 2017. This will allow parents, patrons and other stakeholders to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: ASTI's withdrawal from the Croke Park hours means that the union has repudiated the Lansdowne Road Agreement. Circular Letter 0045/2016 sets out the implications for ASTI members in opting to withdraw from the LRA.  As detailed in the circular, ASTI members have opted to forego a series of benefits and protections including: - Avoiding an increment freeze - Inclusion of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Reviews (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The curriculum and assessment arrangements for Junior Cycle are as set out in the Framework for Junior Cycle 2015 and in the related subject specifications and syllabuses developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Implementation of the Framework is proceeding and the new subject specifications for Business Studies and Science, along with English, have now been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: After-School Support Services (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: An interdepartmental working group has been established with officials from my Department and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to progress the key commitments in the Programme for a Partnership Government (May 2016), in order to improve the range and quality of options for Parents for after-school care for school-age children. My department has undertaken to consider how to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: It is my intention to publish a new Action Plan for Educational Inclusion before the end of this year. A process to review of the DEIS Programme which began last year is now nearing completion.  The review is looking at all aspects of DEIS, including the range and impact of different elements of the DEIS School Support Programme, the potential for innovation within and between schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department has committed to enriching teaching and learning with new curricula, in the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019. This will contribute to delivering a “Step-Change” in the development of critical skills, knowledge and competences and providing the foundations for participation in work and society. The roll-out of the new Leaving Certificate subject of Politics...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: It is my intention to publish a new Action Plan for Educational Inclusion before the end of this year. A process to review of the DEIS Programme which began last year is now nearing completion.  The review is looking at all aspects of DEIS, including the range and impact of different elements of the DEIS School Support Programme, the potential for innovation within and between schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Professional Development (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department will spend approximately €46m on teacher continuing professional development (CPD) in 2016 across the primary and post primary sectors. The teacher CPD budget represents 0.74% of my Departments overall budget for first and second level - almost 7% if salary and pension costs are excluded from the Department's budget. The spend of €46m includes a) salary costs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: Budget 2016 provided for a one point improvement to the staffing allocation to primary schools, which has been implemented for the current school year.  The staffing schedule operates on a general average of 27 pupils to every 1 teacher (27:1) for the current school year. The ratio of 27:1 is an overall classroom teacher allocation ratio for the school and is not a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: From 2013 to 2016, ten new schools have opened under the patronage divesting process.  Details, including the location, of the two schools which opened in September 2016 are set out in the following table. I consider the establishment of these ten schools as an initial but important step in giving parents confidence of the Department’s intent about providing a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Postgraduate Enrolments (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware of the Programme for Government commitment to increase financial supports for post graduate students with a particular focus on those from low income households. In response to this commitment, I secured additional funding of €4million in Budget 2017 to facilitate the reinstatement of full maintenance grants, from September 2017, for the most disadvantaged...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (15 Nov 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. These included pay reductions and also reductions to the pay of new entrant public servants, including teachers, since 2011. Collective agreements reached between the Government and the public service unions provided vital...