Results 17,641-17,660 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: An additional 115 SNA posts, at an annual cost of €3.8 m, will be available to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to allocate to schools from January to June 2017, bringing the total number of SNA posts available for the 2016/17 school year to 13,015. This is the highest allocation of SNA posts that we have ever had. This increase reflects the growing participation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Proposed Legislation (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: On 5 December 2016, I published the General Scheme of an Education (Parent and Student Charter) Bill 2016. The Government have approved the draft outline of a new law, which will require every school to consult with parents and students, and publish and operate a Parent and Student Charter. The publication of this draft legislation will fulfil a key commitment in the Action Plan for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that Newtown National School submitted an application for major capital works to my Department towards the end of 2016. My Department will consider the application and respond directly to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application, for significant capital funding for additional school accommodation to my Department. My Department is currently assessing the application and expects to be in a position to convey a decision on the application to the school shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved 1 mainstream classroom, WC for assisted users and 3 SET rooms under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme in February 2015. The school initially submitted an application for extra funding to provide additional accommodation over and above what was approved. The scope of works has now been scaled back but additional funding is still...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: The school in question was approved funding in 2014 under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme to provide 3 new mainstream classrooms. In late 2016, additional funding was provided to the school authority to cover increased building costs for the approved works. My Department's Planning and Building Unit is satisfied that the total grant being provided is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 439 and 440 together. My Department currently provides research funding to the Irish Research Council, HEAnet and the Irish Centre for High End Computing (ICHEC). The 2017 research allocation is €40.6 m for these three bodies. The Irish Research Council mainly funds postgraduate students and early stage postdoctoral researchers and cover the full range...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Teaching Council is the statutory body with responsibility for professional standards at all stages of the teaching career. It has established standards for post-qualification professional practice, as set out in Droichead, the new model of induction and probation for newly qualified primary and post-primary teachers.  The Droichead programme was the subject of a three-year...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Education Review (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a process to review the DEIS Programme, which began in 2015 is nearing completion and it is my intention to publish a new Action Plan in the coming weeks. Included in the review process is the development of a new assessment framework using centrally held CSO and DES data for the identification of schools for inclusion in the new School Support Programme. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who are attending an approved course in an approved institution and who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment (progression) and means. Under the Student Grant Scheme, an approved course is defined as a full-time...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers Conciliation Council (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: Following discussions, the Teachers Conciliation Council published a set of proposals in November for consideration by ASTI members aimed at finding a resolution to their dispute. The ASTI Central Executive Committee took a decision to put the outcome of the talks process to a ballot of members with a recommendation to reject. The ASTI's leadership have taken a view on the proposals.  It...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department received an application from the school in question for significant funding to facilitate major reconfiguration works within the school building. The school's application must be considered in the context of the very significant challenge facing my Department in meeting demand for extra school places to ensure that every child will have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the Teaching Council Act 2001 the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority for registration of teachers in this State. The Teaching Council is also the competent authority for recognition of qualifications obtained in other states. Accordingly, the applicant for registration with the Teaching Council who is the subject of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (17 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that funding for special education provision in 2016 amounted to some €1.5 billion, which was equivalent to over 17% of the gross overall allocation for education and training and an increase of 10% in spending in the previous two years. This funding provided for a range of supports and services including additional learning and resource teaching...

Priority Questions: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (18 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this. As he rightly points out, the new action plan for educational inclusion will be published in the coming weeks. This follows a detailed review of all aspects of the so-called DEIS programme, including the range and impact of different elements of the school support programme, the potential for innovation within and between schools, and its scope for...

Priority Questions: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (18 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: The impact of the DEIS programme has been positive. We have seen positive improvements in both literacy and numeracy in the schools but they have not closed the gap. It is clear that the programme is effective but it needs to do better. On the question the Deputy raises, there has been no new school in the programme since 2009. It is in that year that the embargo was imposed.

Priority Questions: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (18 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: Until we apply the new model, we will not know the exact number of schools that will come up for inclusion in the 2017-18 year. I have, however, secured resources in the recent budget to provide for an increased number of participating schools and also to fund some new initiatives that would respond to some of the issues the Deputy rightly adverts to in the ESRI recommendations on the issue.

Priority Questions: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (18 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: We have not got the numbers at this stage. That will depend on the application of the detailed model, which is based on CSO and departmental data. We are however, making provision for a significant number of schools, but that number will be finalised only when we complete the research.

Priority Questions: School Curriculum (18 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, in which respect there have been developments across the primary and post-primary sectors. The Action Plan for Education includes a commitment to developing a new subject specification for leaving certificate computer science, which will help to harness and develop student interest in this strategically important discipline. In this...

Priority Questions: School Curriculum (18 Jan 2017)

Richard Bruton: It is important to highlight the fact that the Department has, since before my time there, had a strategy in place to integrate digital into the education system. There are two major elements to this, the first of which is the roll-out of ICT programmes for children. The second is the availing of ICT's potential in the teaching of all subjects. There is a strategy to develop this aspect...