Results 18,401-18,420 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Services for People with Disabilities (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: Increasing access to higher education by people with disabilities is one of the targets in the National Access Plan 2015-2019. The plan sets an overall target that 8% of new entrants to HE will be people with disabilities by the end of the plan. The most recent HEA key facts and figures shows that the proportion of entrants indicating that have a disability has almost doubled compared to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (1 Mar 2017)

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: Technological Universities (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: Firstly, I should point out that the Institute of Technology Carlow already have a Wexford Campus which is based in Wexford Town and which offers an extensive range of award qualifications from Level 6 through to postgraduate Level 9 on the national Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). In relation to the Deputy’s specific question on the establishment of a higher education institution or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 51 together. DEIS is my Department's main policy initiative to tackle educational disadvantage. The DEIS Plan for 2017 sets out our vision for future intervention in the critical area of social inclusion in education policy. A key element of DEIS Plan 2017 is the availability of a new identification process for the assessment of schools for inclusion...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the Certificate Examinations. The Commission, in this regard, operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate Examinations (RACE). In view of this, I have forwarded your query regarding the new arrangements for the RACE scheme, to the State Examinations Commission...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Administration (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: All primary and post-primary receive educational psychological service from my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service. Assessment services are provided by NEPS and delivered by a NEPS psychologist or where such staff are not currently available, by a private practitioner from a panel maintained by NEPS under the Scheme for Commissioning of Psychological Assessments...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware I recently announced new plans aimed at providing more multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country, in line with the choices of families and school communities and the Programme for Government commitment in this area. This will involve the Education and Training Boards in the initial phase, as the State’s local...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced new plans aimed at providing more multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country, in line with the choices of families and school communities and the Programme for Government commitment in this area.  The Government's target of achieving 400 multi-denominational schools by 2030 is highly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Expenditure (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: As recently as last October I signed a €200 million long term loan agreement with the EIB which will help deliver my Department's School Building Programme. It will support the construction, enlargement and modernisation of 71 schools over the next four years as well as delivering improved energy saving measures to these schools. The first meeting of the EIB-Ireland Financing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, there are 13 primary schools serving the Swords school planning area.  My Department has been in direct contact with a number of these schools in respect of their junior infant capacity.  In that regard it is understood that at least one primary school is undersubscribed and has expressed a willingness to enroll further junior infants in September 2017,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: For school planning purposes, the North Fringe Region of Dublin Bay North covers a number of school planning areas including the Donaghmede/Howth/Dublin13 and Darndale/Dublin17 areas in the main but also includes parts of the Beaumont/Coolock/Dublin5 and Portmarnock school planning areas. These defined school planning areas facilitate the orderly planning of school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the administration of the Final Examinations that form part of the assessment procedures for Junior Cycle. The SEC has provided reassurance in relation to concerns that some students may not have opportunities to complete all elements of the SEC’s Junior Cycle Final Examination, in English, in 2017. The Examination in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, I recently announced new plans aimed at providing more multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country, in line with the choices of families and school communities and the Programme for Government commitment in this area.  This initiative has been designed to put parents and their views at the centre of the process.  This will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: Since 2011 new schools are established in areas to meet demographic growth. My Department uses a Geographical Information System to identify areas under increased demographic pressure nationwide. The system uses data from a range of sources including information from my own Department's databases.  With this information, demographic exercises are carried out to determine where...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am aware of the report referred to by the Deputy. I strongly support any measures that can be put in place to reduce costs for parents. All schools must be sensitive to the financial pressures on parents in making decisions, not just about school uniforms or books, but about any matter that has cost implications for parents. The Action Plan for Education 2016-2019 outlines hundreds of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools Scheme (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the total number of schools included in DEIS from 2006 to date can be found on my Department’s website at the following link: . The review of DEIS has been completed and the new action plan for educational inclusion entitled 'DEIS Plan 2017', was published together with a report of the review, on the 13th February 2017. A copy of both reports, 'Report...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: In May 2016 I welcomed the publication of the Report of the Chair of the Expert Group on Fixed Term and Part-Time issues in Lecturing in Ireland. The Report contains a number of recommendations that will assist in addressing concerns raised about the level of part-time and fixed-term employment in lecturing in the third level sector. My Department issued directions to the sector on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department has received an application from Galway and Roscommon ETB regarding funding for the upgrading of the sub office located in Roscommon town. My Department has had engagement with personnel in the ETB in relation to this matter. There are many competing demands for capital investment within the education sector and this application will be considered within that context. Such...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: Following enquiries from my officials, I understand that discussions are taking place locally and under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission between Trinity College Dublin and the unions that are addressing the concerns of staff. Accordingly, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on these issues while these discussions are ongoing. In May 2016 I welcomed the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 Mar 2017)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has responsibility for the administration of the Final Examinations that form part of the assessment procedures for Junior Cycle. The SEC has provided reassurance in relation to concerns that some students may not have opportunities to complete all elements of the SEC’s Junior Cycle Final Examination, in English, in 2017. The Examination in...