Results 19,261-19,280 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that capital assets do not form part of the means assessment for a SUSI grant and as such, SUSI does not collect data on the capital assets of the persons whose income forms part of the means assessment. It is therefore difficult to accurately cost the Deputy’s proposals.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The information sought by the Deputy is provided in the following table: CAPITAL EXPENDITURE JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2016 AND JANUARY TO 31 MARCH 2017 (identified under specific headings) - 2016 2017 SUB-PROGRAMMES TOTAL Jan - Mar (€m) (€m) LARGE SCALE PROJECTS 334.046 64.545 SITE PURCHASES 31.634 6.732 ADDITIONAL ACCOMMODATION 75.176 17.576 PREFAB...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is available to eligible students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the terms and conditions of funding, including those relating to residency, means, nationality and previous academic attainment.  All applications are assessed with reference to the terms and conditions of the relevant student grant scheme. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department is very supportive of better quality infrastructure for schools and further education and training provision and/or Head Office moves where such developments have the potential to facilitate overall savings or clear strategic benefits. However, this must be considered within the constraints of the many competing demands on my Department’s capital budget. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: On 28 November, 2016 applications were invited for the patronage of four new primary schools to be established in 2017 and 2018, including the school to serve the Dún Laoghaire school planning area.  A total of 14 applications for patronage of the four new schools were received and are currently being assessed by my Department.  The assessment process is detailed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The SNA scheme provides recognised schools with additional adult support staff to cater for the care needs of pupils with disabilities in an educational context, where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in professional reports as being so significant that a pupil will require adult assistance in order to be able to attend school and to participate in education and also to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to you Deputy that a project for the school in question was included in the Department's 6 Year Capital Programme announced in November 2015 to proceed to the tender and construction stages in 2019 - 2021. My Department is currently finalising the project brief and once this process is complete, my Department will be in further contact with the school. The project...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the provisions of the Education Act 1998 the Board of Management is responsible for the governance of a school. Accordingly, the Board is responsible for ensuring that it has in place appropriate policies and practices to deal with the school’s day to day activities.  A school’s policy or practice in relation to managing instances where a pupil may require a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 178 and 179 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that DES Circular 0013/2017 for primary schools and 0014/2017 for post primary schools were published on 7 March 2017. These Circulars set out the details of the new model for allocating special education teachers to schools. The revised allocation model replaces the generalised allocation process at primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early Childhood Care and Education (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Early Start programme is located in 40 DEIS schools in areas of urban disadvantage.  A full list of centres and their location is attached.  In the intervening period since the establishment of Early Start which offered children the opportunity to attend a pre-school year, a universal pre-school scheme, the ECCE programme was established in 2010, which is funded, administered...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: Education in relation to areas such as awareness of LGBT issues is provided in an age-appropriate manner at both primary and post-primary level, through the subject Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE).  At post primary level, all schools are required to provide a Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) programme as part of SPHE for all students from First...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Scheme (12 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: As I have previously informed the Deputy, the key data sources are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases as populated by schools and the CSO Small Area of Population (SAP) data from the National Census of Population 2011 as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation Index (HP Index). Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index...

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill has already been published. It is intended that it will go to Committee Stage shortly. In respect of the Labour Party's Bill, as the Deputy knows, a decision was made in the House that it should be deferred for a period while assessment of some of the issues would occur. I published an assessment with four options. The closing date for...

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: It was made clear at the time that the issue raised in the Labour Party's Bill would not be dealt with for this coming September, whereas the other issues in the admissions Bill will be targeted. The consultation on the wider issue of access to local schools for non-denominational children will not be for this September.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm for the Deputy that the heads have gone through Government but discussions are continuing with various stakeholders to finalise details of the Bill before it can be presented to the House.

Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: Those issues will have to be resolved. I will try to get Deputy Burton a predicted date.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Funding (13 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 to 93, inclusive and 97 together. In September 2015 the Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021 (The Capital Plan) was announced.  The Plan provides €3.8 billion in direct Exchequer funding for investment in primary, second and third level education facilities, combining the upgrade and extension of existing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Digital Strategy for Schools (13 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 Enhancing Teaching Learning and Assessment, sets out the Department's vision for embedding ICT in teaching learning and assessment in primary and post-primary schools. The Strategy recognises the issues schools face in relation to ICT infrastructure, and funding of €210m is committed to address these requirements over the period of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (13 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The 2016-2021 Capital Plan provided direct Exchequer investment of €110m for the higher education sector, in addition to an existing allocation for the consolidation of the DIT campus at Grangegorman. €21.5m of the €110m available for higher education under the Capital Plan was provided for disbursement in 2016. Following a reallocation of funding...