Results 19,521-19,540 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (4 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: Voluntary contributions by parents are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution, they are doing so of their own volition. The manner in which voluntary contributions are sought and collected is a matter for school management, however their collection should be such as not to create a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (4 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: Voluntary contributions by parents are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution, they are doing so of their own volition. The manner in which voluntary contributions are sought and collected is a matter for school management, however their collection should be such as not to create a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (4 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.  The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (4 May 2017)

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

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (4 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a project for the school in question was included in the Department's 6 Year Capital Programme announced in November 2015. 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 will be progressed into the architectural planning process when the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (4 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The amendment of the current stay back permission to which the Deputy refers, has been agreed in principle by officials in both my Department and officials in the Department of Justice and Equality. It is my understanding that the finer details of the scheme are being finalised, to ensure clarity to those who will seek admission to it, and will be published by the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (4 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: In the aftermath of the publication of the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, the Religious Sisters of Charity and other congregations who had managed residential institutions, offered additional voluntary contributions of cash and property towards the cost of the response to child abuse. The Congregation offered an additional voluntary cash contribution of €5m,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (4 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. Parents can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available, the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available, a selection...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (4 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are provided specifically to assist recognised schools to cater for pupils with disabilities, who have additional and significant care needs, in an educational context and where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in medical and other professional reports as being so significant that a pupil will require additional adult assistance in order to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Arts in Education Charter (4 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Arts in Education Charter, launched in 2013, has been a landmark development. The Charter is an initiative of my Department, the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, working in association with the Arts Council.  Good progress has been made on implementation of the Charter objectives to date in relation to the use of school facilities and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (4 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of surplus permanent and CID holding teachers to other schools where vacancies exist. The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (4 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: A Qualification Allowance in respect of a Pass Primary Degree is paid to 3,739 Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive schools teachers.  The current position regarding the payment of qualification allowances is outlined in Circular 8/2013 which can be accessed on my Department website.

Order of Business (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Troy for raising this issue. This is very important legislation because, as he knows, we want to underpin regional development by creating consolidated technological universities which have the breadth and strength to build and drive regional development. There have been problems but I am glad to report that we have entered into discussions with the TUI and that discussions...

Order of Business (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: We also want to ensure that, as we develop the proposals, each of the regions have concepts that can be driven forward. There is no unnecessary delay but it has been difficult and there is no point in proceeding with it until-----

Order of Business (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy rightly said, we need a level of consensus to implement this Bill.

Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy D'Arcy for raising this matter. The briefing I have is not quite the same as the issue the Deputy has outlined. Perhaps we need to clarify some points. It has certainly not been brought to my attention by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which would have responsibility for placing children, that the needs of the children in Gorey community school are not...

Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: It is unfair to say that it is misleading. My understanding of this, which I will have to get clarified because there is obviously a difference of evidence, is that the Department has responded to the need. As the Deputy rightly says, this is the largest school in the country. The Department has built a new school. That school is to provide for 1,000 children. This is an area that is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Funding (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual institution. Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and my Department has no role in their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Funding (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department allocates the recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions including Institutes of Technology (IoTs) such as Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT). The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Participation (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: Two of the main initiatives that are available in HEIs to promote access by students from under-represented groups are the Student Assistance Fund and the Fund for Students with Disabilities. The Student Assistance Fund provides financial assistance for full-time students who are experiencing financial difficulties whilst attending college. Students can apply for assistance to help them...