Results 19,781-19,800 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (23 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 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 and post primary school level for learning support...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (23 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has received correspondence from the school in question relating to its application under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) (2016-2017). My Department is considering the correspondence concerned and expects to convey a decision to the school authority in the near future.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (23 May 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.

Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001 to 2015, the Teaching Council appoints the director. The legislation requires the council to obtain the consent of the Minister for the procedures the council proposes to apply. In addition, the Ministers for Education and Skills and Public Expenditure and Reform must give their consent to the contractual terms and conditions of the director. The...

Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I should point out that the appointment of the director in 2012 followed a public selection process. This individual was chosen following an open and fair competition process. There was not an automatic reappointment. The board of the Teaching Council decided that it was its preference that this individual would continue to do the work that he was undertaking, and for good reason. The...

Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am not privy to the deliberations of the board. It must make up its own mind about any office. The board recommended in December that this individual be reappointed. The concern that was brought to my attention did not relate to the board's wish to have an open competition, but its fear that a legal question would arise whereby an individual who was given a second term could then have an...

Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is a perfectly valid one. The education and training of pharmacists to first registration is specified in EU legislation, at Article 44 of Directive 2005/36/EC, and consists of a five-year education and training programme which must include a minimum of six months' practical training under the supervision of a pharmacist. In Ireland, the...

Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the original reply explained, this was put together by a group which looked at international best practice and decided that the new programme structure should be different. It has set out dispersed shadow placement in year two and a practice-based approach in years three, four and five, rather than a focus on the final year. These are designed to be workplace-based learning experiences...

Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I take the Deputy's point. However, we feel we need to have professional regulatory bodies looking at the standards that we all reach - the Teaching Council in the case of education and, obviously, this pharmaceutical body in the case of pharmacists. When we get a recommendation from people in whose competence we place faith, we have to take that seriously. I understand that there is this...

Priority Questions: DEIS Status (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Schools are not required to apply for inclusion in DEIS. The new DEIS identification process uses centrally-held data available to my Department to independently assess all schools in the country. The DEIS identification process uses data supplied by schools to my Department's primary and post-primary online databases and Central...

Priority Questions: DEIS Status (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I assure the Deputy that this system was introduced following a careful review. A very detailed analysis of this was done before this system was introduced. The indicators that are being used, demographic growth, dependency ratios, education levels, single parent rate, overcrowding, social class, occupation and unemployment rates, are found to be very closely associated with educational...

Priority Questions: DEIS Status (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I do not accept that at all. The reality is that 2% of schools were selected for DEIS categorisation, meaning that 98% were not selected. Deputies can always point to some school in that 98% that could represent disadvantage and I have no doubt that they do so in good faith. Only 2% of schools were uplifted, but these were selected on the highest level of disadvantage based on the...

Priority Questions: DEIS Status (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: -----against the criteria we are advised are the best associated with education disadvantage.

Priority Questions: DEIS Status (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The process looks at every pupil enrolled in each school. It goes right back to the origin of where they are living. It uses the indicators of disadvantage in those specific small areas to aggregate a picture of the level of concentrated disadvantage in the school. This is absolutely looking at the individual circumstances of each school. Every child is looked at under this review....

Priority Questions: Autism Support Services (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which is of concern to many Members. Almost 18,000 students in schools have been diagnosed with autism. My Department invests over €300 million annually in providing additional resources specifically to support students with autism in schools, enabling: 63% of students to attend mainstream schools; 26% to attend special classes in...

Priority Questions: Autism Support Services (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The NCSE is the body that advises me. I do not make the decision as to whether a special class is needed. The figures show that the number of ASD units is growing more rapidly at second level than at primary level, albeit as the Deputy said that there are more units at primary level at present. There will be 281 units this coming September at second level. It is the NCSE that advises on...

Priority Questions: Autism Support Services (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: It is very important to say the NCSE has been given the authority, because it is composed of the experts in this field, to decide what is best practice for pupils involved. It reports that there is a good and improving range of placement options, including appropriate settings both at preschool, primary and second level. The NCSE is looking at the need to evolve each year. As the Deputy...

Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Cassells for raising this issue. I wish to advise him that it is my Department's intention to relocate the school in question to St. Mary's national school in Patrick Street, Trim, to meet the school's permanent accommodation needs. The property in question transferred to the Minister's ownership last year. This building is a listed structure that...

Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: It does seem that the issue at the heart of the matter relates to the complexity of the refurbishment of a listed structure. I understand the Deputy's concern if the current location is not satisfactory for parents. However, my Department will have to be satisfied that the investment represents the best value for money and is the best solution for parents and children in the longer term. I...

Priority Questions: Student Retention Rates (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Higher Education Authority, HEA, has recently published its latest study of progression in Irish higher education, which provides an analysis of data relating to non-progression in 2013-14 of full-time undergraduate new entrants to HEA funded institutions.  The study shows that the proportion of new entrants who did not progress overall is 15% across all sectors and National...