Results 6,841-6,860 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I do not know what happened to the Deputy, but the update was provided to the Joint Committee on Education and Skills last week, as requested and as we indicated we would. There are 42 new schools scheduled to open up to 2022. We are acting to provide a better pre-planning process in order that we can anticipate needs and make plans, and to have a timely programme for construction. As the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The position is that Mr. Justice O'Neill has been appointed to review cases where people have not been successful in applications for compensation under the European Court. He is continuing his work, and no report is available to my Department at this point. We have submitted all of the information requested by Mr. Justice O'Neill, and I understand he is working on it.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The meeting to which the Deputy refers took place with the Patron on 8 October 2018.  The Patron informed my Department that the long-term## accommodation needs of the school are being reviewed and that it will revert to my Department when this process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: A tender process for a main contractor to deliver the project to which the Deputy refers was recently carried out.  A Tender Report is currently being finalised.  Once this has been approved by my Department the project can proceed to construction.  My Department expects this to happen later this year.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.  The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department Circular 0030/2014, which is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: If an individual applicant considers that s/he has been unjustly refused a student grant or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, s/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 59 together. Circular 0062/2018 provides clarification in respect of two key areas. The first key clarification is that where a school intends to provide religious instruction/faith formation, parents must give consent before admission to the class. This means that withdrawal does not arise because the parent has requested a place in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The case to which the Deputy refers has been brought to the attention of SUSI by my officials. I understand that SUSI has reviewed this case and a revised decision will issue to the student in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the deputy that my Department has no record of receiving a recent application for additional accommodation from the school referred to. The school applied for additional accommodation in 2017 and my Department advised the school, at that time, that priority was being given to applications from schools where an additional teacher was being appointed, that it was not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as an independent student or a dependent student.   An applicant’s class is defined at his/her first point of entry or re-entry to an approved course and will continue for the duration of his/her studies. In order to be classified as an independent applicant a student must: - Be over 23...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Applications (11 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to inform the Deputy that schools are not required to make an application for inclusion in the DEIS programme, as all schools both Primary and Post Primary are assessed using a new uniform identification model. As previously referenced in the Topical Issue Debate, the DEIS identification process uses data from a number of sources to improve accuracy...

Financial Resolutions 2019 - Financial Resolution No. 4: General (Resumed) (10 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am sharing with the Ministers for Business, Enterprise and Innovation and Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Michael D'Arcy. I thank the Ceann Comhairle and understand his concern. The budget is strategic and fair and a budget for a changing Ireland. We are facing challenges that require a strategic approach....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (10 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: Approximately 3,000 leadership posts have been invested in our primary and post primary schools in the past year. 1 in 3 (34.5%) teachers are now in promoted positions in our schools. Budget 2017 allocated €2.75m to allow for the commencement of restoration of middle management posts as part of an agreed distributed leadership model and meant lifting the rigidity of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (10 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: My aim for Budget 2019, as it has been in previous years, is to progressively deliver on the commitments set out in the Action Plan for Education, in the Programme for a Partnership Government and in the Confidence and Supply Arrangement and to meet demographic and demand pressures, which can have significant resource implications. It is in that context that I will formulate my specific...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (10 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I negotiated, together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, a 15-22% pay increase for new teachers. As a result of these changes, the current starting salary of a teacher is €36,318, and from 1 October 2020 onwards will be €37,692. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (10 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools. The Programme for Government commits to capitation increases in primary and post primary schools. My Department will increase capitation rates by 5% from September 2019, the full year cost of which is €10m. This increase is the beginning of the process for the restoration of capitation which is one of the actions included...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Payments (10 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: On 14 September 2018, the announcement of the major package of investment in education under Project Ireland 2040 provided confirmation that primary schools will receive the minor works grant in either December or early January of each school year. The rates payable under the Minor Works Grant are €5,500 per school plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (10 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The National Educational Psychological Service provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries arising, and access to individual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (10 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department is currently liaising with the school referred to by the Deputy in the context of the application for capital funding. A decision on the application will be conveyed to the school authority when the assessment process has been completed.