Results 6,921-6,940 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that funding was recently approved to enable the school in question to build two mainstream classrooms with en-suite toilets and a separate assisted users toilet. The project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. This means that it is now a matter for the school authority to appoint a consultant and to advance the project through the design...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: Funding for all primary schools in the free education scheme is dealt with on a per capita basis. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep etc., and the ancillary services grant to cater for the cost of employing services staff. Schools are permitted to regard the capitation and ancillary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Grants (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The estimated full year cost of increasing the rate of ancillary grant by €5.50 per pupil in primary schools is circa €3.1m. Improvements have been made for the restoration of grant funding that is used by schools to fund the salaries of ancillary staff. The ancillary grant was increased by €6 in 2016, €5 in 2017 and €5 in 2018, in order to enable...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, my Department approved the provision of additional permanent accommodation, at the school in question, to replace prefabricated accommodation in poor condition. Subsequently, the school submitted options to my Department to deliver additional specialist accommodation in addition to the accommodation previously approved. Having considered the school's proposal it...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that factors for membership of a Public Sector Pension Scheme include: - Employment in a public service body - Access to the scheme being a specific condition included in the terms and conditions attached to the position, or in a written offer of employment - There being a whole time comparator in the sector (in the case of part-time workers) It is a matter...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (9 Oct 2018)

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 criteria for the appointment of an administrative principal to a school,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, I recently announced the opening of 42 new schools over the next 4 years. This announcement followed nationwide demographic exercises carried out by my Department into the current and future need for primary and post-primary school places across the country. Following on from the announcement, the locations for all of the schools, including the new primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: Building on measures in previous budgets to enhance school leadership, Budget 2018 made €0.4 million available to fund almost 4600 additional release days for teaching principals in primary schools. This additional funding has provided an increase in the number of release days available to teaching principals in the 2018/19 school year to 17, 23 or 29 days depending on the size of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos.138 to 140, inclusive, together. Section 21 of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 provides for the appointment by the Minister for Education and Skills of one or more than one person to act as an independent appeals officer to consider appeals against decisions of Caranua. Mr Patrick Whelan was appointed as appeals officer in February 2014...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The cost of employing 500 new Special Need Assistants in the 2019/2020 school year is estimated at €13.8m. This estimated cost includes the pay increases due in 2019 under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018 to 2020 and employers PRSI.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Funding (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for students, enrolled in schools, with a significant medical condition, or school phobia and/or associated depression/anxiety, which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school. Eligibility is assessed having regard to, although not limited to,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Skills Development (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs published a report in 2007, "Tomorrow's Skills, Towards a National Skills Strategy" which contained a target that the percentage of the labour force at levels 1 -3 on the National Framework of Qualifications should decrease to 7% by 2020. This indicator was carried over into Ireland's National Skills Strategy 2025 which was published in January...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the local Education and Training Board (ETB). Under this arrangement, it will be a matter for the ETB to appoint a Design Team for the design and construction phases of the project. As the project has not yet commenced architectural planning, it is too early in the process for a timeline for completion of the works.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that a building project for the school in question is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme. In the context of progressing the building project, officials from my Department have undertaken a site visit to the school. The building project for this school will be devolved to Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) for delivery...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Communications (9 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department does not have a specific policy regarding Ministerial use of private email addresses to conduct Government business. However, as stated in parliamentary responses reference number 38550/18 and 39582/16, from late 2016 I have only used dedicated Department email addresses to communicate official Department business. The Information Technology Unit of my Department regularly...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Examinations Reviews (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I am pleased that Rebecca Carter has started her course. She is in University College Dublin, UCD, and I am happy for her. I certainly do not want to see students having to go to the courts to exercise their rights on this. The judgment was just issued yesterday and it is 44 pages long, so the Senator will understand that my Department and the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Examinations Reviews (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: Yes.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Examinations Reviews (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: To be fair to UCD, it was making the point that people starting a course on 10 October, which had started in September, were at a significant disadvantage. Although the exam results always came out on 15 August and appeals were always on 10 October, the trend in recent years has been for colleges to bring the start date further and further forward to try to fit into a new semester system....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Examinations Reviews (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Senator will appreciate that it would be foolish for me to set rigid timelines when the groups are only meeting today and we will only fully unearth the complexities that might be involved in resolving this today.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Examinations Reviews (4 Oct 2018)

Richard Bruton: It will be well ahead of next year's examinations so that people know for certain. On the issue of when the SEC allows a simple rectification and when it seeks a re-examination, we have to rely on the independence of the SEC in making that decision. I understand the reason it does not allow additions inside to be simply added is that often the reason for additions of figures inside the...