Results 7,061-7,080 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: To satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course, having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another, where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course. If an applicant holds a qualification at any level and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Applications (25 Sep 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. Following a review of the DEIS programme, my Department has introduced an objective, statistics based model for assessing which schools merit inclusion in the DEIS Programme,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Learner Protection Fund (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: ‘Recognised’ schools are those schools which are recognised by the Minister for Education and Skills in accordance with Section 10 of the Education Act 1998. This primarily relates to primary and post primary schools. Recognised schools, as publicly funded schools, are currently exempt from Protection for Enrolled Learners (PEL) requirements under Section 65 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that SUSI has advised that the student in question applied for a maintenance grant for the 2018/2019 academic year. He was assessed and determined to be over the threshold for the award of any grant assistance as his reckonable income exceeded the thresholds set out in the scheme. The decision was issued by SUSI on 18th May 2018 and the applicant was advised at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: An official from my Department has been in regular contact with the person referred to by the Deputy and has outlined the current position to her in relation to the miscalculation of pension. A repayment plan is in place following agreement with the individual.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a project to deliver permanent accommodation for the new post primary school to serve Castleknock and Carpenterstown is included on my Department's capital programme. Officials in my Department continue to liaise with officials in Fingal County Council in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the identification and acquisition of a suitable...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 172 and 173 together. The major building project referred to by the Deputy relates to both the Junior School and Senior School in question. A brief was prepared by the Planning and Building Unit of my Department to extend and refurbish both schools as a single building project and a Design Team was appointed in January 2014. The major building project for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Mental Health Strategies (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: Within my Department’s Action Plan for Education in 2016/19 mental health and well-being promotion is afforded a high priority and is one of the key goals. My Department is strongly supportive of the promotion of positive mental health awareness in both primary and post-primary schools. The Department adopts a holistic and integrated approach to supporting schools in promoting...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Data (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: In line with the ongoing review of school planning areas generally, the Department is reviewing provision at post-primary level across the school planning areas in South Kildare and this review is due to be completed in October. It will include an assessment of the extent to which projected needs in the area will be met from the additional capacity being provided by the projects already...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, the project to which he refers was announced as part of my Department's Six Year Capital Programme in 2015. Officials in my Department are working closely with officials from Wexford County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the acquisition of a suitable permanent location for Wexford Educate Together NS. A potential site option has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (25 Sep 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: Departmental Expenditure (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Mid-Year Expenditure Report (MYER) set out the starting baseline in relation to the gross voted expenditure for 2019. As outlined in the MYER, the technical pre-Budget position for current expenditure is the current expenditure allocation for this year set out in REV 2018 plus an additional allocation for certain demographic pressures and the Department's share of unallocated carryover...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (25 Sep 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, from 1 October 2018 the starting salary of a teacher will be €36,318, and from 1 October 2020 onwards will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Communications (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: I would like to refer the Deputy to a parliamentary question I responded to on the 13th December 2016 tabled by Mr. John Brady, T.D. (PQ ref: 39582/16).Since late 2016 I have only used dedicated Department email addresses to communicate official Department business. I have consulted with the Ministers of State and the special Advisers at my Department and they have confirmed that they...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school to which he refers is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme. The project brief is being finalised with a view to progressing the project into architectural planning.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that the project to remove the prefab accommodation is being progressed by Dublin Dun Laoghaire ETB, who agreed to manage this project for my Department. Some additional works were recently identified as part of the project. In that context a member of my Department’s technical staff carried out a site visit, to assist the ETB in advancing the project.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Property (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: The property referred to by the Deputy is not in my ownership. In common with other buildings of its kind, there is a charging lease in place on the property, in this case dated 1891 for 999 years to protect the state's investment in the property. In circumstances where a property has ceased to be used as a school, and a request is received from the property owner to release the State's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: The assessment of means under the student grant scheme is based on gross income from all sources, with certain social welfare and health service executive payments being exempt. In the assessment of means, a deduction can be made for holiday earnings made by the applicant from employment outside of term time but within the reference period. I increased the value of this income disregard from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy refers to was approved a devolved grant under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme 2015. The development approved consists of the demolition of 2 prefabricated classroom buildings and the erection of a two-storey detached building. The new building will include 8 resource rooms, a library, a kitchen, a breakfast room, an entrance lobby/reception,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (25 Sep 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...