Results 7,081-7,100 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

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

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that a major building project for the school to which he refers, is included in my Department's Capital Programme. It is acknowledged that this project will involve complex and careful master-planning of the site. A full technical site visit has taken place and the project brief for the school is currently being formulated. In that regard, my Department is...

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

Richard Bruton: A project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department's Capital Programme. My Department is awaiting information from the school in respect of their new school site. Once this information is provided the project can be progressed.

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

Richard Bruton: The major building project referred to by the Deputy is currently at Stage 1 of the Architectural Planning Process. Stage 1 is the Preliminary Design Stage where the Design Team, in conjunction with the school authority, analyse all the constraints of the site, develop a preferred design option and ensure that the preferred option is the best option for the delivery of the brief. The school's...

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: School Management (25 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: Budget 2017 allowed for the commencement of restoration of middle management posts as part of an agreed distributed leadership model and meant lifting the rigidity of the longstanding moratorium on these posts at primary and post-primary levels. This recognises the key role school leadership has in promoting a school environment which is welcoming, inclusive and accountable. €2.75m...

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

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, I developed the new schools reconfiguration for diversity process, which is aimed at providing more multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country, in line with the choices of families and school communities and the Programme for Government commitment for 400 such schools by 2030. There are two Phases to the new process – the...

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. In this regard, a schedule of accommodation, for the purposes of the school's project brief was furnished to the school authorities. In the context of progressing the project to the next stage, a technical site visit is necessary and the details are...

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

Richard Bruton: I wish to inform the Deputy that my Department is presently finalising the acquisition of 0.43 acres of land adjacent to the school in question's playing field. Additionally, I can also confirm that agreement has been reached in principle between officials from South Dublin County Council and my Department on the acquisition of an additional portion of land totalling 0.96 acres which also...

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

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, I recently announced the opening of 42 new schools over the next four 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, and included provision for the school to which he refers. Following on from the announcement, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that a Major Capital Project for the provision of permanent accommodation for the school in question to cater for a Long Term Projected Enrolment of 1,000 pupils is being addressed through my Department's Capital Programme. It is envisaged that permanent accommodation for the school will be provided through a campus arrangement with a local Institute of Further...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (20 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: Regarding land in my ownership made available to Meath County Council for the purposes of house building, Meath County Council has been engaging with my Department in relation to the proposed acquisition of a portion of a site in my ownership in Ashbourne, County Meath under an intra-state transfer process. Meath County Council has indicated to my Department that, subject to the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (20 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: I strongly support any measures that can be put in place to reduce costs for parents. To deliver on my ambition to be the best we have to improve information and complaint procedures for parents and students, particularly in relation to costs. I want to give parents a strong voice in ensuring costs are always kept to a minimum. My Department published Circular Letter 32/2017 which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (20 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: Budget 2012 increased the appointment and retention ratios for small schools (i.e., schools with up to four classroom teachers). Improvements to the staffing of these schools were announced for the 2015/16 school year. These improvements are improved retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom teacher and also the improved appointment and retention thresholds for one-teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (20 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 to 76, inclusive, together. This government is committed to ensuring every child with special educational needs has the opportunity to fulfil their full potential. In 2018, almost €1.8 billion will be invested in Special Education, nearly one fifth of the overall Education budget, and up 43% since 2011. The Department's policy is to provide for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (20 Sep 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 staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Charges (20 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: Based on the number of students that qualified for free fees funding in the academic year 2016/17, and taking into account overall projected increases in student numbers, it is estimated that the net cost to my Department of reducing the Student Contribution by each €100 per student per annum is €6.7 million It should be noted that the figures presented incorporate the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (20 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: The cost of reversing the change to the distance criterion from the existing 45kms to 24kms, is estimated to be in the region of €26m. The above costing assumes that a change to the distance criterion would result in a similar percentage of students qualifying for the higher non-adjacent grant support, as existed pre Budget 2011.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (20 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: The outturn for Student Grants and Related Costs in 2017 was €375m. Therefore, the estimated cost for each 1% of extra funding would be approximately €3.75m.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff Data (20 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: The estimated cost of a new entrant Special Need Assistant in 2019 is €27,200. This is inclusive of employers PRSI.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Sep 2018)

Richard Bruton: The project to provide a new building for the school to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the local County Council. The project is currently at stage 2 b of the architectural planning process which is the detailed design stage. This stage also involves obtaining the necessary statutory planning permission approvals. The project will proceed to tender and...