Results 8,761-8,780 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: The person to whom the Deputy refers has been in regular engagement with my Department regarding her pension benefits. She retired in late February 2018 and only recently provided us with the information necessary to calculate those benefits. My Department has given a committment to process pension benefits within 12 weeks of the date of retirement and I can now confirm that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: Given the complex nature of pension schemes my Department has a 12 week processing period for the award of pension benefits to those on the payroll of the Department.  In general this timeframe is met and pension benefits are in payment within 12 weeks of retirement.  If there is a delay, which does not occur very often and is generally as a result of unusual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: The National Student Accommodation Strategy (NSAS) was published in July 2017 and the Interdepartmental Working Group on Student Accommodation issued an update on its implementation in April 2018. A further report on the NSAS is due in Q3 2018 and will cover the period to end Q2, 2018. Officials from the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am aware that the contractor for the project in question has entered into Examinership. The project has been devolved for delivery to the local Education and Training Board (ETB).  Officials in my Department are working with the ETB and the contractor to ensure that the project is completed as quickly as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: Approved undergraduate courses for the Student Grant Scheme 2018 are prescribed in the Student Support Regulations 2018 and in the Student Support Act 2011. The Regulations prescribe that an approved undergraduate course is a full-time course leading to a major higher education and training award which takes a minimum of two years to complete in an approved institution (including Institutes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, funding for primary schools is dealt with on a per capita basis.  The funding arrangements for post primary schools reflect the sectoral division of the second-level system.  At the core of these arrangements is reliance upon capitation as a key determinant of funding.  The basic grants are outlined in the following table. Grant Type Rate per...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department’s records indicate that the person to whom the Deputy refers is correctly a new entrant for pension purposes under the terms of the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004. Her new entrant status arises as she was not in public service employment during the period between 14 September 2004 and 4 September 2005 inclusive. The Public Service...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for a Partnership Government committed to providing additional capitation funding linked to the utilisation of primary school buildings for after-school care provision for school age children to offer more options and flexibility to parents, where there is demand for such a service, in partnership with community groups or private providers. I can confirm that, further to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for a Partnership Government committed to investing an extra €500m in education by 2021 through various measures including annual increases in primary and secondary capitation rates. Through budget 2017 and Budget 2018, we are now investing €1 billion more in education. Budget 2018 marked the second year of major reinvestment in the education sector, as we...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: In relation to capitation levels for future years, the Programme for a Partnership Government commited to investing an extra €500m in education by 2021 through various measures including annual increases in primary and secondary capitation rates.  It also provided for the setting out of capitation rates to schools on a rolling 3-year basis. Through Budget 2017 &...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that architectural planning has commenced for the delivery of the new school under the Department's Design and Build Programme. Site surveys have commenced in advance of preparing the Planning Application which will be the next key milestone in the progression of the project.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Applications (26 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: The application to which the Deputy refers is currently being examined in my Department.  A  decision will issue directly to the school authority as soon as possible.

Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: 1 o’clock I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. One of the first things I did when I entered Government was to sit down with the teachers' unions and negotiate improvements for young teachers. This represented a closing of 75% of the pay gap for young teachers. At present, a young teacher coming straight out of college is recruited at €36,000. I also made it easier...

Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: Deputy Howlin will know the arrangements under public private partnerships, PPPs. The strength and, if one chooses to call it such, the weakness of these arrangements is that the responsibility lies with the contracting party to complete the schools and hand them over. In this case that party is now the Dutch Infrastructure Fund, DIF. The State will not be making payments until that...

Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: We are not impotent. If the Deputy has been talking to the National Development Finance Agency, as he has indicated, he will know that we are far from idle on this issue. This issue is receiving enormous attention-----

Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: -----from the State. On the Sammon situation, that company has gone into examinership and that has created additional complications. However, it is very important to say that under the PPP agreement, the responsibility for completing the works-----

Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: Responsibility lies with the contracting partners under the PPP and they will not be paid any money until they provide the schools. They have invested close to €100 million in these PPP bundles.

Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am not a bystander. The Deputy was an advocate for PPPs while in government-----

Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: -----and he supported the rolling out of these programmes.

Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: He should not now, when the State is protected by the terms he agreed to, pretend that we should breach those terms.