Results 8,941-8,960 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Status (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: Schools are not required to make an application for inclusion in the DEIS programme as all schools are assessed using a new uniform identification model. We have, for the first time, introduced an objective, statistics based model for deciding which schools merit inclusion in the DEIS Programme, so that all stakeholders can have confidence that we are targeting extra resources at those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 329, 331, 332, 334 and 335 together. My Department’s policy is that children with special educational needs including those with Autism, should be included in mainstream placements with additional supports provided, unless such a placement would not be in their best interests or in the interests of the children with whom they are to be educated, as is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that it is not mandatory that schools make provision for special needs including autism, in order to qualify for capital funding, including Summer Works Scheme funding. The provision of special education facilities is dependent on the demand and existing provision in an area. Where additional accommodation is required, it is open to all schools to submit an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has recently become aware that the National Council for Special Education has sanctioned a special class for pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the schools in question. To date, my Department has no record of receiving an application for additional accommodation from the schools referred to in respect of this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Facilities (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 336 to 338, inclusive, together. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is fully committed to providing that schools who wish to offer the new Leaving Certificate Physical Education Specification and the Senior Cycle Physical Education Framework (non-examinable) in the future will be able to do so. The Deputy will be aware that under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy refers is currently scheduled for completion in May 2018.  Therefore, subject to no issues arising, the building will be ready for occupation in May 2018.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are provided to assist recognised schools to cater for pupils with disabilities, who have additional and significant care needs, in an educational context and where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in medical and other professional reports as being so significant that a pupil will require additional adult assistance in order to be able to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: Details of consultancy payments made by my Department for the years 2015 to 2017 inclusive are available on the Department's website . It is the policy of my Department to minimise to the greatest extent possible the use of external consultancy, however external consultants are hired occasionally in circumstances where particular expertise is not available internally and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: As outlined in my response to the Topical Issue to which the Deputy refers, a project to provide a permanent school building for the school in question is included on my Department's capital programme. Officials in my Department are working closely with officials in the relevant local authority in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the identification and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: The position is that in order to qualify for funding towards tuition fees, students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course. Where undergraduate students do not qualify for free fees...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 347 and 393 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Data (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: The following table outlines the capital spend by county on large scale projects for the period 2010 to 2017. In addition, the table includes, on a county basis, the total number of school places provided by the completion of large scale projects over the same period. County 2010 - 2017 Additional Places Replacement Places Total Places Carlow €30,365,030.35...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Department of Education and Skills has not enacted or published legislation which originated in work carried out by the Law Reform Commission in the past ten years.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: Approximately 360 schools applied to participate in the Phase 1 roll-out of the Leaving Certificate Physical Education (LCPE) specification and/or the Senior Cycle Physical Education (SCPE) Framework from September 2018, with many applications being of high quality. 80 schools were selected for participation in Phase 1. It is my intention that all schools will be able to offer LCPE and/or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 353 and 354 together. My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools, which have enrolled students with special educational needs, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), in order to ensure that wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have access to an appropriate education. Most children with special educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Departments Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools are designed to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour amongst its pupils. The procedures recognise that a positive school culture and climate is key and set out a very practical way on what schools must do to both prevent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a project to provide permanent accommodation for the schools in question is included on my Department's Capital Programme. Officials in my Department are liaising with officials in the relevant local authority in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the acquisition of a suitable site to facilitate the building project. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: The major building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been obtained. In May 2017, the Department gave approval to the school authorities to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: It is planned to carry out one project at the school to which the Deputy refers which would encapsulate traffic management issues as necessary and if possible. Funding was originally allocated to the school under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme 2014 to provide 4 mainstream classrooms, 2 SET rooms and a WC for assisted users. The school subsequently sought an increase in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Meetings (17 Apr 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department works closely with local authorities in respect of the provision of schools generally. In the first instance, my Department is included among the prescribed bodies to whom local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft local area and development plans or proposed variations to plans for comment and observations. This enables local authorities to identify...