Results 9,281-9,300 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 76 together. The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I, together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, negotiated a 15-22% pay increase for new teachers. The agreements to date have restored an estimated 75% of the difference in pay for more recently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Applications (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: Further to my reply on 07 February 2018, the update of the identification model is continuing.  As previously advised, this will take account of updated school data as provided by schools for the current school year combined with the Pobal HP Index of Deprivation, based on CSO Small Area Population statistics derived from the 2016 National Census. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Data (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including the Central Statistics...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools, which have enrolled students with special educational needs, in order to ensure that wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have access to an appropriate education. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) which is a separate independent statutory body, plans and co-ordinates the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department received an application for the provision of additional accommodation at the school referred to in respect of both classroom and ancillary accommodation. The application was assessed by my Department and it was determined that there was no deficit of essential accommodation at the school. This decision was advised to the school authority....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Meetings (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that, in previous years, under the arrangements in place for the Social Partnership process, officials in my Department met on a regular basis with the Community and Voluntary Pillar to discuss educational issues raised by that sector. A series of bilateral meetings took place between Officials in my Department and the Community and Voluntary (C&V) Pillar...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: After-School Support Services (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for a Partnership Government committed 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 consultation with relevant school authorities,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: HEIs are not considered State Boards and therefore the Public Appointments Service (PAS) is not involved in the process for filling positions arising on their Governing Bodies. The exception to this is in respect of Chairpersons of the Governing Bodies of the Institutes of Technology (IoTs) where PAS has agreed to undertake the appointment process for such positions....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school to which she refers is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme. In the context of progressing the building project, my Department will be undertaking a technical site visit to the school and contact will be made with the school authorities in this regard.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school to which she refers is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme. In the context of progressing the building project, my Department has undertaken a site visit to the school. The building project will be devolved to Kildare Wicklow Education Training Board (KWETB) for delivery and it is my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: Tenders have been invited for the school project in question. The closing date for receipt of tenders is 9 May 2018.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school to which she refers is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme.  I wish to advise the Deputy that the project brief is currently being finalised which, once completed, will facilitate the project to be progressed into the architectural planning process.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that my Department is in the process of acquiring a site to accommodate the schools to which the Deputy refers. The school patrons have been informed of the proposed location of the schools. Officials in my Department are liaising with all relevant parties in order to progress the site acquisition. When the site acquisition process has been progressed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: The major building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning Stage 2b (Detailed Design), which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been secured. The Stage 2b submission has been reviewed by my Department and on 9 February 2018 comments issued to the school and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Data (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: The building project referred to by the Deputy is for a new 24 classroom school including a Special Needs Unit, with a floor area of approx. 4,748m2. The project is currently at Stage 2B of Architectural Planning - Detailed Design Stage, which includes applications for all statutory consents, including Planning Permission, Disability Access Certificate and Fire Safety Certificate and also...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that the building project to which she refers has been devolved for delivery to the local Education and Training Board (ETB).  It is a matter for the ETB and its Design Team to progress the pre-qualification of contractors for the project, the approval for which was very recently given. A contractor pre-qualification process normally...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: The major building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning Stage 2b (Detailed Design), which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been secured. The Stage 2(b) submission has been reviewed by my Department and a letter recently issued to the school and...

Topical Issue Debate: School Curriculum (21 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy McLoughlin for raising the issue. I will clarify a number of things. It is not a pilot scheme; it is phase one of a model that will go countrywide from 2020. It is a testing of a concept that has been developed by the NCCA of a new physical education curriculum, both an examinable curriculum at leaving certificate and also a framework for students who choose not to do the...

Topical Issue Debate: School Curriculum (21 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I understand what the Deputy is saying. If it was being allocated on the basis of giving every county a fair shot and one county was being left out, the Deputy would rightly feel aggrieved, but that was not the approach. It is a model that will go countrywide. What we are trying to do in the first phase is get a selection of schools across a range of school types to ensure we have ironed...

Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (21 Mar 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I acknowledge that the investment in school facilities has been an important feature of recent years. I assure the Deputy that we are sustaining the high level of building. Indeed, we have completed over 200 new schools, comprising more than 120,000 additional places. In terms of financial provision, almost €8.5 billion will be provided...