Results 9,581-9,600 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Functions (22 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: There are approximately one hundred and thirty thousand staff paid on payrolls operated by my Department who will receive a P60 for 2017.  The Deputy will appreciate that there are a number of processes that must be completed prior to the issue of the P60s. My Department is making arrangements to have the P60s issued as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (22 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Under the Constitution and in accordance with Section 30 of the Education Act 1998, parents have a right to have their children opt out of religion classes if they so wish. I believe that difficulties could be avoided if, from the outset, a school's arrangements for those students who do not wish to attend religious instruction are made clear to parents. In that regard, the Programme...

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: This is a significant change. For the first time we are trying to match our ambition for the way in which the country should develop with €116 billion worth of investment. This is very ambitious. The Acting Chairman and I have sat through many a development plan or strategic plan for the country that did not have a brass ha'penny put in behind it. This time those things are joined...

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I listened to the three previous speakers and although I am a long time in this House, I have never heard such negative, old-style politics in my life. There is a complete refusal to recognise what is being done here.

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: This is a plan that is not developer-led. This is a plan that is not about vanity projects. This is a plan that is not about one for everyone in the audience.

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Deputy Seamus Healy can shout me down all he likes. He had his opportunity to speak and it was not any sort of coherent analysis of the plan that was set out.

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: In this House we have to be able to debate maturely. I believe that this is a fundamental shift. We are moving away from the developer-led policies that have afflicted our city. I agree with Deputy Catherine Murphy that this is the first time a Government has sought to put €116 billion of Exchequer and public funds behind the spatial plan. It is the first time we have ever tried...

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: That was a very short allocation of time.

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: They will be back anyhow to listen to me in due course. I move the adjournment.

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

Richard Bruton: I understand the Deputy's point and I am always keen for projects to be released. However, I have to be careful and to make sure my officials are satisfied that the commitment they make is robust, so I have to allow them time to finalise their thinking. We are setting a firm timeline for completing this work.

Topical Issue Debate: School Patronage (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The school was identified in an area where there was not demographic pressure. These specific areas did not face demographic pressure and the idea was to divest an existing school through an amalgamation, with a transfer to a new patron. That was the context in which this project was developed; it was not included in the expanding areas, in which case all new schools are entirely...

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

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I can well understand the frustration of parents waiting for a school. That demonstrates the wider context in which the previous discussion took place. There is huge pressure on capital budgets to meet expanding needs when we are in the fortunate position of having increasing numbers of children entering our school. The major building project for...

Topical Issue Debate: School Patronage (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Tóibín for raising this because it is an issue that needs some understanding. The background to this issue is that in 2012, a group was formed to examine patronage. It recommended that the demand for patronage diversity should be met in areas of stable population by divesting patronage of existing schools where there was evidence of parental demand for change. This...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Chairman and committee members for their invitation to attend. I will not make any quips about waiting all day for a bus because in this case it is absolutely justified to have four buses come along at once. In the submission that has been circulated I point out that one of the things that my Department is increasingly emphasising is well-being within the whole education system....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I will try to be brief. While I do not contest the case made and I accept that teachers are important, students and parents are also very important. We have this built into the webwise.ie activity targeting parents. As I described, the student ambassadors probably have as much leverage as teachers in the school community - it is certainly significant. On the issue of providing more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The one thing we can be sure about is that change is proceeding slower now than it will in the future. I do not believe that we can close out technology and not come to terms with it. The jury is out on whether or not a ban is the way to come to terms with the issue. Technically it is up to each school and this is not a bad approach. There would be issues around banning phones. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: HEAnet provides a content screening service for schools. I will ask if we have something to learn from what Germany does in this regard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I should have dealt with the point raised by Senator Devine on the extension of MissionPossible. I will revert to her in that regard. Several resources such as the Incredible Years programme are being rolled out, beginning with DEIS schools. Well-being guidelines for primary schools are available and a well-being policy through which concerns or suggestions raised can be considered will be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am not in any way an expert in this field but HEAnet provide filtering services to schools. I presume that were it to be extended to parents, it would be the responsibility of the equipment provider and not HEAnet; HEAnet does not provide a central service to every household in the country. The filtering capacity would have to be in the equipment procured rather than an education or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: No, I will have to revert to the committee.