Results 9,901-9,920 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding (Cassells Report) which was published in July 2016, clearly outlines the funding challenges in the higher education sector and offers a number of potential policy approaches for consideration. One of these options is for the introduction of an income contingent loan scheme. As committed to in the Programme for Government, I have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Ensuring a sustainable funding model for the higher education sector is a key priority for me. The Expert Group’s Report (Cassells Report) which was published in July 2016, clearly outlines the funding challenges in the higher education sector and offers a number of options for consideration. As committed to in the Programme for Government, the report has been referred to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I negotiated together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform 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 recruited teachers and deliver full equality at later points...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that a project for St. Molaga’s National School is included in my Department's Capital Programme to primarily replace existing temporary accommodation with permanent accommodation. In that regard officials in my Department are currently preparing the project brief which will facilitate the progression of the project into Architectural Planning,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy of the current position in respect of each of the four schools referred to. In regard to the first school referenced, I can confirm that the school applied for funding under my Department’s Emergency Works Scheme in respect of structural works.  My Department has recently received the consultant’s report requested for the works...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Funding (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that I have sent a follow-up reply in relation to Parliamentary Question No. 103 2013 of 18 January 2018 in which I indicated that I would ask for a review to be conducted into participation by students in certain youth leadership programmes. The Deputy may also be aware that the representative body for the sector, Education and Training Boards Ireland, has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capital Expenditure Programme (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Ireland has experienced a significant bulge in pupil enrolments going through our schools. This has seen a significant expansion in the rate of provision of new school places and this puts a high demand on the Department's capital budgets. Since 2011, some 340 major school projects and over 120,000 new and replacement places have been provided. My Department’s capital programme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, a building project to provide permanent accommodation for the school in question is included in my Department’s 6 Year Construction Programme. My Department has been working with the local authority to acquire the site on which the school is currently located. It is intended to progress the building project for the school into the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: As a consequence of the economic crisis, there was a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure so as to stabilise the country’s public finances.  The Government approved a number of measures relating to public service allowances following a public service-wide review of allowances and premium payments conducted by the Minister for Public Expenditure and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that my Department’s capital programme continues to address the challenge posed by a rapidly increasing school population. To meet this demographic challenge, my Department’s Capital Investment Programme (2016-2021), details the school projects that are being progressed to meet this need. The capital programme also provides for devolved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The liquidation of the company referred to by the Deputy does not directly affect any school building projects other than the Schools Bundle 5 Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme. In the case of PPPs, the Department's contract is with a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) rather than with a construction contractor. The SPV then enters into a separate contract with a construction...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: One of the aims of my Department's Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022 is to increase the supply of newly qualified teachers with the competence to deliver high quality Irish-medium education in schools, particularly in Gaeltacht school settings. The Policy also seeks to improve the quality of teaching through Irish to ensure that existing teachers’ Irish-language...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: In order to plan for school provision, the demographic data for the Swords school planning area, as with other school planning areas nationwide, is being kept under ongoing review by my Department to take account of updated child benefit data and updated enrolment data. It is anticipated that decisions based on these exercises will be announced in the near future. As the Deputy is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Commission (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your question to the Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I negotiated together with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform 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 recruited teachers and deliver full equality at later points...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: 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 these areas will arise. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Island Communities (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: I am aware of the additional challenges faced by schools on the islands. In view of these challenges, in Budget 2017 I set out different appointment and retention figures for the appointment and retention of mainstream teachers in primary schools. I have received a report (dated September 2017) from the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Irish, the Gaeltacht and the Islands in which the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Regional Development Initiatives (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Each of the 9 Regional Skills Fora which provide regional skills data for a number of sources including the National Skills Council,  encourages greater collaboration between a number of relevant stakeholders in each region including enterprise and the Education and Training System. One of the functions of each Forum is to identify and respond to existing and future skills needs at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Recruitment (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Additional investment has allowed the successful recruitment of over 5,000 additional teachers in the last two years. Since 2012/2013, there are 8,900 more teachers in our schools. No other part of the public service has seen this sort of growth, which is testament to the Government’s commitment to education and its importance in fulfilling our national ambitions. The numbers of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (1 Feb 2018)

Richard Bruton: Where undergraduate students do not qualify for free fees they are required to pay fees to their higher education institution at either an ‘EU rate’ or a higher ‘Non-EU rate’. As autonomous institutions, the determination of the fee rate applicable for individual students is a matter for the higher education institutions. Due to a particular concern regarding...