Results 10,401-10,420 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Expenditure (7 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA institutions. The HEA allocates this as a block grant to institutions to cover teaching, research and administration. The internal allocation of this grant is a matter for each institution.  Higher education institutions are autonomous institutions and my Department does...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme (7 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75, 77, 81, 82, 87, 88 and 90 together. I am pleased to advise that on Tuesday I announced the Minor Works Grant 2017/2018 for primary schools across the country and payment will issue next week. The funding will allow minor works to be carried out on the physical infrastructure of schools or on the purchase of items of furniture and equipment.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department's policy is to promote a child-centred approach to education of all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, in school settings. Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational interventions, delivered by fully qualified professional teachers, with the support of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme (7 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 79 and 80 together. The purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for (a) Early educational intervention for children with autism who meet the schemes eligibility criteria (b) Students with special educational needs seeking an educational placement in a recognised school (c) Students, enrolled in schools, with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (7 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The school project referred to by the Deputy was recently approved to proceed to Stage 2B - Detailed Design Stage. Stage 2B - Detailed Design Stage, includes applications for all statutory consents, including Planning Permission, Disability Access Certificate and Fire Safety Certificate and also the preparation of tender documentation.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (7 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school referred to has submitted an application to my Department for capital funding for additional accommodation. My Department will be engaging with the school authority shortly in the context of assisting the school to meet these needs. My Department has no remit over services operated by the HSE.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (7 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that further enquiries have been made with the NCSE regarding the staffing position in the school in question.  There are 26 students currently enrolled. There are five teaching posts allocated to the school for five classes.  There are three classes designated for students with Severe - Profound General Learning Disability.  There are two...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Process (7 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 was published on 6th July 2016 and passed Committee Stage on 28th June 2017. My officials have been engaging with the Office of the Attorney General in relation to a number of amendments proposed for Report Stage of the Bill and this work is nearing conclusion.  It is my intention to progress the Bill to Report...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Administration (7 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The current Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is being applied on a multi-annual basis.  The Deputy will also be aware that nearly 50% of schools have applied for inclusion under the scheme which reflects a very high demand.  Almost €80 million has been approved to date under the Summer Works Scheme, in respect of over 640 school projects in categories 1-6. Details of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Curriculum (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: A review of senior cycle programmes and vocational pathways is a key action in my Department’s Action Plan for Education 2016-19. This review has been commenced by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA with a view to recommending areas for development. The senior cycle review will consider all assessment approaches. Specifically, it will consider if the range of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Curriculum (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I believe the Deputy will agree that the roll-out of the junior cycle has been significant nick in the post in that we now ask students to put together a portfolio of achievement and do their exam. This process is not yet embedded at junior cycle. We are only two thirds of the way through and there are still subjects to come on board next year. 12 o’clock The NCCA is looking at...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Completion Programme (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am not a direct party to it but a lot of work has been done on the school completion programme. The ESRI carried out a review, as did another body. They came up with recommendations to improve it. They in no way diluted the objective or tried to roll back on what the role and purpose of the school completion programme was. We have to acknowledge that we have had a huge surge in school...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Completion Programme (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: Ultimately, the Department responsible will have to look at what is the best governance structure. It might be better if the Deputy put a question to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. It will want to put in place the best structure to ensure the best delivery of service. We will support it in its choice but it will make a choice based on a matrix of criteria which I have not...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Schools Facilities (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: We have developed our schools, as the Deputy knows, according to a patronage model whereby patrons provide the land and the Department builds the school, often with some support from the patron, often without. The Department has a lien on the property in which we invest and the patron has an obligation to ensure that the school continues to operate and to meet needs. However, the owner of...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Schools Facilities (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: -----and that has been conveyed to us. The question the Deputy raises, whether this issue can be challenged in the courts, will be adjudicated on in the courts. In meeting their responsibilities to Caranua, the position is that the Christian Brothers have an obligation and they are meeting that obligation. That is a separate responsibility. We expect more from the Christian Brothers, as...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Schools Facilities (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The position is that the Christian Brothers have the same constitutional rights and are protected in the same way as any other group. They have a right to dispose of their land in the way in which they have done so and there is not an opportunity to alter that. The route of compulsory purchase order, CPO, as the Deputy knows, can only be taken in certain circumstances and still involves...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Completion Programme (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The school completion programme is an integral part of Tusla's educational welfare service. While it is a key support for schools under the DEIS programme, my Department does not have responsibility for the programme. As the Deputy will appreciate, proposals for the reassignment of ministerial and administrative policy areas are a collective function of the Government. There is no...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I will arrange to have my officials contact the school on that matter. It is a school that was formerly within my constituency, but in the future it will be represented by Deputy O'Sullivan. We have a mutual interest in the excellent work that was done and continues to be done in that school. I will ensure that contact is made.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Teacher Recruitment (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: In the last two years I have provided for the recruitment of in the region of 3,000 teachers at post-primary level. All of those posts for 2016-17 have been successfully filled and the process of filling the additional posts for the current year is almost complete. We are successfully filling the posts that we are making available. As the Deputy knows, last week I launched a STEM policy...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Teacher Recruitment (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I do not disagree with anything the Deputy says. We have set an ambition to increase the uptake at leaving certificate level. I believe that the new way of teaching science at junior cycle will encourage more people into it. Our promotion of extra-curricular science, through supporting the expansion of SciFest, the BT Young Scientist exhibition awards and CoderDojo has had a proven impact,...