Results 10,421-10,440 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

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

Richard Bruton: The Deputy has another question later on. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, is looking at this matter. I agree that it is hard to teach science on the basis of a memory retention exam at the end. It is very much suited to continuous assessment. There are issues around continuous assessment, with teachers' unions and teachers themselves concerned with judging their...

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

Richard Bruton: The position is, as I said in the previous reply, that a decision has been taken by the Congregation of Christian Brothers to dispose of land. That is a matter for the Christian Brothers. It has entered into an agreement to sell that land and that is a legally binding contract. I am not in a position to alter that. Separately the Christian Brothers has indicated that the proceeds of that...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Schools Building Projects (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: There are a number of schools involved in the area. The position, as I understand, with Pelletstown Educate Together is that it has three grades to date. The Department has reached agreement with the landowner of a preferred site and the acquisition is progressing through the conveyancing stage. Following completion of the acquisition, the architectural planning process for the provision...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Schools Building Projects (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I hate to witness a situation where a Deputy is not allowing facts to confuse her determination to state nothing is happening on this. I just read out that a site is required for this purpose, the landowner of the preferred site has been identified, agreement has been reached and the acquisition is progressing through the conveyancing stage-----

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Schools Building Projects (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: This school will be built. The Deputy tries to spread confusion. This school will be built. The Deputy also raised a question on how the Department selects schools. It selects schools on the basis of parental preference. This system has been run independently of the Department. It is not run by me. It is run by selection based on parents' preferences within the catchment area. That is...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Schools Building Projects (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy may have one view, but parents have to be consulted. It is parents who, ultimately, are the primary educators and they have a role in deciding what school is selected. In Pelletstown, an Educate Together school was successfully selected. In another area, Scoil Sinead was selected. This is the people's choice in the area where the Deputy lives.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Schools Building Projects (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am quite happy to provide the Deputies with a position. We recognise it will take longer and, as a result, planning permission was granted on 11 October for a single-storey prefab building comprising four classrooms with other ancillary facilities. The expected completion date for the installation of the prefab is early December 2017. Work is going on to ensure children are accommodated...

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

Richard Bruton: I know this school well. The major project for Rosmini Community School is included in the six year construction programme, announced on 17 November 2015. The building project will provide a new 350 student post primary school with an multiple disability and visual impairment unit on the site of existing school building. Planning permission for this new school was lodged with Dublin...

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

Richard Bruton: I know of no change in any policy on either transport or the provision of special needs assistants for children. Each case is examined on its merits. The status of Rosmini remains the same. It adjoins the campus managed by ChildVision in which St. Joseph's school for the visually impaired is located. Pupils graduate from St. Joseph's to Rosmini Community School. The new school will have a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Property (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: 11 o’clock The patron, which in this case is ERST, has, of course, the responsibility to provide for the students in the school. It is making provision and I understand the Christian Brothers have made arrangements for the transfer of some of the land. However, they own other land which they have made a decision to dispose of. I am not in a position to purchase it from them or...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 provides for the appointment of suitably qualified persons who will consider appeals made by persons against decisions of Caranua. As I explained to the Deputy in response to her question of 25 October, I appointed two new appeals officers earlier this year, there having been one appeals officer prior to then. The 2012 Act provides that...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: As I said in the reply, I understand both an individual and Caranua have the right to appeal a decision of an appeals officer. An appeals officer made a decision challenging the approach Caranua had taken and I understand an appeal was lodged this year. Obviously, the outcome of the decision of the High Court is awaited. I am told the 2016 annual report was laid before the Houses of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I understand the report of the outgoing appeals officer, Mr. Patrick Whelan, was lodged, as I said, on 10 November. Since then, I have appointed two appeals officers and, as the Deputy has acknowledged, it has helped to clear the backlog. The appeal to the High Court is, as I understand it, an appeal by Caranua on a point of law, which it is entitled to bring. Caranua is entirely...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I do not have a supplementary on the issue of written decisions, but I will get back to the Deputy on that.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Schools Building Projects (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department's capital programme continues to address the challenge posed by a rapidly increasing school population. To meet this challenge, my Department's capital investment programme for 2016 to 2021 details the school projects that are being progressed to meet this need. The capital programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms for schools where an immediate...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Staff (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can assure the Deputy that the Minister for Finance is one of the strongest supporters of investment in special education needs, in respect of which provision has increased since 2011. Even in the most difficult times, in 2011 22,000 children were provided with SNA support. SNA provision now stands at 34,000, which means an additional 12,000 children are now in receipt of SNA support....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Staff (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can assure the Deputy that there is wide consultation on this review. The Deputy will be aware that the chairman of the NCSE, Mr. Eamon Stack, is a former inspector of the Department of Education and Skills and a man of high reputation. The review is being conducted to ensure that the full potential of each child is secured. Great care will be taken to ensure that all evidence on need in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Property (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, organised the deputation of which Deputy Boyd Barrett was a member. The Deputy and I have had frequent conversations about the issue since. The difficulty is that the fields in question are owned by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. The decision by the Congregation of Christian Brothers,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Property (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The congregation has informed the Department that the lands concerned have been sold, that it has signed and exchanged legally binding contracts with the purchasers and that it cannot reverse this transaction. If a legal challenge is made to those contracts, which like the Deputy I am not in a position to comment on, it will be for the courts to determine the matter. Where my Department...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I understand what the Deputy said. I will seek to have this incorporated in a ten-year plan but I have no doubt that if Deputy Barry Cowen was here he would be demanding extra capital spending on housing and if Deputy Kelleher was here he would be demanding extra capital spending on health-----