Results 10,461-10,480 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that DES Circular 0013/2017 for primary schools and 0014/2017 for post primary schools were published on 7th March 2017.  These Circulars set out the details of the new model for allocating special education teachers to schools.  The revised allocation process replaces the generalised allocation process at primary and post primary school level for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Protected Disclosures (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can advise the Deputy that I have recently appointed an independent external examiner to carry out an investigation into claims made by a number of current and former staff of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), contained in a disclosure made under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. I have asked the independent external examiner to report to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: A copy of the Memorandum of Understanding on the acquisition of sites for school planning purposes, referred to by the Deputy is available on my Department's website. Under this MoU, the assistance of the local authorities is sought in the identification and procurement of school sites which are to transfer into my ownership. The MoU was devised with the intention of leveraging the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that my Department has received correspondence from the school in question relating to a proposed building project at the school. It is acknowledged that this project will involve complex and careful planning of the site. In this regard, my Department will be engaging further with the school authority shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 61 and 84 together. I am pleased to have been in a position to significantly expand the recruitment of teachers at primary and post primary levels. Some 2,300 new teachers were recruited in 2016-2017 and 2,900 are being recruited in 2017-2018. The figure of 2,900 is 21% more than the number announced in budget 2017, so we have in fact been able to recruit...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cross-Border Co-operation (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: A major objective of my Department is to contribute, in the context of the Good Friday Agreement, to the development of North-South co-operation and common action in the field of education. North-South Co-operation is a priority activity identified in the Programme for Government. In this context, the strengthening and deepening of co-operation in education to achieve effective and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority for the professional regulation, including registration, of teachers in the State. Applications for registration are considered by the Teaching Council under Section 31 of the Acts and the Teaching Council Registration Regulations 2016. Under Section 30 of the Teaching Council Acts applicants...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: In 2016/17 and in 2017/18, I provided for the recruitment of in the region of 3,000 teachers at post-primary level.  All of the 2016-2017 posts have been successfully filled and the process for filling the additional posts in 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Applications (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 73 together. I am pleased to advise that yesterday 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: School Accommodation Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy may be aware, where a requirement for additional post-primary schools has been identified, details including proposed timelines related to the opening of the schools are made known by a Ministerial announcement. However, patrons may decide for different operational reasons in a particular year that it is in the best interests of a new post-primary school to defer its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: At primary school level, social, environmental and scientific education enables the child to learn and practice a wide range of skills; and to acquire open, critical and responsible attitudes, including caring for animals. Engagement with the Living Things strand unit in the science curriculum gives children the opportunity to study animals and their life processes in the context of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Speech and Language Therapy Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for a Partnership Government states that a new model of In-School Speech and Language Therapy will be established.  In October of this year, Budget 2018 provided an additional €2M to introduce a pilot/demonstration project for in-school Therapy services in 2018. The demonstration project will develop and test a model for the delivery of in school speech and language...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The major school building project to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b). All statutory approvals have been secured. However, following the necessary appointment of a replacement Mechanical & Electrical Engineer the Design Team in association with the newly appointed Engineer are working on a revised Stage 2b report which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: On 16th January 2017 I announced my intention to reform the school admissions system in relation to the role that religion can play in that process. I have always indicated that I think it is unfair that preference can be given by publicly funded denominational schools to children of their own religion who might live some distance away, ahead of children of a different religion or of no...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Action Plan on Bullying, which was published in 2013, sets out my Department's approach to tackling bullying in schools. These actions focus on support for schools, teacher training, research and awareness raising and aim to ensure that all forms of bullying, including cyberbullying, are addressed. As part of the implementation of the Action Plan anti-bullying procedures for all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: There is a range of supports available in the education system to support pupils with special educational needs, including Dyspraxia/Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). A new model for allocating special education teachers has been introduced since September 2017. Under this new model, schools are frontloaded with a single unified allocation for special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: It is planned to provide permanent accommodation, for the school to which the Deputy refers, on a site which is currently owned by the Local Authority.  As the Deputy may be aware the local authority has completed a CPO process in order to rectify title issues relating to the site. The conveyancing process is now at a very advanced stage and all parties are working...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The operation and delivery of the State examinations is the responsibility of the State Examinations Commission (SEC). The SEC has informed me that the openness and transparency of the Leaving Certificate examination place it among the most transparent globally, with published marking schemes, marked scripts made available for viewing by candidates prior to deciding on an appeal and an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy refers is currently located on the Notre Dame campus, Upper Churchtown Road, Dublin 14 pending completion of the permanent accommodation for the school at the St. Tiernan’s Community School site in Balally.  As the Deputy may be aware, outline planning permission at a site in Balally for the school to which the Deputy refers was submitted to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (6 Dec 2017)

Richard Bruton: On 16th January 2017 I announced my intention to reform the school admissions system in relation to the role that religion can play in that process. I have always indicated that I think it is unfair that preference can be given by publicly funded denominational schools to children of their own religion who might live some distance away, ahead of children of a different religion or of no...