Results 11,001-11,020 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Other Questions: Teacher Recruitment (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: For clarification, those jobs are at both primary and second level. I am pleased that I have been in a position to significantly expand the recruitment of teachers. Some 2,300 new teachers were recruited in 2016-2017 and 2,900 will be recruited in 2017-2018. That figure of 2,900 is 21% more than the number announced in budget 2017. All of the 2016-2017 posts have been successfully filled...

Other Questions: Teacher Recruitment (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: There is no doubt that recruiting 5,000 teachers over two years puts some pressure on the system. We are successfully filling those posts, however, and are making provision to ease the pressure where pinch points occur. I am also sitting down with my Department to look at other potential initiatives, particularly in some of the areas, such as STEM and languages, in which we are experiencing...

Other Questions: School Costs (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I hear what the Deputy is saying. I strongly believe that the provision of a parents and students charter, which will require much more sharing of information, consultation and collective decisions on school policies by the body of parents, will be a very significant step forward. That will greatly help the channels of communication and make sure that the misunderstandings, to which the...

Other Questions: School Costs (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to clarify that voluntary contributions are permissible but compulsory ones are not. That is the distinction. The way in which voluntary contributions are collected is a matter for the school management. As I said, and as I believe the Deputy accepts, if parents are greater partners in the development of policies in this area, we would have more confidence that they would be...

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: We had a similar discussion earlier when I dealt with Deputy Thomas Byrne's question. I am absolutely confident that we are in a position to meet the demands of the expanding population. We are very fortunate to have a situation where, since 2011, there is a requirement to complete provision for 105,000 school places over a seven to eight year period. We are well on track to deliver those...

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy has probably visited a number of sites. We are building phenomenal schools. They are impressive buildings. We have been using not only the build model by the Department through direct acquisition of design but also public private partnerships. Different approaches have been used. The Department is very much on top of modern building methods. That is not to say we cannot...

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: We had an earlier debate on this. We have a pipeline system and when cases are deemed urgent they go into the pipeline. That can be a frustrating process. Site issues, planning issues and design issues can arise. We have probably 100 projects on the go all the time and many in the pipeline coming through. We can get instances such as the one we spoke about earlier where we can get...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Staff (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: It is a good opportunity to clarify the matter. IMPACT’s decision to ballot its members on industrial action at this time is surprising in light of a development over recent months. When I announced the appointment of an additional 975 SNAs for allocation to schools between September and December this year, I recognised that we needed a better system for allocation in future years....

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Staff (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: That is why I am a bit surprised. The announcement I made in the budget was to allow the NCSE to make that announcement. In previous years the NCSE did the evaluation and then had to await a Government decision to approve the sanctioning of the money. Now we have sanctioned the money in October for next year, meaning it is in a position to do that. There is a grievance procedure which...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Staff (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to tell the Deputy that we meet SNA requirements far beyond demographic needs. The demographic needs would be of the order of 2% or 3%. Since 2011, we have increased the number of SNAs by 43%. For example, at second level we have quadrupled the number of special classes for children with special needs. We have also massively expanded them at primary level. This has been an...

Other Questions: School Costs (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: Registration fees are absolutely illegal; that is very clear. Schools may seek voluntary contributions in recognised schools provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution, they are doing so of their own volition and that a child’s place in the school or continued enrolment is not dependent on a...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Education and Training Boards (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The statement the Deputy is citing was made in 2015 and it was made very clear at the time by the then Secretary General that it did not accord with policy. I have clarified in my statement, not only here but on a previous occasion, that it is inaccurate. The schools to which the Deputy refers are multidenominational and there will be a circular to make that absolutely crystal clear. That...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Education and Training Boards (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: There is a debate within the ETBs about whether faith formation should occur within the school or not. Recently the ETB group has indicated it would move to a position where faith formation would not be during school hours. ETB schools at primary level, the community national schools, welcome and celebrate all faiths. It is not that they leave religion at the school gate and wish to keep...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Department has recognised that. An external consultant architect has been appointed to make sure that this will be overseen very effectively by the Department.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can see what the Deputy is saying but this has a historic and justifiable basis. The staffing schedule is an allocation mechanism that uses enrolment bands to determine the number of classroom teaching posts allocated to a school. This is a long-standing arrangement for allocating teaching posts to our primary schools based on their respective enrolment and I have no plans to make changes...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The system, which includes all parties in the House, certainly Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour, has been designed to protect small schools. They have a lower retention point so the system protects smaller schools from the loss of their teacher as well as providing a better ratio in the structure. This is deliberately designed to defend the rural school which is trying to cater for...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Education and Training Boards (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for giving me the opportunity to clarify the situation. My Department is preparing a circular that will provide guidance to ETB post-primary schools on the arrangements that should apply in future for students who wish to opt out of religious instruction or worship. The schools to which the Deputy refers are multidenominational schools and as...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The way we plan is to have several school projects at different stages in the architectural planning phases from the initiation, design, detailed architectural drawings, approval, evaluation, tender and on into construction. That is a pipeline and the Department works to the best of its ability to keep them all moving. We use every cent we get. We have drawn down an additional €100...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I was not in this office in 2014 and cannot say why these projects were put on the construction list but every one of them is being progressed. The Deputy can see that in my reply. As he rightly says, some are at an earlier stage than would have been expected when they were put on the list in 2014. The reason for that is often planning or site difficulties. They were not due to an...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The major project for St. Patrick's special school, Enniscorthy, which will provide replacement facilities for the school, is included in the Department of Education and Skills's construction programme. The project will provide for 20 classrooms and will include such facilities as special teacher rooms, multi-sensory, physiotherapy and occupational therapy rooms and a nurse's area and the...