Results 11,041-11,060 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools, which have enrolled students with special educational needs, in order to ensure that wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have access to an appropriate education.   The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) which is a separate independent statutory body, plans and co-ordinates...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I have used this to negotiate substantial improvements in pay for new teachers. The agreement reached in September 2016 will see pay rises of between 15-22% (between €4600 and €6700) for new entrant teachers.  The agreements also provide for earlier permanency...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Property (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The school system in Ireland is based on the principle of patronage. The school patron is responsible for running the school. The arrangements to provide land for the school are commonly made by the patron. Most school property is in the ownership of private entities. Where the ownership of school property rests with the patron or trustees, it is a matter for school patrons to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scoileanna Oileáin (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: Tá cúrsaífós mar a luaitear cheana i gceist pharlaiminte uimhir 77 agus uimhir 78 ar an 12ú lá de mhí na Samhna, 2017. Aithníonn mo Roinnse an ról ríthábhachtach atá ag scoileanna na n-oileán i gcothabháil phobail agus chultúr na n-oileán, agus tá sé tiomanta go láidir do na scoileanna a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: In 2017, my Department will spend circa €450m on access measures for further and higher education students. This includes circa €390m on student grants and related activities, which is expected to benefit approximately 80,000 students. Other new access measures introduced in 2017 include an additional €1m to support more lone parents to access higher education, €1m...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The quality of teaching in our schools is central to the educational outcomes of our children. That means that we have to have teachers with the right skills in our schools; skills relevant to Ireland’s changing needs and to meet the challenges of ensuring quality learning in all areas, including in current priority areas such as literacy and numeracy. My Department’s National...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I have used this to negotiate substantial improvements in pay for new teachers. The agreement reached in September 2016 will see pay rises of between 15-22% (between €4600 and €6700) for new entrant teachers.  The agreements also provide for earlier permanency...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: This Government is committed to building upon our provision of STEM education in primary, post-primary and third level education in order to ensure that we have the graduates to fulfil the existing and growing needs in STEM.  Innovation 2020 - the Government’s five-year strategy on research and development, science and technology, has the goal of making Ireland a Global Innovation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The decision to stop the Gaeltacht placement grants was taken during the economic crisis when, unfortunately, very difficult decisions had to be made to stabilise the nation's finances. Priority was given to protecting resources for front line education services as far as possible, which remains particularly challenging with rising numbers of school-going children. My Department does not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Regulations (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that my Department is committed to undertaking a complete audit of all school buildings constructed by the company to which he refers. These audits are a proactive measure being taken, following on from consultation with stakeholders, to satisfy the Department that there are no further issues with school buildings constructed by that company.  It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The current qualifying distance of 45km for the higher non-adjacent rate of student grant, takes into account a reasonable radius within which students may commute on a daily basis. The measurement of the distances relating to the award of adjacent or non-adjacent rates of student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. The distance measurement for student grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Data (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to provide in the attachment the list of schools scheduled to commence in 2016 and 2017 as requested by the Deputy. To date in 2017 a total of 25 large scale projects have commenced construction and these are in addition to the 67 large scale projects that were under construction at the start of the year. Capital expenditure on large scale projects amounted to almost €334m...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that I am aware of the accommodation needs of the school referred to.  I wish to advise that my Department met with representatives of this school in recent months.  This meeting is part of a consultation process with post primary providers in Macroom to consider the options for meeting a projected increase in post primary places in the area over the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Oct 2017)

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 the country will arise. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. I have used this to negotiate substantial improvements in pay for new teachers. The agreement reached in September 2016 will see pay rises of between 15-22% (between €4600 and €6700) for new entrant teachers.  The agreements also provide for earlier permanency...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Department of Education and Skills is building more schools and providing more school places than ever before. We have doubled the number of school places being provided from 8,900 in 2010 to 18,000 school places in 2017. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Relocation (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The final grant of planning permission was granted on 24th August 2017. Tender documents for this project are currently being prepared. When complete, the project will progress to tender. The project will thereafter proceed to construction, it is expected that construction will commence in early 2018.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Training Fund (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: It was announced as part of Budget 2018 that from 1st January 2018 there will be a 0.1% increase, from 0.7% to 0.8%, in the National Training Fund Levy payable by employers in respect of reckonable earnings of employees in Class A and Class H employments.  The net fiscal space generated by this increased revenue will be used to enhance investment in higher and further education and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: Further to the Deputy's parliamentary question of 10th and 18th October, I wish to clarify that students with Specific Speech and Language Disorder (SSLD) may attend a special class in a mainstream school for students with SSLD, with speech and language therapy services provided in class by the HSE or attend a mainstream class with additional teaching supports and speech & language...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (25 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I welcome the publication of this report by the Joint Committee on Education and Skills which examines the eligibility of maintenance grants to students in private colleges. Under my Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution as defined in the scheme. The definition of an approved...