Results 11,081-11,100 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

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

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department's 6 Year Capital Programme (2016-2021) priorities building projects to meet demographic demand. The 6 Year Programme contains details of the new building projects and major extensions, including special schools, that will be progressed in areas where significant demographic need has been established. In addition, the 6 Year Programme also...

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

Richard Bruton: My Department has been advised by the Design and Build Contractors and their Consultant Engineers on this building project that the tanks are located approximately 13 metres from the building. The acceptable tank separation distance for a tank of this size between other gas tanks and other buildings, boundary walls etc is greater than 3 metres. The remedial works to the windows have been...

Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Minister of State, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, answered a question on this matter last week. The position is that a number of amendments were necessitated by the discussions with various stakeholders. Those amendments are at a very advanced stage in the Attorney General's office. The Minister of State indicated that she hoped to bring the Bill to committee at an early date. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: Where a teacher in a primary or post primary school is an elected member of a local authority, paid absence of up to ten school days in a school year may be availed of in order to attend council meetings, but only where such meetings are held during school opening hours. Prior approval must be obtained from the Board of Management of the School, who, in approving such leave, must take into...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Data (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The number of teaching principals in DEIS schools in the Limerick city and county area is four. Budget 2018 is building on measures in previous budgets to enhance school leadership. This Budget has made €0.4 million available to fund additional release days for teaching principals in primary schools, which allows them to undertake administrative, leadership and management functions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: In overall terms, my Department has no evidence of a recent or current shortage of primary teachers. As the Deputy is aware, we increased the number of primary school teaching posts by 1093 in 2016/17 and schools have filled those positions.  For the current school year, we increased the number of posts by 1160 and the process for filling these positions is almost complete. I am,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Service Provision (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the Schools Broadband Access Programme the Department provides for the supply of internet connectivity for recognised primary and post primary schools. All post-primary schools and some special schools are now included in the 100Mbps programme. Under the current programme the Department continually reviews the availability of services and upgrades schools where the opportunity...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a building project for the school referred to is included in the 6 Year Capital Programme (2016-2021). My Department is currently finalising the project brief and once this process is complete, my Department will be in further contact with the school. The project will be progressed into the architectural planning process without delay when the brief has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that agreement in principle has been reached in respect of the potential acquisition of a site in Donaghcumper, Celbridge for permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy. The next stage in the acquisition process is the completion of the conveyancing process. Officials in my Department are liaising with the vendor in order to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Expulsions (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to answer Question Nos. 133 to 138, inclusive, together. Under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, parents or students who have reached the age of 18 years, can make an appeal to the Secretary General of my Department where a board of management or a person acting on behalf of the board of management, permanently excludes a student from a school, or suspends a student for 20 or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Expulsions (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to answer Question Nos. 139 to 144, inclusive together. In the case of a school which is established or maintained by an Education and Training Board (ETB) any appeal being taken in accordance with section 29 of the Education Act 1998, lies in the first instance with the ETB.  My Department began to collate statistics on ETB section 29 appeals in 2016.  The figures...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), in common with many other psychological services and best international practice, has adopted a consultative model of service. The focus is on empowering teachers to intervene effectively with pupils whose needs range from mild to severe and transient to enduring. Psychologists use a problem...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cóiríocht Scoile (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: Is mian liom a chur in iúl don Teachta nach bhfuil aon iarratas faighte ag mo Roinn do chóiríocht breise don scoil thuasluaite. Is féidir iarratas a chur chuig mo Roinn maidir le haon easnamh cóiríochta a aithnítear; is féidir foirmeacha iarratais a rochtain ar láithreán gréasáin mo Roinne ag www.education.ie.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Quality and Qualifications Ireland (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: An independent external review of the current organisational structure of Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) was completed by Clarion Consulting Ltd in December 2016. The purpose of the review was to identify a more appropriate staffing structure that will enable QQI to fulfil its statutory responsibilities and to communicate effectively both internally and externally. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The name of a technological university will be a matter in the first instance for the institutes applying for designation as a technological university. I understand that in the case of TU4Dublin, the consortium is about to commence a process to seek input from stakeholders on the potential name for the new technological university, should their application be successful. This...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that a project to provide permanent accommodation for the school in question is included on my Department's 6 year capital programme. The Deputy will also be aware that my Department has been working with the local authority to acquire a site for the development. The conveyancing process commenced in mid-September 2017. There is ongoing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions Expenditure (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The project to which the Deputy refers was among 11 projects which I announced on 16th October last would be included in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme for the higher education sector. The total capital construction cost of this Programme is €200 million. I am not in a position to release information on the cost of any individual project at this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Expulsions (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The position is that the selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils' not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology Funding (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The GMIT project to which the Deputy refers was among those which I announced would be included in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme for the higher education sector. The GMIT proposal involves the construction of a new STEM building, including labs, multi-purpose rooms, lab support rooms, seminar rooms and classrooms. I am not in a position to release...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology Funding (24 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Mayo Campus of GMIT has a very important role to play in delivering economic growth and job creation. The importance of the GMIT Mayo Campus is recognised by the Department, the Higher Education Authority and GMIT. For that reason, I established the GMIT Working Group in March 2017 with then Taoiseach Enda Kenny, TD. The Working Group has been engaging with all the relevant...