Results 11,141-11,160 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Establishment (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: In the past, public service employers had adopted varying practices in regard to leave entitlements which involved atypical and local arrangements which varied from sector to sector and from employer to employer. Such legacy issues in regard to leave entitlements arose because of the wide variety and the number of employers involved across the public service. With a view to correcting these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Data (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 and 85 together. The annual accounts for ETBs (and previously for VECs) provide detailed information on funding from a range of sources and how it was used. These accounts, when finalised and audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General, are published on the Oireachtas website. The most recent set of published annual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Expenditure (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: South and North Tipperary VECs were dissolved and Tipperary ETB was established in 2013.  As the Deputy is aware it had been decided in advance that rather than centralise the administrative offices for the new ETB in one location in County Tipperary, both of the former VEC head office locations were to be retained as designated offices of the ETB....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Circulars (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: Since 2013, my Department has issued the following Circulars in relation to expenses policy, which have been provided to the Deputy for his information: - Circular 18/2015 – Code of Practice for the Governance of ETBs, which includes references to expenses policy - Circular 31/2015 - Attendance by members and employees of ETBs at courses, conferences, seminars etc. abroad - Circular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question has submitted an application for capital funding for the provision of additional accommodation. My Department is currently considering the application and will convey a decision to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Junior Cycle Reform (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) is the Department service supporting schools in their implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle through the provision of appropriate high quality continuing professional development (CPD) for school leaders and teachers, and the provision of effective teaching and learning resources. All schools have been asked to register their teachers with JCT in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: In accordance with the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school and the day to day management of same. Schools must exercise their own judgment in implementing their enrolment policies and what is appropriate in each individual case, while respecting any order made by the Court in relation to the custody...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, the project for the school in question is included on my Department's Capital Programme. Officials in my Department continue to liaise with officials in Fingal County Council in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the identification and acquisition of a suitable site for this school. As with other site acquisitions in the area, due to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: Following enquiries made by Officials from my Department with SUSI, I am advised that the student in this case applied for renewal of her student grant in April 2017 and immediately received an affirmative award decision from SUSI on the basis of her indication in applying that she progressing into the third year of her course in the 2017-18 academic year and that there had been no...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Eligibility (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: We have, for the first time, introduced an objective, statistics based model for deciding which schools merit inclusion in the DEIS Programme, so that all stakeholders can have confidence that we are targeting extra resources at those schools with the highest concentrated levels of disadvantage. The key data sources used in the DEIS identification process are the DES Primary Online...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 96 and 99 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can assure the Deputy that my Department will take the necessary measures to support schools in dealing with the damage caused by storm Ophelia. For schools which require repairs, any non-State owned schools should in the first instance contact their Insurance Providers before contacting the Department regarding emergency funding, for any State owned buildings school authorities may...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can assure the Deputy that my Department will take the necessary measures to support the school to which he refers in dealing with the damage caused by storm Ophelia. The school authority has been in contact with my Departments Planning and Building Unit regarding Emergency Works Funding and we are working closely with the school to ensure this matter is dealt with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (19 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, a project to provide permanent accommodation for the schools in question is included on my Department's Capital Programme. Officials in my Department continue to liaise with officials in the relevant local authority in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the identification and acquisition of a suitable site for these...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Education Centre Network (18 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senators for raising this. There is a good deal of misunderstanding in this area. These posts have always been on secondment. They were never designed to be permanent management posts and they were always renewed on a yearly basis. They have never been permanent positions and they are not management positions. The approach the Department has always taken is that it wants...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Education Centre Network (18 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: That policy has always been the policy but the statutory instrument and the regulations were not in place. It is also important to say that many hundreds of teachers have rotated out on this basis. There are some directors who do not want to rotate out but we believe it is the right policy. Where we have replaced the directors, we have obtained very good people and there has not been...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Education Centre Network (18 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: When this policy came in, other teachers who had been in the system for 15 years had to go back into the school room, and support was provided for the transition. Many of the directors have been in post for ten and sometimes 15 or 20 years. I do not think that is at all in accord with a secondment policy. Secondment is, by its nature, temporary. These are year-on-year renewals. We are...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Education Centre Network (18 Oct 2017)

Richard Bruton: I have. That is not in the regulations, which provide for one five-year term. People can come back and apply for a second term but, as I understand it, that is after they have been back in the school environment. They can then have a second term on a second occasion.