Results 11,421-11,440 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Responsibilities (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: Two Ministers of State were appointed at my Department, Mary Mitchell O'Connor T.D. as Minister of State with responsibility for Higher Education and John Halligan T.D. as Minister of State with responsibility for Training, Skills, Innovation and Research and Development. There are two Delegation of Functions Orders in place. These Orders were made on 18 July 2017 and are available at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department administers a number of grants which together aim to improve and maintain school buildings and which can be used to address the issues raised. The Minor Works Grant for primary schools and the Capitation grant for post primary schools may be used to improve the physical infrastructure and appearance of schools without needing to deal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff Appeals Mechanism (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.   The staffing schedule operates in a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Speech and Language Therapy Provision (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 to 97, inclusive, together. My Department provides an extensive range of supports for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder (SSLD) including provision for the establishment of special classes for Specific Speech and Language Disorder in primary schools. Speech and Language Therapy services are provided to these classes by the Health Service...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: Budget 2017 represented the start of a major reinvestment in education, and the first phase of implementation of the Action Plan for Education, aimed at becoming the best education system in Europe within a decade. The budget provided for over 2,400 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools in the 2017/18 school year. Each 1 point adjustment to the staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: Budget 2017 represents the start of a major reinvestment in education, and the first phase of implementation of the Action Plan for Education, aimed at becoming the best education system in Europe within a decade. The budget provided for over 2,400 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools in the 2017/18 school year. It is my intention to make further...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: The estimated cost of increasing the rate of capitation by €10 per pupil in primary schools is circa €5.9m. The estimated cost of increasing the rate of capitation by €10 per pupil in post-primary schools is circa €3.7m. The estimated overall cost of a 5% increase to capitation rates in primary and post-primary schools is circa €10m. The Action Plan...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: Circular 12/2016, which is available on the Department website, outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year in order to assist them fulfilling their principal duties. Under these arrangements my Department pays for a substitute teacher to be employed by a school to facilitate administrative functions to be undertaken by the teaching...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Expenditure (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware of the Programme for Government commitment to increase financial supports for postgraduate students with a particular focus on those from low income households. In response to this commitment, I secured additional funding of €4 million in Budget 2017 to facilitate the reinstatement of full maintenance grants, from September 2017, for the most disadvantaged...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: Based on the number of students that qualified for free fees funding in the academic year 2015/16, and taking into account overall expected increases in student numbers, it is estimated that the net cost to my Department of reducing the Student Contribution by €250 would be €18.4m; by €500 would cost €36.8m and by €1,000 would cost €73.6m. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Expenditure (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: The cost of reversing the change to the adjacent rate of the Student Grant, reducing it from 45 kilometres to 24 kilometres; is estimated to be in the region of €25m. This calculation is based on student grant holders for the academic year 2016/17. Prior to the introduction of the 45 km rule, circa three-quarters of all maintenance grant holders qualified for the higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the concept of streamlining in relation to the provision of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support has not been drawn to my attention heretofore. My Department’s policy is that children with special educational needs should be included in mainstream placements with additional supports provided, unless such a placement would not be in their best...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: Budget 2017 set out the resources available for schools in the 2017/18 school year. The budget provides for over 2,400 additional teaching posts for our primary and post-primary schools in the current school year. Budget 2016 provided for an improvement in the staffing schedule in primary schools by 1 point, from 1 teacher for every 28 pupils to 1 teacher for every 27 pupils for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2018 (27 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: Decisions in relation to Budget 2018 will be taken as part of the estimates process and will be announced on Budget day. The 2017/18 school year brings a significant increase of over 5,000 in teacher numbers in our schools compared to the 2015/16 school year. While I am aware of the issues outlined, there are needs across the system which have to be balanced in the decisions made in each Budget.

Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (26 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am not sure that an on-site meeting is necessary at this stage to resolve these issues. The Department is looking for information on the existence and location of a water main, media underground services and ESB underground cables. This is factual information about mapping. I was not aware that this involved co-location with the Central Remedial Clinic, CRC, so I will have to explore...

Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (26 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. The Department is committed to a rebuild on the existing site. That has been accepted. As the Deputies have indicated, it is due for commencement between 2019 and 2021. It is at an early stage of planning within the Department. As Deputy Ó Broin has said, there are issues from the Department's point of view. It needs additional...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Breaches of Fire Safety Standards: Discussion (26 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the joint committee for giving me the opportunity to discuss the recent matters concerning fire safety. My Department takes fire safety very seriously. I am announcing today a series of measures to deliver best practice in terms of fire safety. The measures cover the following three broad areas: a programme of audits to ensure compliance with fire certificates; a range of measures...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Breaches of Fire Safety Standards: Discussion (26 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank members for the comprehensive range of questions. The rapid build approach was introduced in 2008. After planning permission was obtained, the contractor did the design and build work. The contractor signed off in 2008 that the buildings were compliant with the terms of the fire certificate. However, defects were found in a particular school in the batch from 2008. The Department...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Breaches of Fire Safety Standards: Discussion (26 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: -----or demonstrated significant or persistent deficiencies in the performance of a public contract which led to its early termination. The situations in which one can or cannot exclude a builder from a particular application process are very clear. It is true that although we are carrying out an audit of every building constructed by Western Building Systems, the Department is confident...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Breaches of Fire Safety Standards: Discussion (26 Sep 2017)

Richard Bruton: There is an ongoing court case involving the Office of Public Works.