Results 12,701-12,720 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is a perfectly valid one. The education and training of pharmacists to first registration is specified in EU legislation, at Article 44 of Directive 2005/36/EC, and consists of a five-year education and training programme which must include a minimum of six months' practical training under the supervision of a pharmacist. In Ireland, the...

Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the original reply explained, this was put together by a group which looked at international best practice and decided that the new programme structure should be different. It has set out dispersed shadow placement in year two and a practice-based approach in years three, four and five, rather than a focus on the final year. These are designed to be workplace-based learning experiences...

Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001 to 2015, the Teaching Council appoints the director. The legislation requires the council to obtain the consent of the Minister for the procedures the council proposes to apply. In addition, the Ministers for Education and Skills and Public Expenditure and Reform must give their consent to the contractual terms and conditions of the director. The...

Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I should point out that the appointment of the director in 2012 followed a public selection process. This individual was chosen following an open and fair competition process. There was not an automatic reappointment. The board of the Teaching Council decided that it was its preference that this individual would continue to do the work that he was undertaking, and for good reason. The...

Priority Questions: Appointments to State Boards (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am not privy to the deliberations of the board. It must make up its own mind about any office. The board recommended in December that this individual be reappointed. The concern that was brought to my attention did not relate to the board's wish to have an open competition, but its fear that a legal question would arise whereby an individual who was given a second term could then have an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Modern Language Teaching (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The publication of an ambitious ten-year Foreign Language Strategy is a key commitment in my Department's Action Plan for Education and is a priority issue for me.  The Strategy will include the following goals: - Introduction of Mandarin Chinese as a Leaving Certificate cu rricular subject. Together with other measures, this will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (24 May 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 with TUI and INTO 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: State Examinations (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. They have provided me with the following information. Examination superintendents are appointed annually by the SEC. Appointment in one year does not necessarily guarantee appointment in any subsequent year.  The positions are advertised: - in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Secondment (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The teacher secondment scheme is designed to facilitate the temporary assignment of a teacher to a vacant position in a host organisation, where the work to be carried out by the seconded teacher is of clear benefit to the education system.   A secondment must be based on mutual agreement between the teacher, the school authority and the host organisation and is subject to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Language Schools (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I published the General Scheme of a Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Amendment) Bill on 15th May 2017, following approval by Government. The General Scheme provides for the protection of enrolled learners through the establishment of a Learner Protection Fund. This Learner Protection Fund will provide the type of learner protection that was initially envisaged in 2012, when the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Asylum Support Services (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Pilot Support Scheme was introduced by my Department in 2015 for students who are in the Protection System or at the Leave to Remain (but not deportation order) stage. This was one of the recommendations contained in the report by the Working Group on the Protection Process which was chaired by former High Court judge Dr Bryan McMahon. The scheme provides supports to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Creative Ireland Programme (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: 'Creative Ireland' is the Government’s legacy programme following on from the successful 'Ireland 2016' initiative. It is a five-year programme, from 2017 to 2022, which places creativity at the centre of public policy. Devising an integrated implementation plan for Arts-in-Education is a priority under Pillar 1 of the programme, whose aim is to enable the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: Community National Schools are multi-denominational schools which provide for belief nurturing during the school day. There are eleven such schools in existence at present. They aim to accommodate parents who wish to have their children learn about different faiths and beliefs while at the same time nurturing children in their own beliefs. ‘Goodness Me, Goodness...

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

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware the project in respect of the education campus in Buncrana was announced as part of the Six Year Capital Programme. A preferred site option was identified and officials from Donegal County Council, on behalf of my Department, have engaged with the landowner in question with a view to its acquisition. These negotiations have not yielded a positive result to date...

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

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not have any record of receiving an application for capital funding from the school to which he refers. It is open to the school authority to submit an application to my Department and an application form may be accessed on my Department's website www.education.gov.ie.  Any application received will be considered in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The term of office of the outgoing members of the Board of Caranua expired on 24 March last. A process to appoint members to the Board, which was managed on my behalf by the Public Appointments Service (PAS), is now nearing a conclusion and I will be making the necessary appointments in the coming days. The outgoing Chairperson, Mr David O’Callaghan has been reappointed as a member...

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

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including the Central...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy is referring to the consultation process that I have undertaken on the role of denominational religion in the school admission process and possible approaches for making changes.  I have stated that I believe that it is unfair that preference is given by publicly-funded religious schools to children of their own religion who might live some distance...

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

Richard Bruton: My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. The GIS uses data from a range of sources, including the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey...

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

Richard Bruton: The meeting to which the Deputy refers took place on the 18th of May last.  It was a constructive meeting with the school undertaking to provide additional information for consideration by my Department.  My Department will engage further with the school when this information has been received.