Results 12,721-12,740 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

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

Richard Bruton: The Technological University for the South-East (TUSE) project was initiated in 2011 and consists of a consortium of two Institutes of Technology; Institute of Technology Carlow (ITC) and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT). The TUSE consortium made good progress initially and submitted a Stage 1 expression of interest in 2012.  However, following this initial promising start, the...

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

Richard Bruton: The current consultation process is specifically in relation to the role of denominational religion in the school admission process. I am the first Minister for Education to state that the system as it currently exists is unfair and the current consultation forum is the first consultation forum on this issue. I believe that it is unfair that preference is given by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: This Government is committed to ensuring that all children with Special Educational Needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Oideachas Gaeltachta (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: Ag an leibhéal bunscoile, déanann an Polasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta 2017-2022 tagairt don soláthar áiteanna le haghaidh 30 múinteoir in aghaidh na bliana ó 2018/19 ar aghaidh i gcomhthéacs an chláir nua um oiliúint tosaigh múinteoirí trí mheán na Gaeilge do mhúinteoirí bunscoile. Tá an phleanáil ar...

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

Richard Bruton: The Government recognises the importance of the higher education sector to Ireland's future economic and social development. However, the reality of the economic situation and the public expenditure corrections which had to be made in recent years presented challenges across all areas of public expenditure, including higher education. The sector has responded well to these challenges and has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Literacy Programmes (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: Reading Recovery is a literacy initiative that was initially made available for DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 schools only as part of Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS), the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion, which was launched in May 2005. Each of these schools was given an opportunity to have a teacher trained as a Reading Recovery teacher. In some areas where training took...

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. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and my Department's own databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises at primary and...

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

Richard Bruton: My Department's Six-Year Capital Programme priorities building projects for areas of demographic growth. The Capital Programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms for schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified or where an additional teacher has been appointed.  While my Department is aware that some consideration is been given locally...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Arts in Education Charter (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Arts in Education Charter, launched in 2013, has been a landmark development. The Charter is an initiative of my Department, the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, working in association with the Arts Council.  Through the co-operation of both Departments and the Arts Council, good progress has been made on implementation of the Charter...

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

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department recently received correspondence from the Patron of the schools in question relating to a proposal to amalgamate both schools. My Department subsequently sought additional information from the Patron relating to the proposal and this has now been received. My Department will be in further contact with the Patron when the additional information...

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

Richard Bruton: In 2016, a total of 21,464 students sat Junior Cycle Home Economics as part of the State Examinations. 15,848 female students sat the Junior Cycle Higher Level Home Economics examination, while 2,079 male students sat the paper.  At ordinary Level 2,307 female students and 1,230 male students sat the paper. There are no plans to make the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology Staff (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: A competition for the position of President of Dundalk IT was held by the Public Appointments Service in 2016. Unfortunately the outcome of that competition was unsuccessful.  It has been agreed to run a new competition for the appointment of the President using the frameworks for such a recruitment process as set out by the Office of Government...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Qualifications Recognition (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The education and training of pharmacists to first registration is specified in EU legislation (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 Pharmacy Act 2007 conferred responsibility on the Pharmaceutical...

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 my Department's 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Proposed Legislation (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I published the General Scheme of a Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Amendment) Bill on Monday 15th May 2017, following approval by Government. This new Bill contains provisions which will make it an offence to provide or advertise any form of academic cheating services such as those provided by essay mill companies. The type of approach that is proposed in the General Scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department's policy is to promote a child-centred approach to education of all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, in school settings. Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational interventions, delivered by fully qualified professional teachers, with the support of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Administration (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, the publication in February last of DEIS Plan 2017 was preceded by a comprehensive DEIS Review process which included the work of a Technical Group to consider appropriate eligibility criteria to identify the level of need in schools and to develop an appropriate methodology for a new assessment framework.   The Technical Group undertook an extensive...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, is an independent statutory body established pursuant to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012. Section 7(7) of that Act provides that the Board, as it considers necessary for the performance of its functions and with the approval of the Minister, may enter into contracts with persons and engage consultants or advisers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Extra Curricular Activities (24 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that religious education is one of the seven curricular areas of the Primary Curriculum (1999) and primary schools are currently required to allocate thirty minutes per day for religious instruction. However, unlike other subject areas, the content of the religious curriculum provided by schools is not set by the Department of Education and Skills. The Education Act...

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

Richard Bruton: In early May, the Christian Brothers congregation wrote to me on the wider issue of the transfer of ownership of its playing fields to the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, ERST. That recent correspondence also noted the proposal to dispose of part of the lands at the school to which the Deputy refers, a post-primary school under the patronage of ERST, and it states that contracts have already...