Results 13,001-13,020 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: It is unfair to say that it is misleading. My understanding of this, which I will have to get clarified because there is obviously a difference of evidence, is that the Department has responded to the need. As the Deputy rightly says, this is the largest school in the country. The Department has built a new school. That school is to provide for 1,000 children. This is an area that is...

Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy D'Arcy for raising this matter. The briefing I have is not quite the same as the issue the Deputy has outlined. Perhaps we need to clarify some points. It has certainly not been brought to my attention by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which would have responsibility for placing children, that the needs of the children in Gorey community school are not...

Order of Business (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Troy for raising this issue. This is very important legislation because, as he knows, we want to underpin regional development by creating consolidated technological universities which have the breadth and strength to build and drive regional development. There have been problems but I am glad to report that we have entered into discussions with the TUI and that discussions...

Order of Business (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: We also want to ensure that, as we develop the proposals, each of the regions have concepts that can be driven forward. There is no unnecessary delay but it has been difficult and there is no point in proceeding with it until-----

Order of Business (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy rightly said, we need a level of consensus to implement this Bill.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Funding (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual institution. Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and my Department has no role in their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Funding (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department allocates the recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions including Institutes of Technology (IoTs) such as Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT). The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Participation (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: Two of the main initiatives that are available in HEIs to promote access by students from under-represented groups are the Student Assistance Fund and the Fund for Students with Disabilities. The Student Assistance Fund provides financial assistance for full-time students who are experiencing financial difficulties whilst attending college. Students can apply for assistance to help them...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The means test arrangements of the Student Grant Scheme are applied nationally on the same basis to both employed and self-employed applicants. Gross income before the deduction of income tax or the universal social charge, is assessed with certain specified social welfare and health service executive payments excluded. The assessment of income from the same starting point is deemed to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Retention Rates (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: In line with the overall mission of higher education in Ireland there has been a steady increase in student enrolments over recent years. The most recent report by the HEA on retention and progression, entitled 'A Study of Progression in Higher Education focuses on the progression of students from their first year of study in 2013/14 to their second year of study in 2014/15. This is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that DES Circular 0013/2017 for primary schools and 0014/2017 for post primary schools were published on 7th March 2017. These Circulars set out the details of the new model for allocating special education teachers to schools. The revised allocation model replaces the generalised allocation process at primary and post primary school level for learning support...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to answer Parliamentary Questions Nos. 173, 186 and 203 together. As a consequence of the financial crisis, there was a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure so as to stabilise the country's public finances. A previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable to all new entrants to public service recruitment grades by 10% with effect from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: All pre-school services, participating in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme introduced in 2010, are required to implement the early childhood quality and curriculum frameworks: Síolta and Aistear. The commitment to implement these frameworks is a condition of the contract agreed between pre-school service providers and the Department of Children and Youth affairs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (9 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: Capitation Grants (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: My ambition is to make the Irish education and training service the best in Europe within a decade. To deliver on my ambition to be the best we have to improve information and complaint procedures for parents and students, particularly in relation to costs. I want to give parents a strong voice in ensuring costs are always kept to a minimum. Schools have to do everything possible to keep...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: I would inform the Deputy that officials in my Department are currently compiling the data requested in her question and I will arrange to have it forwarded to her without further delay.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: There are currently 3 streams of funding for the Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to support the delivery of access –a block grant through the Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM), the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) and the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). The RGAM grant goes to the higher education institutions and the FSD and SAF directly support students....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Labour Court Recommendations (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, on the 27th March 2017 the Labour Court issued its recommendation regarding the effective date for the implementation of the Job Evaluation Exercise carried out in the Tyndall National Institute. The Court recommended that the effective date for the re-grading of staff in accordance with the job evaluation exercise be the 12th September 2016 and my officials are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Data (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Higher Education System Performance Framework, and the individual compacts that are agreed by each Higher Education Institution with the HEA, provide the strategic framework for evaluating the effectiveness of the higher education system in meeting its key objectives. One of these seven key objectives relates to Equity of Access. The last System Performance report...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Data (9 May 2017)

Richard Bruton: It is important to note that an initial assessment of all schools has been used to extend DEIS supports to those schools with the highest concentrations of disadvantage as detailed in the list of schools published on 13th February. This represents a first step in the application of the new DEIS identification process and we are moving to support pupils in those...