Results 13,361-13,380 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Topical Issue Debate (Resumed): School Accommodation Provision (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: There is no doubt but that if Meath footballers started to do the haka before their competitions, we would certainly see a bit of a change. I note that the Dublin team was under pressure at the weekend-----

Topical Issue Debate (Resumed): School Accommodation Provision (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: -----so perhaps this is the start of the great revival. I will definitely ask the Department to examine this matter. The position is that the school has 93 pupils enrolled. There are four permanent classrooms, a resource room, a staff room and an office. As the Deputy said, the school is using the local community centre for physical education. That is the factual situation against which...

Topical Issue Debate (Resumed): School Accommodation Provision (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I will convey that to the team examining this. My briefing notes do not refer to the added teacher in 2011 and how that issue was dealt with at that stage. I will ask that this be included in the assessment.

Topical Issue Debate (Resumed): School Accommodation Provision (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Cassells for raising this issue and I can understand his concern. The backdrop to this, which he probably understands, is the pressure I am under to deliver new school places. Each year we have to deliver at least 15,000 new school places and 5,000 absolutely essential replacements, and, therefore, the Department has to become very selective and prioritise very carefully....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: DEIS Scheme (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to discuss this matter as there are a number of things about which she is simply wrong and which I need to correct. I must ensure people understand what is happening. If there are two schools side by side and one has DEIS status, that relates back to the old scheme. There are 836 schools included in the old scheme and the problem is that it...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: DEIS Scheme (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I do not know what the number for Carlow-Kilkenny is.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: DEIS Scheme (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The schools were selected on the basis of greatest disadvantage. It represents less than 2% of all schools. As such, I could paper the wall with the submissions received from people who say there is another school here and another school there which should have been considered. However, that is the reality. I would love to have more money to extend the scheme. The Senator asked if there...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: DEIS Scheme (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: To put this in context, many schools which are unhappy they did not get a DEIS designation point out all the children they have with special needs or with language difficulties. The DEIS programme costs €100 million and is just one instrument we use in education policy to help children who otherwise might struggle. We have language support for children who do not have English as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department’s current priority, within the limited funding available, is the provision of essential classroom accommodation in areas where significant demographic need has been established to ensure that each child will have access to a physical school place. The Deputy will therefore appreciate that all applications for capital funding must be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2017/2018 school year is set out in the Staffing Schedule (Circular 0017/2017) which is available on the Department website. 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 30 September 2016. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The information requested by the Deputy is being compiled and will be forwarded directly to him.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the terms of Circular 0006/2014 the supervision and substitution allowance was discontinued with effect from the commencement of the 2013/14 school year. This Circular also provided that a gross additional payment of €1,592 in lieu of the supervision and substitution allowance would be included in the Common Basic Scale for teachers in two moieties - half in the school year...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The ASTI's withdrawal from the Croke Park hours means that the union has repudiated the Lansdowne Road Agreement. The financial and other consequences for ASTI members of failure to co-operate with the terms of the agreement were formally notified to ASTI in June 2016. By deciding to reject the Lansdowne Road Agreement, the ASTI has placed its members outside that Agreement and has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, my Department recently approved funding to the school in question to construct an additional classroom to accommodate the appointment of a third teacher. While the school's application did not include a request for the accommodation referred to in the details supplied by the Deputy, my Department considers that the school has sufficient accommodation for this purpose,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, the school in question submitted an application to my Department, for capital funding for improved school accommodation, including prefab replacement. The application was considered in the context of the very significant challenges facing my Department in prioritising available capital funding for essential mainstream classrooms to meet the demand for extra school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, approved course, previous academic attainment and means. The income thresholds for the Student Grant Scheme are announced annually as part of the Budget process. No changes to the thresholds were included in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Digital Strategy for Schools (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The “Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020, Enhancing Teaching, Learning and Assessment sets out a clear vision that is focused on realising the potential of digital technologies to transform the learning experiences of students by helping them become engaged thinkers, active learners, knowledge constructors and global citizens who participate fully in society and the economy. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme Data (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: Section 34(h) of the Commission to Inquire in to Child Abuse (Amendment) Act, 2005 inserts the following subsections after subsection 28 (5A) of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 “(5A) Nothing in subsection (1) operates to prohibit the production of a document prepared for the purposes or in contemplation of an application to the Board or a submission for a review by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Preschool Services (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that, in general, school authorities have a considerable degree of autonomy in relation to how their premises are managed and utilised at local level. It should be noted that the vast majority of primary school buildings in the country are in private ownership, including the school referred to by the Deputy. The Department has a general policy of encouraging...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Language Schools (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The majority of English language schools in Ireland are privately run and statistics on the number of these providers are not maintained by my Department. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) operates ACELS (the Accreditation and Coordination of English Language Services). ACELS is a voluntary scheme which grants recognition to English language schools in Ireland annually. A list...