Results 13,461-13,480 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school in question has recently submitted an application to my Department for capital funding for additional school accommodation.  The application will be considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Service Provision (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 Enhancing Teaching Learning and Assessment, sets out the Department's vision for embedding ICT in teaching learning and assessment in primary and post-primary schools. A key priority of the Strategy will be to address the broadband connectivity issues experienced by primary schools owing to infrastructural deficits and the dispersal of primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The information requested by the Deputy is being collated by my Department and will be forwarded to the Deputy when compiled.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Workplace Relations Commission (11 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: There are no adjudications or findings of the Workplace Relations Commission in respect of public bodies in any of the years 2015 to 2016 or to date in 2017, that have been submitted for consideration to my Department and that have not been accepted.

Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. The school is successful and no one doubts its quality. As Deputy Brendan Smith stated, it saw a dramatic increase in enrolments. I have examined the history of the project. To be fair, the delay has been for good reason, in that the board of management requested the addition of five permanent classrooms, increasing the school's size from 21...

Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I will take up that point. My understanding is that the decant plan forms part of the main contract and is not a separate contract. It is not an option for the Department to undertake the decant piece, which I understand has planning permission in respect of two modular prefabricated single storey buildings, except as part of the entire contract. The two parts must move together. Approval...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (6 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: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The major building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Certificate and Disability Access Certificate and the preparation of Tender Documents. All applications for Statutory Approvals have been lodged and the Disability Access Certificate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The independent Appeals Officer is appointed under section 21 of the 2012 Act. The Appeals Officer has dealt with 195 cases to date. 2016 saw a significant increase in the number of appeals rising from 89 in 2015 to 165 in 2016. Unfortunately, the increased volume has led to a delay in the processing of appeals. I am conscious of the need to deal with appeals promptly and officials from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the Student grant scheme maintenance grants are available for undergraduate students pursuing approved third level courses in other E.U. Member States including Northern Ireland, where they meet the student grants scheme criteria. Fee grants are not available for those students, other than for exceptional provision in respect of postgraduate course in Northern Ireland. I understand...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that I ran a public consultation process from 24th January to 20th March 2017 on the role of religion in the school admission process and possible approaches for making changes. 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 away, ahead of children of a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that a building project for the school referred to in the details supplied is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme (2016-2021). My Department is currently engaging with officials in Fingal County Council regarding the development of an educationally zoned site in the area in question. Specific technical issues around the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Pension Unit of my Department is responsible for policy, regulatory, advice and operational functions relating to the pensions of staff within the education sector. The highest priority within this work, is given to processing retirement benefits (lump sum payments and fortnightly pensions) for teachers and non-teaching staff who are scheduled to retire and to spouses/children of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Funding (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The total recurrent budget allocation for 2017 for the higher education institutions under the designation of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), which includes all of the Universities and Institutes of Technology, is €978.533 million. My Department allocates the recurrent funding to the HEA for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school in question has submitted an application to my Department for capital funding for additional school accommodation. The application will be considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Data (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The key data sources used in the DEIS identification process are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and the Post-Primary Online Database (PPOD) containing school data provided directly by schools to the Department and CSO Small Area data from the National Census of Population 2011 as represented in the Pobal HP Index. The HP Index, which is a method of measuring the relative...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Data (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The key data sources used in the DEIS Identification process are DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases as populated by schools and the CSO Small Area of Population (SAP) data from the National Census of Population 2011 as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation Index (HP Index). Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that my Department is in receipt of a Category 6 application, roof works project, under the Summer Works Scheme (2016 - 2017) from the school to which he refers. I wish to advise the Deputy that the current Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is being applied on a multi-annual basis for the years 2016 and 2017. Details of successful school applicants in respect of Categories 1 and 2 were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application to my Department for improved accommodation. The application will be considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed. With regard to prefab replacement, over the lifetime of my Department's Capital Programme, it is my intention to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to confirm to the Deputy that the school in question has recently submitted an application to my Department for capital funding for additional school accommodation. The application will be considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed. I also wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provided significant...