Results 13,541-13,560 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that a building project for each of the three schools referred to in the details supplied is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme (2016-2021). In the case of the first and second named schools, my Department has undertaken site visits to the schools in the context of initiating the planning work for the building projects....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (5 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: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (5 Apr 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that a building project for the school in question is included in my Department's 6 year Construction Programme (2019/21). My Department has identified a suitable site as a permanent location for the school to which he refers and the acquisition process is underway. Discussions are ongoing in relation to the provision of access to the site and officials in my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: Caranua is an independent statutory body established under the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012. The legislation provides that €110 million in contributions from religious congregations will be made available to Caranua to help meet the needs of persons who, as children, were abused in residential institutions. To date some €97 million, comprising contributions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: With regard to the Leaving Certificate Science subjects, new draft specifications for Leaving Certificate Biology, Chemistry and Physics have been prepared by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). A very important feature of these new specifications is the introduction of practical assessment components. The NCCA has recommended that, in each of these subjects,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 70 and 73 together. The Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, under the chairmanship of Peter Cassells, was established to develop a strategy for funding the third level sector. The report outlines the funding challenges in the sector and offers recommendations for the medium term. As committed to in the Programme for Government, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Multidenominational Schools (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 81 together. The Community National School is a new model of multi-denominational school which is not that well-known among the public. However, I believe it has a bright future ahead of it and a major role to play in providing choice to parents in the future. Community National Schools are multi-denominational and they provide for belief...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Participation (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The higher education system continues to respond strongly to the challenge of meeting Ireland’s human capital needs. While the economic recovery has created a strong and growing demand for graduate level employment, the higher education system continues to expand and enrol more students, and to provide an increasing supply of graduates for the labour market. Overall student numbers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy refers was approved funding to build 2 mainstream classrooms and 2 resource rooms under my Department’s Additional Accommodation Scheme 2013. The school authority recently submitted an alternative proposal to use the approved funding to provide a range of different and mostly ancillary accommodation and works to the external environment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Programme (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government outlines that this Government will continue to support the creation of Technological Universities. This is in line with the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 which provides a framework for the development of the higher education sector to 2030. With regard to the institute of technology sector, the Strategy recommended...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The decision to use tablet devices is a matter for the Board of Management of each school. Where the introduction of new technology is planned, there should be consultation with members of the school community including parents. An advice sheet on the adoption of tablets in schools is available on the Professional Development Service for Teachers (Technology in Education - PDST TIE )...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (5 Apr 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: Education Expenditure (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: In the most recent data available, Ireland ranked 10th among EU countries in terms of annual expenditure on educational institutions per student . Further information in this context is available in the OECD’s 2016 Education at a Glance Report (with particular reference to indicators B1 and B3), available on the OECD i-Library website. (Link: ) In relation to spending increases...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: 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. Nearly 50% of schools have applied for inclusion under the (SWS) which reflects a very high demand. Details of successful school applicants in respect of Categories 1 and 2 were announced in April 2016 and are published on my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I note that the ASTI’s Central Executive Council announced at the weekend that it would hold a ballot for industrial action over the potential redundancy of ASTI member teachers. The protection from compulsory redundancy that public servants have arises from commitments given by the Government under the Lansdowne Road Agreement. This protection is not available to those who...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Status (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: DEIS Plan 2017 provides for a new identification model for assessment of a school's level of disadvantage using centrally held data. The key data sources are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases and the CSO Small Area of Population (SAP) data from Census 2011 as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation Index (HP Index). This data ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The report referred to by the Deputy recommends that the exemption provided for denominational schools in Section 7(3)(c) of the Equal Status Act 2000 should be removed. In this regard as the Deputy will be aware, I commenced a public consultation process from 24th January to 20th March 2017 on the role of denominational religion in the school admission process and possible...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. 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 previous 30 September. The staffing arrangements for the 2017/18...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (5 Apr 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 process replaces the generalised allocation process at primary and post primary school level for learning...