Results 13,561-13,580 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme (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 Details of successful school applicants in respect of Categories 1 and 2 were announced last April and are published on my Department’s website www.education.ie. Assessment of valid projects in further categories is now being undertaken by...

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

Richard Bruton: I can confirm for the Deputy that revised payscales and allowances for persons recruited to certain direct entry grades resulting from the implementation of Government Decisions, FEMPI legislation and various National Pay Agreements are applicable to the position of Youthreach Resource Persons.

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

Richard Bruton: My Department is aware of the enrolment issues in the area referred to by the Deputy and is in ongoing direct contact with a number of the primary school in respect of their junior infant capacity. As the Deputy may be aware, there are 13 primary schools in the area referred to of which 11 schools enrol junior infants: two of the schools are Senior Primary Schools catering for 3rdto 6thclass...

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

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that my Department understands that tenders for the project to which he refers issued on 3 April, 2017. The Tender return date is 10 May 2017. As the Deputy will be aware, the Design Team for the project is working to an accelerated programme to ensure that the new school building will be ready for occupation for September, 2018. My Department...

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

Richard Bruton: The measures announced by my Department as part of Budget 2016 and 2017 mean that 400 guidance posts, or two thirds of the Guidance allocation that was withdrawn in Budget 2012, will be restored to schools from September 2017. It has been made clear that all these 400 posts are allocated separately and transparently, and outside of the quota on the normal schedule of posts. This has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: International Summits (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The International Summit on the Teaching Profession is just one of a number of initiatives that are organised by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in the area of education policy. The Summit on the Teaching Profession is organised by the OECD in conjunction with a number of partners, including Education International, the international organisation of teachers’...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Exchange Scheme (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The provisions of the teacher exchange scheme are set out by my Department in Circular Letter 0017/2015 the contents of which were agreed under the auspices of the Teacher Conciliation Council. The Teacher Conciliation Council is part of the scheme of Conciliation and Arbitration for Teachers and was set up to deal with claims and proposals relating to the Terms and Conditions of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: ACELS (the Accreditation and Coordination of English Language Services) is a voluntary national scheme responsible for the development and management of the recognition and inspection of English language schools.  ACELS is operated by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).  My Department does not maintain figures of the occupancy rates within privately operated English language...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Proposed Legislation (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: Legislative amendments are necessary to facilitate the introduction of the International Education Mark (IEM). These amendments will be contained in the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Amendment) Bill.  The Heads of this Bill are currently being prepared by my Department in consultation with Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), and will be brought to Government for...

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

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 161 together. I presume the Deputy meant to refer to 2017 in her Question No. 161 (Ref. No. 16863/17). The Government is committed to progressing the development of a dynamic and innovative education system that reflects the diversity of twenty-first Century Ireland. The Programme for a Partnership Government reflects the Government’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (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 support...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Digital Strategy for Schools (5 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. The Strategy recognises the issues schools face in relation to ICT infrastructure, and funding of €210m is committed to address these requirements over the period of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Garda Vetting of Personnel (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: On the 1 January 2017, there were approximately 32,500 teachers on the Teaching Council’s Register of Teachers who had not been previously garda vetted by the Council. This cohort of teachers were typically permanent teachers who have been in the same school since prior to the introduction of vetting in 2006.  The Teaching Council Amendment Act 2015 Act has, inter alia,...

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

Richard Bruton: It is widely accepted that the quality of school leadership is a key determinant of school effectiveness and the achievement of good learning outcomes. Indeed international research indicates that school leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on pupil learning. Budget 2016 provided 250 posts to second level schools to enable Deputy Principals to be more fully...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 162 together. Budget 2016 provided for an improvement in the staffing schedule in primary schools by 1 point, from 1 teacher for every 28 pupils to 1 teacher for every 27 pupils for the 2016/17 school year and it should be noted that the current staffing schedule of 27:1 for primary schools has restored it to the position it was at prior to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commencement of Legislation (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: The only remaining section of the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 to be commenced is Section 39, which deals with continuing education and training and professional development of teachers.  I am advised by the Teaching Council that Cosán, the national framework for teacher’s learning (CPD) has entered a development phase which is due to conclude in 2020. This will then...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: In 2017, my Department will invest almost €450m in access measures to assist students from under-represented groups to participate in and complete higher education.   This will benefit approximately 80,000 disadvantaged students through the student grant scheme. Other measures include the Student Assistance Fund and the Fund for Students with Disabilities. The Report of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: 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. These included pay reductions and also reductions to the pay of new entrant public servants, including teachers, since 2011. Collective agreements reached between the Government and the public service unions provided vital...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Croke Park Agreement Issues (5 Apr 2017)

Richard Bruton: 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. It was indicated at that time that in the event of continuing failure to co-operate in the medium term, further additional...