Results 14,261-14,280 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places will arise. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Department of Social Protection, in addition to my Department’s own databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic analyses at primary and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff Contracts (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: Special Needs Assistants contracts define working hours as normal classroom hours including class break periods, attendance before and after school in order to help with preparation and tidying up of classrooms, reception and dispersal of children etc.  The contract will set the normal working hours of the school daily during term time.  These times are agreed locally by the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the statutory based Student Grants Scheme, decisions regarding late applications are matters to be determined by the awarding authority. As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: Under the Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution as defined in the scheme. The definition of an approved institution is set out in Section 7 of the Student Support Act 2011 and Regulation 3 of the Student Support Regulations 2016.   In the context of scarce resources, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Designation (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: DEIS is my Department's main policy initiative to tackle educational disadvantage. The DEIS Plan 2017 sets out our vision for future intervention in the critical area of social inclusion in education policy. A key element of the DEIS Plan 2017 is the availability of a new identification process for the assessment of schools for inclusion in DEIS using centrally held CSO and DES data. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware,  the school in question has submitted an application to my Department, for significant capital funding for additional school accommodation. The application will be 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that officials from my Department met with representatives of the school referred to and it was agreed that a further meeting would be convened when the pupil data assessment process discussed at the meeting was completed. This process was aimed at allowing adequate time for updated demographic data, taking into account overall current and projected pupil...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application for major capital works to my Department. Applications for major capital works are considered in the context of the very significant challenge facing my Department in prioritising available capital funding for essential mainstream classrooms to meet the demand for extra school places and where an additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Expenditure (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The school in question was approved funding in 2015 to build 2 classrooms with en-suite toilets and to convert an existing 40m² room into a multi-purpose room.  The School subsequently submitted an application for a GP room which it said it was willing to part fund.The Department approved a grant as a contribution towards the cost of a GP room on that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaelcholáistí Issues (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: Maynooth Community College opened in 2014 with an Irish-medium Aonad and it was stated that should the Aonad demonstrate sufficient viability after four years from its date of establishment, a Gaelcholáiste would be established, in a partnership patronage model between Kildare and Wicklow ETB and An Foras Pátrúnachta.  The new schools which will open in 2017 and 2018 to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy Refers was sanctioned a devolved grant under my Departments Additional Accommodation Scheme 2015 to provide 1 mainstream classroom, 1 WC for assisted users and 3 resource rooms. Following a request for additional funding in September, 2016, my Department increased the grant allocation for the approved works in line with current building costs. A further request...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that all aspects of the tendering process for the project to which he refers have been satisfactorily completed. The local Education and Training Board (ETB) is delivering the project and my Department gave approval to it on 27 February last to issue a Letter of Intent to award a contract to the preferred bidder. Assuming that the preferred...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools Scheme (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: DEIS is my Department's main policy initiative to tackle educational disadvantage. The DEIS Plan 2017 sets out our vision for future intervention in the critical area of social inclusion in education policy. I wish to advise the Deputy that details of all schools included in the list published on 13 February can be found on my Department's website at the following link: Schools were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools Scheme (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that I have recently received representations on behalf of the school in question. A reply will issue in the coming days. DEIS is my Department's main policy initiative to tackle educational disadvantage. The DEIS Plan for 2017 sets out our vision for future intervention in the critical area of social inclusion in education policy. A key element of DEIS...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of a Category 10 application, external environment project, under the Summer Works Scheme (2016-2017) from the school to which he refers. Nearly 50% of schools have applied for inclusion under the scheme which reflects a very high demand. Details of successful school applicants in respect of Categories 1 and 2...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school to which he refers has not been in contact with my Department to advise of any issue arising in respect of school places in September 2017. It is open to any school to submit an application to my Department if they have identified a deficit of classroom accommodation to meet increasing enrolments or to accommodate an additional teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Catchment Areas (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: For planning purposes the area referred to by the Deputy is located in the Department’s Finglas East/Ballymun Dublin 11 school planning area.  There are currently 9 primary schools serving this area.   My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places will arise. The GIS uses data from a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Catchment Areas (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school referred to in PQ 10055/17 is the primary school which my Department understands is currently undersubscribed. The school in question confirmed that it had offered junior infant places, prioritising children from within the schools catchment area. The school also confirmed that following receipt of responses from parents, the school will be in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which is an independent statutory agency, is responsible, through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including SNA support and additional teaching resources to support individual pupils with special educational needs. On 18...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Speech and Language Therapy Provision (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs should be included, where possible and appropriate, in mainstream school placements with additional supports provided.  In circumstances where children with special educational needs require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places are also available.  My Department...