Results 14,301-14,320 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

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

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware of the Programme for Government commitment to increase financial supports for postgraduate students with a particular focus on those from low income households. In response to this commitment, I secured additional funding of €4million in Budget 2017 to facilitate the reinstatement of full maintenance grants, from September 2017, for the most disadvantaged...

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. 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: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (28 Feb 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: Teacher Exchange Scheme (28 Feb 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: Gaelcholáistí Issues (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: As part of the November 2015 announcement on the new primary and post-primary schools which will open in 2017 and 2018, and in view of the continued support for a Gaelcholáiste, it was confirmed that a Gaelcholáiste to serve the North Kildare area will open in 2019, subject to the continued viability of the Irish-medium Aonad at the school referred to by the Deputy.  ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Staff (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: Administrative and maintenance staffing levels in ETBs are predominately funded from the Schools and Head Office Programme pay budgets that are provided annually by my Department to each ETB. The quarterly staffing returns for Galway and Roscommon ETB show that it had 106.75 whole-time equivalent posts at 30 June 2013 funded in this manner.  The equivalent figure for 30 September 2016...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Arts in Education Charter (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: My Department currently supports the Music Generation initiative to the value of €2.5m per year, in respect of the 11 local Music Education Partnerships (MEPs) established under Phase 1 of the initiative and which were initially supported through philanthropic funding. In January 2016, a commitment was given by the Department of Education and Skills, subject to Exchequer resources, to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Tribunals of Inquiry Data (28 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The information sought by the Deputy is currently being compiled by my Department and will be forwarded shortly.

Topical Issues Debate: Israeli Settlements (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Crowe for raising this issue. I have set out the response from the Minister. The Deputy will see the Irish representatives along with other international colleagues are very active and recognise the urgency and concern the Deputy raises. On the wider issue of a settlement in the region, it is Ireland's view and that of the European Union that a just and comprehensive...

Topical Issues Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: Each stage in the process has to be gone through and I do not control the duration of those. It is expected that by the end of March to mid-April the Department will have completed its review of the stage 2A documents. However, as the reply explains, it then has to submit a planning application, get planning permission, a fire certificate and a disability access certificate, and complete...

Topical Issues Debate: Israeli Settlements (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade asked me to take it. I convey his apologies. I believe he informed the Deputy's office that he would not be able to take it today. The Deputy could have it withdrawn and resubmitted if he wanted.

Topical Issues Debate: Israeli Settlements (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade asked me to send his apologies and reply on his behalf. He is very keen to get a full account of the issues the Deputy has raised. The Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar, to the east of Jerusalem, has been subject to demolition and removal orders for many years. Some houses and other structures have been...

Topical Issues Debate: Schools Building Projects Status (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising this. He is right. This has had a considerable history and I can understand how people might get confused at the development. I will set it out for the Deputy as clearly as I can. Lucan community college caters for both boys and girls and operates under the patronage of the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board, ETB. The college has...

Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: That programme is developed under the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. I understand it is developing programmes. It will obviously be in the context of the capital review and the envelope of capital money available. I will seek to get the information for the Deputy.

Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: We are working on a series of improvements for children with special needs. We just rolled out a new model for the allocation of resource teachers, which will involve 900 additional resource teachers being provided for children in schools. We are working with the HSE to evolve a model for speech and language from within the school system. It is a commitment for our programme for Government...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The brief for the major building project for Scoil an Athar Tadhg in Carrignavar is to provide a new two-storey, 16 classroom school, with a four classroom ASD unit. The current staffing allocation is 13 mainstream teachers, five special class teachers, five permanent resource teachers, two permanent learning support teachers and four shared resource learning support teachers. As of...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: Since January there are new tendering requirements, but they have been designed to protect subcontractors in situations where some of them have been exposed. They are in the best interests of the successful long-term completion of projects with no adverse impact on those involved. This does not just apply to my Department, it is also a requirement across all Departments. We have to spend...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools Scheme (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The list of schools which will receive additional supports under the DEIS Plan 2017 is available on my Department’s website at the following link: .

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that all recognised primary and post-primary schools in Dublin, are provided with access to educational psychological service via my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the psychological services of the City of Dublin and Dublin & Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Boards.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (23 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the current status of the building projects to which he refers in the details supplied are outlined in the following table. I also wish to advise the Deputy that until such time as planning permission has been secured, or the building projects have progressed to and completed tender stage and the appointment of a building contractor, it will not be possible to...