Results 14,621-14,640 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Closures (7 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, the Trustees of the private schools in question recently made a formal announcement regarding their decision to close these schools. These were private schools and therefore the decision to close the schools was a matter for the schools' Trustees and not my Department. The Trustees have at all times indicated their commitment to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Closures (7 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, the Trustees of the private schools in question recently made a formal announcement regarding their decision to close these schools. These were private schools and therefore the decision to close the school and the communications with the school staff, students and parents in respect of the closure of the schools was a matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (7 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of the tender process. The School was authorised to issue a Letter of Intent to the preferred tenderer on 17thJanuary 2017. When the completed supplementary tender report is received and considered and assuming that no issues arise my Department will then revert directly to the school regarding progression of the project to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (7 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that my Department received an application from the school referred to by the Deputy for a GP room. Due to the competing demands on the Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise available funding towards the provision of essential school classroom accommodation, it is not possible at this point to provide an indicative timeframe for the provision of funding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (7 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: An announcement was made on 12 January, 2016, that a new post-primary school was being established in September, 2016, to operate from the building to which the Deputy refers. The new school is a result of a partnership arrangement between the local Education and Training Board and Educate Together. A Devolved grant was allocated to the Education and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 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. The National Council for Special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (7 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (7 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department. However, the Deputy may be aware that newly qualified teachers must be registered with the Teaching Council in order to teach in recognised schools and have their salaries paid from public funds. The Teaching Council's Register of Teachers has information on the number of newly qualified teachers registered...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (7 Feb 2017)

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

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (7 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: In line with the Universities Act, 1997, third-level institutions have autonomy in relation to human resource policies, subject to compliance with Government policy in respect of employment numbers and pay policy.  Employers in the higher education sector are also required to operate in accordance with the provisions of national industrial relations agreements.  My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Funding (7 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that an Emergency Works Scheme application from the school in question is under consideration in my Department.  A decision will issue directly to the Board of Management in this matter as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Oideachas Riachtanas Speisialta (7 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: Beidh an Teachta feasach gur fhógair mé ar an ochtú lá déag d’Éanair go gcuirfear múnla nua chun acmhainní múinteoireachta don oideachas speisialta a dháileadh ar bhunscoileanna agus ar iar- bhunscoileanna príomhshrutha.  Bheartaigh grúpa oibre a chuir an Comhairle Náisiúnta Um Oideachas Speisialta, an...

Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation Provision (2 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I am very aware of the issue. The Deputy, the Ceann Comhairle and other Deputies in the area have raised the concerns of parents with me, such as their desire to have new choices. We have outlined that there is a planning process within the Department which examines 314 different planning areas and the demographic pressures within them. Each planning area encompasses a significant range of...

Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation Provision (2 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Martin Heydon for raising this issue. What he has stated there goes considerably beyond his originally tabled issue which was on the improvement of the school facilities in the Curragh area. My reply, which deals with summer works programme approvals and applications, is available to him and is being circulated. However, he has raised a much wider issue. The Department...

Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The Technological Universities Bill will be restored to Committee Stage. Obviously, issues were raised in the course of Committee Stage that was debated in the last Dáil. We are seeking to work out some of those issues relating to industrial relations and partnerships of colleges so that when we come to Committee Stage it will be easier to progress the Bill. Work is being done to make...

Questions on Promised Legislation (2 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: We had a very useful debate in the Seanad on the role of history and I think there was unanimity around the motion passed. The position is that we are developing much better curricula in history and it is part of the junior cycle reforms. At present, compulsory history only applies in voluntary secondary schools - 52% of schools - but 90% of pupils take it up. One of the problems is that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (2 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030, published in January 2011, recommended the consolidation of the Institute of Technology sector and creation of a small number of multi-campus technological universities.  The Technological University for the South-East (TUSE) project was initiated in 2011 and consists of a consortium of two Institutes of Technology; Institute of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (2 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy refers was granted 5 mainstream classrooms and 2 resource rooms under my Department's 2014 Additional Accommodation Scheme. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a furniture and ICT grant appropriate to this level of accommodation has been paid to the school.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (2 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I include for the Deputy's information a count of private psychologists who were involved in the SCPA panel in each of the last 10 years. Private Psychologists participating in SCPA panel – 2007/08 to date Year Private Psychologists participating in SCPA panel 2007/08 127 2008/09 104 2009/10 88 2010/11 82 2011/12 84 2012/13 100 2013/14 99 2014/15 107 2015/16 95...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Professional Development (2 Feb 2017)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 120 together. The Teaching Council is the statutory body with responsibility for professional standards at all stages of the teaching career. It has established standards for post-qualification professional practice, as set out in Droichead, the new model of induction and probation for newly qualified primary and post-primary teachers. The...