Results 15,421-15,440 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I cannot give a definite timeline. We have to work through these issues of both site acquisition and the technical assessments, which are complex. If I gave a commitment, I could not guarantee it would be honoured because we have to work with other parties and satisfy everyone that the site is suitable to achieve what we are all trying to achieve. I can assure the Deputy that I will convey...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: If we are looking at incentives, I do not think there should be a subsidy. When things went wrong in the construction sector after the crash came, the number of apprenticeships decreased from approximately 9,000 to approximately 1,000. The whole thing was wiped out overnight. We need to build a robust system in support of employers in order that they can continue to recruit apprentices,...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Staff (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I share the Deputy's belief that this is an important area. I am glad to say it is a growing area because the Department has been paying increasing attention to it in recent years. Funding for special education provision in 2016 will amount to €1.5 billion, which is equivalent to over 17% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training. There has been an increase...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Staff (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: This is quite a controversial and complicated area. As the Deputy probably knows, the National Council for Special Education criticised the heavy reliance on expensive assessments in the previous model for allocating resource teachers. It argued that children from disadvantaged backgrounds or disadvantaged schools were less likely to be able to afford to access such assessments and that...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Staff (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: We provide €175 million in support of school transport services each year. The Department makes a genuine effort to prioritise children with special educational needs. Their needs are treated as a priority within that pot of money. We are trying to make sure children with special needs can access the schools that most meet their needs. I think the school transport service is...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Staff (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I am sure the Deputy will.

Other Questions: Teacher Recruitment (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for his question. We have recruited 2,260 teachers so far this year. We have not yet encountered difficulty in recruiting teachers. There can be occasional recruitment difficulties in particular subject areas. We continue to see a high level of interest in pursuing a career in education through the CAO system. The points requirement for entry into initial teacher...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: State Examinations Reviews (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy knows, the approach of the new junior certificate is to have a range of items on which people can be assessed. A very important element is the certificate of achievement and, unfortunately, it will not be available if schools have not participated in allowing students to recognise and measure their performance. It is a big innovation to allow people do things outside the norm,...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for his question. I share with him and most of the House the belief that we have undervalued apprenticeships, and particularly during the crash they were totally undermined. We have committed to doubling the number of registered apprentices, providing 50,000 apprenticeship and traineeship places up to 2020. In the coming weeks, I will publish a detailed three-year plan...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I agree with Deputy Byrne. The ambition is to have 73 new areas for apprenticeships, meaning we got from the current 27 areas to 100 areas. As the Deputy knows, the employer takes on an employment contract and pays people from day one. It is slightly different from the State rolling out a programme and the employer must buy into it. This must be done by the assembling of consortia. It is...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Apprenticeship Council of Ireland examined this and introduced the concept of a much shorter apprenticeship. The traditional model was a four-year apprenticeship with considerable periods. It has been shortened, with a shorter period in which the employer would pay. At this stage we have not considered employer incentives. The employers recognise that such positions must be regarded...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Educational Disadvantage (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I take the point the Deputy makes. He will know that the process categorises different schools. There are 835 DEIS schools in total but it must be remembered that some of these are urban band 1 schools, which are particularly deprived. The insight relating to the DEIS scheme was to consider such schools, around which pockets of disadvantage could perpetuate themselves, and intervene in...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Educational Disadvantage (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: Yes, it will be September of the 2017-2018 year. We have made some provision in the budget for this, envisaging new schools coming into the scheme. The methodology will not require, as was previously the case, the sending in of the percentage of parents with this or that feature or children with this or that feature. We will use CSO data we already possess in order that this can be done in...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: State Examinations Reviews (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy's question relates to a number of matters. I do not whether she will be interested in this, but I have information on the roll-out of the reform cycle. As she knows, it is designed to provide students with learning opportunities that strike a better balance between learning knowledge and developing a wide range of skills and thinking abilities. I think the Deputy shares my...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: State Examinations Reviews (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I absolutely agree with the Deputy that this is an important reform. It has been part of public policy for a considerable period. We are in the unfortunate position that one union is not supporting its roll-out. I have requested that the ASTI provide a derogation for English teachers so that this can proceed. That continues to be a request with which I hope there will be agreement because...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Third Level Funding (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I ask the Deputy to consider what we are doing. We are seeking to act across the entire perspective, including upskilling not only those going in to college, but those who need further education and life-long learners as well. We are investing in apprenticeships and improving the quality of methodology of learning within our higher and further education sectors. We are improving access for...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Institutes of Technology (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for her question. This arises from the recent publication by the Higher Education Authority of an investigation of the funding of the institutes of technology. The purpose of the review was to provide an overview of the financial health of the sector, to consider capacity issues and to examine the challenges for the institutions given their respective plans for the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Institutes of Technology (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I agree with Deputy Nolan but she should give us some credit. Following eight years of continuous decline in funding in this sector, we have made the first ever investment of this nature. Not only have we made an investment for this year with the €36 million, but we have indicated that we will meet the demographic pressures in the coming two years, something that has not happened...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Institutes of Technology (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: We have a timeframe. We will be publishing our apprenticeship plan within weeks. We will publish the investment plan in conjunction with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in April. We will have the capital review early next year. As part of the process we will be putting forward a strong case for more investment in higher and further education. That is coming up the track...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Educational Disadvantage (16 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I thank the Deputy for raising the question and I appreciate his interest. I am always willing to acknowledge any good idea, regardless of their parentage. The ESRI report referred to by the Deputy is an ESRI report entitled "Learning from the Evaluation of DEIS". It was commissioned by the Department. The ESRI report provides an overview of the information on the impact of DEIS...