Results 15,521-15,540 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: Very significant numbers of third-level students move out of home to go to college and continue to be supported by their parents while in full-time education. Confirmation that a student is living separately from his/her parents is, of itself, not sufficient to establish independent status. When considering whether a student meets the conditions to be assessed independently of his or her...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Industrial Disputes (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: Circular letter 0070-2016, issued by my Department sets out the procedures to be followed by schools in respect of the one day work stoppages. It is a matter for the management of each school to make appropriate arrangements to record the attendance or absence of all Department-paid teaching and non-teaching staff employed by the school. Circular letter 0071-2016 sets out the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Applications (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 218, 223 and 259 together. My Department is currently determining the likely end-year position on capital expenditure 2016 and I expect to be able to make an announcement regarding the Minor Works Grant 2016/2017 before the end of the week.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The total capital funding spent on projects in County Waterford at primary, post-primary and third level in the past three years is in the following table. Year 2014 2015 2016 TOTAL Primary €12,342,575 €11,011,239 €6,716,983 €30,070,797 Post Primary €1,429,390 €1,590,771 €1,327,720 €4,347,881 Third Level €0.00 €900,000...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that my Department has conveyed approval to the school in question for additional accommodation to cater for increasing enrolments. My Department is currently liaising with the National Development and Finance Agency (NDFA) in order to advance the provision of this additional accommodation. At present, various design options for the additional accommodation are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Data (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The National School Annual Census is the definitive source of statistics on primary pupils up to and including the 2015/2016 academic year. The Census does not contain information on ethnic or cultural background or on religion. The Primary Online Database (POD) which replaces the National School Annual Census as the definitive source of statistics from the 2016/2017 academic year onwards...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that a building project for the school in question is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme .My Department is aware of the school's accommodation needs and will be liaising with the school in due course in the context of progressing the project into the architectural planning process.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Applications (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department is currently determining the likely end-year position on capital expenditure 2016 and I expect to be able to make an announcement regarding the Minor Works Grant 2016/2017 before the end of the week. The Minor Works Grant issues to primary schools without the need for primary schools to submit an application. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Tax Collection (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: Officials in my Department are making arrangements to issue the relevant documentation regarding the misclassification of PRSI to the person referred to by the Deputy. When the required documentation has been received any refund of PRSI due will be processed as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: Supervision and substitution duties are compulsory for all teachers since the Haddington Road Agreement. As part of the S&S scheme finalised at this time a limited group of teachers were allowed to opt-out of the duties in return for a pay reduction. Department Circular 0006/2014 states that with effect from the beginning of the 2013/14 school year, participation in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Awareness (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department is strongly supportive of the promotion of positive mental health awareness in both primary and post-primary schools and provides support and resources in this area. The Department adopts a holistic and integrated approach to supporting the work of schools in promoting positive mental health and to supporting those with a broad range of problems, behavioural emotional and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 228 and 242 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 229 and 247 together. Reducing class sizes has been a target of successive Governments. Budget 2016 provided for an improvement in the staffing schedule in primary schools by one point, from 1 teacher for every 28 pupils to 1 teacher for every 27 pupils for the 2016/17 school year.  The Programme for Government has a commitment to reduce class...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commencement of Legislation (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 230, 232 and 244 together. The Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority for the regulation of the teaching profession. One of its key functions is to maintain the register of teachers in the State. The Fitness to Teach (Part 5) provisions of the Teaching Council Acts were commenced on 25 July last in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Proposed Legislation (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware the Programme for a Partnership Government provides that the Government will introduce a stronger complaints procedure and charter for parents. My Department has been working on draft legislation to provide for replacing the current Section 28 of the Education Act, 1998. The legislation will provide the statutory basis for ministerial guidelines which will form the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (15 Nov 2016)

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: School Admissions (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I have included a specific action in the Action Plan for Education that expresses my commitment to working with the Committee to deliver change in this area. As the Deputy is aware, the Government proposed and the Dáil agreed that the Equal Status (Admission to Schools) Bill would proceed to second stage in June 2017. This will allow parents, patrons and other stakeholders to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: ASTI's withdrawal from the Croke Park hours means that the union has repudiated the Lansdowne Road Agreement. Circular Letter 0045/2016 sets out the implications for ASTI members in opting to withdraw from the LRA.  As detailed in the circular, ASTI members have opted to forego a series of benefits and protections including: - Avoiding an increment freeze - Inclusion of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Reviews (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The curriculum and assessment arrangements for Junior Cycle are as set out in the Framework for Junior Cycle 2015 and in the related subject specifications and syllabuses developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Implementation of the Framework is proceeding and the new subject specifications for Business Studies and Science, along with English, have now been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: After-School Support Services (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: An interdepartmental working group has been established with officials from my Department and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to progress the key commitments in the Programme for a Partnership Government (May 2016), in order to improve the range and quality of options for Parents for after-school care for school-age children. My department has undertaken to consider how to...