Results 15,561-15,580 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

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

Richard Bruton: The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grants Scheme. To qualify for grant support, a student has to meet various criteria such as means, residency, nationality and progression. Article 15 of the Student Grant Scheme 2016 states that where a student is required as part of an approved undergraduate or postgraduate course to attend a higher education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme (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. 

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

Richard Bruton: Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The nationality requirements for the student grant scheme are set out in section 14 of the Student Support Act 2011 and regulation 5 of the Student Support Regulations...

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

Richard Bruton: My Department's Planning and Building Unit has no record of receiving an application for funding from the school to which the Deputy refers.  If such an application is received it will be fully considered and a decision will issue directly to the school authority. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The provision for children with Special Educational Needs has been prioritised in recent years, despite the enormous pressures on all public spending.  Funding for special education provision in 2016 will amount to some €1.5 billion, which is equivalent to approximately 17% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training; an increase of 10% in the past two...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools Scheme (15 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: It is my intention to publish a new Action Plan for Educational Inclusion before the end of this year. A process to review the DEIS Programme which began last year is now nearing completion.  The review is looking at all aspects of DEIS, including the range and impact of different elements of the DEIS School Support Programme, the potential for innovation within and between schools...

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 (Admissions to Schools) Bill proceed to second stage in June 2017. This will allow parents, patrons and other stakeholders to have...

Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I acknowledge the Deputy's congratulations to the Department. Some of the new schools are extraordinary quality environments for learning and it is great to be in a position to fund them. I presume the architectural design of the schools is well advanced and it may be too late to pass on the Deputy's suggestion that they should be open to new expansion. Nevertheless, I will alert the...

Topical Issue Debate: Schools Building Projects (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I thank Deputy Sean Fleming for raising this issue, which illustrates that Portlaoise is at the acute end of a problem being experienced across the country generally. This year, provision is being made for 20,000 additional school places, which is indicative of the pressure of growing populations. I acknowledge that Laois and Portlaoise in particular have been at the sharp end of those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: Officials in my Department are working closely with officials from Kerry County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding in order to identify and acquire a suitable permanent location for the school to which the Deputy refers. Once the permanent location has been acquired, the project to deliver the school will advance into architectural planning.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Closures (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: Primary Schools in the Ballinteer/Stepaside and Adjacent School Planning Areas ROLL_NO OFFICIAL_ME Address_1 Address_2 ETHOS GRADE GENDER Contact No's 00729F CLOCHAR LORETO N S GRANGE ROAD RATHFARNHAM CATHOLIC All girls 014931640 02872U St. Mary's National School Lamb's Cross Sandyford CATHOLIC All mixed 012954173 19314E SCOIL MAIGHDINE MHUIRE BOY BROADFORD RISE BALINTEER CATHOLIC All...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 164 together. The normal practice is for the Minor Works Grant to be announced late in the year if funding permits. The issue of the Minor Works Grant 2016/2017 will be considered in the context of my Department's overall capital position later this year.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme Data (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: Table Property Transferor Transferee 1 Doon, Co. Limerick Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy Department of Education and Skills 2 St Coleman's, Rushbrooke, Co. Cork Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy Southern Health Board 3 Playing Field, Carna, Co. Galway Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy Department of Education and Skills 4 Secondary School & Site, Ennistymon, Co....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware the Buncrana school campus project is included in the 6 year construction programme announced last November, and is listed to proceed to tender and construction in 2019-21. Officials from my Department continue to liaise with officials from Donegal County Council in relation to the advancement of a preferred site option . Once a suitable site has been acquired...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology Funding (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions, including Institutes such as Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT). The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual institution. The HEA has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: After-School Support Services (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: In accordance with key commitments in the Programme for a Partnership Government (May 2016) in relation to encouraging the use of school buildings outside school hours for afterschool care, my Department is working closely with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in considering how to facilitate schools who wish to make their facilities available as part of the range of options...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Service Provision (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The overall policy of my Department is to offer the best quality connectivity to all recognised primary and post-primary schools in line with technical solutions available in the market and within required financial parameters. All post-primary schools receive at least 100mbts connectivity through a programme undertaken jointly between the Department of Communications Climate Action and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application to my Department for capital funding for the provision of additional accommodation. In this regard, my Department met with the principal and members of the Board of Management of the school last September. The school authority was advised of my Department's commitments under the 6 Year...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware, that the Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, published in July, identifies income-contingent loans as being one of the possible options for the future funding of the higher education sector. Other options include a predominantly State-funded system or a State-funded system supplemented with continuing student fees. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (10 Nov 2016)

Richard Bruton: There are limited alleviation arrangements in place for schools that are acutely affected by the impact of the moratorium at Assistant Principal level. These arrangements are mainly focused at post-primary level. However, it is fair to say that before the moratorium, notwithstanding the fact that one out of every two teachers held a management allowance the workload issue and the pressures...