Results 15,821-15,840 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Garda Vetting Legislation (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: In April 2016, the Minister for Justice and Equality commenced the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 (the Vetting Act) which put in place  statutory requirements for the Garda vetting of persons involved in working with children and vulnerable adults.   The Vetting Act applies not just to schools but to any relevant organisation that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of Special Needs Organisers (SENOs), for fulfilling the functions of the Council within a designated area in relation to the identification of and delivery and co-ordination of education services to children with disabilities. The Council employs SENOs to provide a nationwide system of local services....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Sports Facilities Provision (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department's focus in recent years has been on prioritising the funding available for the provision of essential classroom accommodation to meet demographic need. As the Deputy will be aware, due to the competing demands on my Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise the available funding in this manner, it is not possible at this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I strongly support any measures that can be put in place to reduce costs for parents.   All schools must be sensitive to the financial pressures on parents in making decisions, not just about school uniforms or books, but about any matter that has cost implications for parents.  The Action Plan for Education outlines hundreds of actions to be implemented over the 3 year...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The project referred to by the Deputy has recently been approved to proceed to Stage 3 which involves the tender competition for appointment of the building contractor. The school and its design team have been informed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, a project for the school referred is included in my Department’s 6 Year Capital Programme. Officials from my Department recently advised the school’s Board of Management and the Patron’s representative that following a technical examination of an alternative site being made available by the School Patron, it has been decided that a new school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department approved grant for the construction of a mainstream classroom at the school in question to accommodate a new teacher appointment in September 2016. The school applied for two mainstream classrooms, one to accommodate the new teacher appointment and the other to replace a prefab that is currently being used for mainstream teaching purposes. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the patron of the school in question has confirmed that the school has sufficient accommodation to cater for its needs. The question of additional accommodation therefore does not arise. An analysis of the area in question shows that the existing school providers can cater for the level of demand in the area. The Forward Planning Section of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that a major capital project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in the 6 year Building Programme (2019/2021) announced last November. My Department will be in contact with the school in due course in the context of progressing the project.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be pleased to hear that the reports in question were recently laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. Notices to this effect appeared in the Order Paper of Dáil Éireann of 28 September 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Eligibility (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The school referred to by the Deputy applied for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) to tarmac their school carpark and access road to the special needs unit. As the scope of works is outside the terms and conditions of the scheme, the application cannot be considered. The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme is solely for unforeseen emergencies, and if not corrected...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for a Partnership Government, published in May 2016, includes a commitment to examine the adequacy of current special education access and funding provision. In addition the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) Policy Advice on Educational Provision for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders was published on 15 July 2016. In developing this policy advice, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: Caranua is an independent statutory body and I have no role in relation to its day to day operations. I have therefore arranged to have the Deputy's question forwarded to Caranua and requested it to examine the issues raised and to reply to her as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is currently considering an application for additional accommodation from the school to which he refers. My Department will be in contact shortly with the school in relation to its application.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The project referred to by the Deputy has recently been approved to proceed to Stage 3 which involves the tender competition for appointment of the building contractor. The school and its design team have been informed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: An additional €458 million will be made available to my Department in 2017 compared to the allocation provided in the 2016 Revised Estimates Volume. The following table provides a detailed breakdown of the 2017 Budget Allocation setting out the adjustments to the overall allocation for my Department since the announcement of Budget 2016, including school demographics and Lansdowne...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for a Partnership Government reflects the Government's objective of strengthening parental choice and further expanding diversity in our school system. The desire of parents for diversity in education is primarily being pursued by increasing the number of non-denominational and multi-denominational schools with a view to reaching 400 by 2030. In addition to the phased transfer...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for Government has a commitment to reduce class sizes at primary level over the lifetime of the Government. Budget 2016 provided for a 1 point improvement to the primary staffing schedule which was implemented in the current school year. Budget 2017 sets out the resources available for schools for the 2017/18 school year. This Budget represents the start of a major...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (18 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department provides annual funding to the Dyslexia Association of Ireland at national level which helps the organisation operate an information service for members and the public as well as assisting in meeting the costs associated with the attendance of some children from disadvantaged backgrounds at workshops and programmes organised by the association. While there are no plans to...