Results 15,961-15,980 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Meetings (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: Officials of my Department meet with individual former residents of industrial schools, with persons who may have been abused in school settings and with groups representing former residents as required and many such meetings have taken place.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Funding (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, published in July, clearly outlines the funding challenges in the higher education sector and offers a number of approaches and recommendations for consideration. As committed to in the Programme for Government, I have referred the report to the Education Committee as part of the process for formulating a plan for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The Commission operates the scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in 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: Access to Higher Education (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The review on barriers to higher education for lone parents is currently being finalised. This is a complex area that involves 3 Government Departments. Given the complexity of the issues involved, it is now expected that the review will be completed in Q.4 2016. The emerging findings from the review have informed my Department's consideration of relevant issues in advance of Budget 2017.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Strategies (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: In the Action Plan for Education 2016 – 2019 which I published in September, I committed to publishing a Gaeltacht Education Strategy before the end of the year. It is my plan to publish a Policy on Gaeltacht Education before the end of 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Industrial Relations (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The approach to application of the Lansdowne Road Agreement in respect of post-primary teachers is as follows (as set out in Department Circular 0045/2016): - Education and Training Board schools (apart from Designated Community Colleges which are dual-union) – as TUI is the union with representation rights in this sector, the LRA is being applied generally to all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Industrial Relations (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: Junior Certificate students who are taught English by teachers who are members of the ASTI will not undertake Classroom Based Assessments. (CBAs). Since the completion of the second CBA is linked to the written Assessment Task these students cannot complete that Assessment Task. This means that the student’s Assessment Task will not be sent to SEC and the SEC can only mark the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Review of the Student Assistance Fund was published on 19th. September and is available on the HEA website (www.hea.ie). The HEA, in conjunction with my Department, are currently monitoring implementation of the recommendations contained in the Review.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that The Programme for a Partnership Government states that a new model of In-School Speech and Language Therapy will be established. It commits to investing an extra €500 million in education by 2021 through measures including childcare subventions and to increase the numbers of HSE Speech and Language Therapists by 25%. As committed to in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The attention of my Department has been brought to reported shortages in certain subject areas, such as Home Economics. However, comprehensive data on teacher supply and demand in specific subject areas is not available to my Department. The Deputy will note that one of the goals in the recently published Action Plan for Education is to develop the continuum of teacher education,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: By way of context the Deputy will be aware that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that a new Inclusion Support Service within the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is currently being established in order to assist schools in supporting children with special education needs. The service will include the Special Education Support Service (SESS), the National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) and the Visiting Teacher Service for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Industrial Relations (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department has held several meetings with ASTI since July in relation to their issues of concern and is making arrangements for those discussions to continue. At the outset of these discussions, my Department offered that if ASTI suspended their directive on withdrawal from the Croke Park hours while talks between the union and the Department were taking place, the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Industrial Disputes (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: I understand that ASTI are currently conducting a ballot on industrial action including withdrawal from supervision and substitution duties. The outcome of the ASTI ballot cannot be presumed.  However, my Department and the school management bodies have been discussing potential contingency arrangements aimed at keeping schools open in the event of an industrial action that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The Commission operates the scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in 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: Departmental Funding (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: A total of 39 applications were received under the pilot scheme in 2015.  Following an initial assessment of the details provided by the applicants, 37 of those were deemed ineligible with 2 applicants qualifying for support. The closing date for receipt of applications for the 2016 pilot support scheme is 4thof November 2016. To date, 11 applications have been received. Details of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (11 Oct 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 (2019/21). My Department will be in contact with the school, in due course, in the context of progressing the project into the architectural planning process. My Department, has no record of receiving an application form from the school for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department considers it important that the supply of teachers with the required qualifications should meet demand at both primary and post primary levels, including teachers qualified to teach through Irish. Accordingly, my Department asked the Teaching Council to consider the matter of teacher supply with a view to developing better forecasting methods to ensure an adequate supply of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The project to which the Deputy refers was announced as part of the Six Year Capital Programme last year. The project is scheduled to go to tender and construction in 2019-2021. As the Deputy may be aware, officials from my Department have been working closely with officials from Donegal County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of school sites in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Information and Communications Technology (11 Oct 2016)

Richard Bruton: The new Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 (Enhancing Teaching, Learning and Assessment), launched in October 2015, sets out a clear vision for the role of ICT in teaching, learning and assessment in primary and post primary schools. The Strategy is focused on realising the potential of digital technologies to transform the learning experiences of students by helping them become engaged...