Results 16,321-16,340 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that universities in Ireland are autonomous institutions and therefore have responsibility for the day to day management of their own affairs, including issues relating to admissions. The Deputy will appreciate that, in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form and supporting documentation, it is not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 411 and 418 together. The National Council for Special Education, which is an independent statutory agency, is responsible, through its network of locally based Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for the allocation of Special Educational needs supports, including Special Needs Astsistant (SNA) and Low Incidence Teaching Hours (LITH) support to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff Appeals Mechanism (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2016/2017 school year is set out in Circular 0007/2016 which is available on my Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the 30 September 2015. The staffing arrangements at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early Start Programme (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: As I noted previously, the Early Start centres funded by my Department are staffed by primary school teachers and a childcare assistant also works with each group. This teacher led staffing arrangement and comparatively favourable staff to child ratio is intended to support a range of special educational needs associated with concentrated disadvantage. In relation to the issue regarding the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Establishment (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: On 26 April 2016 applications were invited for the patronage of nine new post-primary schools to be established, six in 2017 and a further three in 2018. The closing date for receipt of applications for this process was 8 June 2016. Prospective patrons submitted with their application a parental preference template in which parents have been requested to declare their preference for their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department implemented a pilot of the proposed new Resource Teacher allocation model over the 2015/2016 school year. A review of this pilot has been completed and a report of the review is currently being finalised. I understand that the review will indicate that the new model has been positively received by schools and parents. Throughout the pilot my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Comhlachtaí Aistriúcháin (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: Tá an Roinn seo tiomanta dá chinntiú go soláthraíonn sí an tseirbhís is fearr is féidir, sa dá theanga oifigiúla, dá cuid geallsealbhóirí agus don phobal i gcoitinne araon. De réir bheartas soláthair an Rialtais agus an Aontais Eorpaigh, d'fhoilsigh an Roinn seo creat ilsoláthraithe sa bhliain 2014 chun freastal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: The supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) were established on foot of proposals brought forward by the Labour Relations Commission when the Haddington Road Agreement was being agreed. These supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs continue to operate under the Lansdowne Road Agreement, and both unions representing SNAs, namely SIPTU and IMPACT, have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the school was granted funding under the Summer Works Scheme 2016/2017 earlier this year for works to its electrical installation. These works were completed during the summer. The school in question has also made an application to my Department for significant capital funding for additional accommodation. I understand that this is a two teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware of the difficult expenditure reduction measures taken in recent budgets as a consequence of the challenging economic circumstances. A decision in Budget 2012 removed maintenance payments for new students entering post graduate courses from the 2012/13 academic year onwards. However, eligible students can still qualify for limited fee support. If maintenance...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: The costs associated with the abolition of fees would be dependent on varying factors associated with study type, i.e. full-time or part-time, undergraduate or post-graduate, varying fees associated with different course types and higher fees for international students. The position is that the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees, through my Department's free fees schemes, in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 427 and 428 together. As the Deputy may be aware, the building project for the school in question is included in the 6 year programme that was announced last November and is listed to proceed to tender and construction in 2019/21. Officials from my Department have been working closely with Louth County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department's Home Tuition Grant Scheme provides funding towards the provision of early educational intervention for children between 2.5 and 3 years of age with an ASD diagnosis. Children who receive tuition under the Department’s Home Tuition scheme typically receive this tuition in their home. The scheme also provides parents with an option to enter into a group arrangement...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide recognised schools with additional adult support staff to cater for the care needs of pupils with disabilities in an educational context, where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in professional reports as being so significant that a pupil will require adult assistance in order to be able to attend school and to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Lease Agreements (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: The information requested is presented in the table, setting out the Lessor name and details of rents paid in the years 2013, 2014 and 2015. The leases include premises leased for start up schools in advance of full school recognition and by aegis bodies for the purpose of office accommodation or storage requirements. In addition there are two offices leased by the Department to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Places (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: The position is that Dublin City University (DCU) has two entry streams to its primary initial teacher education programmes. One is open to students from a Protestant background and one is open to all students. The provision of a route for students of a Protestant background continues the arrangements that have heretofore been in place for entry to the B Ed programme provided by the Church...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Nursing Education (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: Universities and institutes of technology, under the Universities Act 1997 and the Institutes of Technology Acts, are autonomous bodies and, as such, have responsibility for their own academic affairs, including issues relating to the admission of students. Therefore it is a matter for the institutes themselves to set admissions requirements for individual programmes of education and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received correspondence from the Solicitors referred to in this question, in relation to the child also referred to in this question, and can advise that a response issued from my Department to this correspondence on 12th September, 2016. The National Council for Special Education, which is an independent statutory agency, is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2b - Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of Tender Documents. All statutory approvals have been granted. However, on January 1st 2016 there were 66 major projects under...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (16 Sep 2016)

Richard Bruton: The major school building project to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b). All statutory approvals have been secured. However, following the appointment of a replacement Mechanical & Electrical Engineer the Design Team, in association with the newly appointed Engineer, is working on a revised M&E report which will be submitted...