Results 16,981-17,000 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 to 118, inclusive, together. The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department. Officials of my Department have asked the Higher Education Authority to request the information from the institutions and I will arrange for it to be sent to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school to which he refers has been allocated funding under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme to provide an additional mainstream classroom. The final approval letter issued to the school authority recently. I further wish to advise the Deputy that due to the need to prioritise available funding towards the provision of essential school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) is responsible for processing applications from schools for special needs assistants (SNA) supports. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in making recommendations for support, which is set out in my Department's Circular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 122 together. The building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is included in the 6 year construction programme 2016-21 which was announced in November 2015. However, as the deputy has been informed, on 1st January 2016 there were 66 major projects under construction. Since the start of this year 14 more major projects have been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the Louth and Meath Education and Training (LMETB). Approval has recently been given to the LMETB for the project to proceed to Tender Stage. In relation to the immediate accommodation requirements, my Department has sent the school authorities the relevant application form to apply for temporary accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Skills Development (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department published a new National Skills Strategy in January 2016. The purpose of this new Strategy is to provide a framework for skills development that will help drive Ireland's growth both economically and societally over the next decade. Through the vision, objectives, actions and indicators, the Strategy will support the development of a well-educated, well-skilled and adaptable...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions No. 125 and 126 together. In identifying the requirement for additional school places in a school planning area, my Department uses a Geographical Information System to identify the areas under increased demographic pressure nationwide. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Data (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: The circular to which the Deputy refers is Circular 0023/2016 governing the student data required to be returned to my Department for the purpose of analysis and reporting in the areas of social inclusion and integration. A copy of the circular is available on my Department's website at . A detailed rationale for the collection of each item of the data required is set out in Appendix B to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Government has committed to establishing a Public Service Pay Commission to examine pay levels across the Public Service, including entry pay levels. The terms of reference and timescale for the Commission's work are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Government recognises the importance of being able to attract quality new entrants to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: Some 96% of schools at primary level are currently under the patronage of religious denominations, with 90% under the patronage of the Catholic Church. The need for a greater plurality of provision to respond effectively to changing social needs and to increasing parental demand for multi-denominational or non-denominational education is widely recognised and in that context, I am conscious...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department has engaged the Public Appointments Service (PAS) to conduct a recruitment competition for the position of Post Primary Inspector of Guidance at the Department's Inspectorate. The PAS is an independent body established under the Public Service Management Act 2004 and its function is to provide a recruitment and selection service for Civil and Public Service positions. For the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: The new junior cycle aims to ensure that our students will develop the key skills that are necessary for later learning and for life. It is designed to encourage innovation in schools and creative teaching and learning in the classroom. The dual approach to assessment in the new junior cycle and the prominence it gives to classroom based assessment and formative assessment will develop...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, is an independent statutory body established pursuant to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012. While officials from my Department meet regularly with officials from Caranua, it is the Board of Caranau, which is representative of survivors, that would have approved the introduction of financial limits. Caranua has,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 155 together. Budget 2016 made provision for some 2,260 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools next year. These posts will provide for an improvement in the staffing schedules at primary and post primary levels, enhance the leadership and management roles of deputy principals at post-primary level by reducing their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Remuneration (28 Jun 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. A previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable to all new entrants to public service recruitment grades by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011. This decision also required that such new entrants would start...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools Scheme (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that there are 836 schools (646 primary and 190 Post Primary) in the DEIS Programme for 2015/16 school year. An extensive identification process was conducted by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) on behalf of the Department in 2005 to select the schools for inclusion in the DEIS Programme on the basis of their relative level of disadvantage – with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Industrial Disputes (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Teaching Council is the statutory body with responsibility for professional standards at all stages of the teaching career. In that context, it has established standards for post-qualification professional practice, as set out in, Droichead, the new model of induction for newly qualified primary and post-primary teachers. The model ensures that the same standards and requirements apply...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: While my Department prescribes curricula and syllabuses for implementation in schools it does not endorse any textbooks for use in schools. It is a matter for individual schools to select the resources and textbooks available to support their implementation of the curricula or syllabuses that the Department has prescribed. The decision to use tablets or similar devices is a matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Patrúnacht Scoile (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 140 together. Faoi láthair tá 4,009 scoil in Éirinn, 3,286 bunscoil ar a n-áirítear 141 scoil speisialta, agus 723 iar-bhunscoil. Tá sonraí faoi na scoileanna seo agus faoin bpátrúnacht atá orthu le fáil ar shuíomh idirlín na Roinne www.education.ie Mar is eol gan dabht don Teachta,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (28 Jun 2016)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which she refers currently has a major building project at construction. This project is for a new school building and is devolved to the OPW for delivery. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in October 2016.