Results 17,341-17,360 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that spending on 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 €1.4 billion, which is equivalent to approximately 17% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training. It...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department published anti-bullying procedures for all primary and post primary schools at the beginning of the 2013/14 school year. The anti-bullying procedures are designed to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour amongst its pupils. The anti-bullying procedures make clear that schools also...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: A comprehensive review of the Irish apprenticeship system was undertaken by an independent review group that reported in December 2013. Following consideration of their recommendations and consultation with stakeholders on implementation arrangements, an Apprenticeship Implementation Plan was published in June 2014. A key recommendation of this review was the establishment of an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Staff (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The current annual paybill for the Chief Executives of the 16 Education and Training Boards is in the region of €1.95m. Therefore at present a 10% reduction in pay would yield savings of approximately €195,000 per annum. The Deputy might wish to note that ETB Chief Executives' pay was reduced in line with the pay cuts for public servants earning €65,000 and over as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff Data (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department operates payrolls for teachers serving in primary, secondary, community and comprehensive schools and for certain non-teaching staff. It also operates a payroll for payment of pension to retired school staff. The number of teachers and other school staff who retired on pension in the years from January 2011 to December 2015 total 7,000 approximately. The cost of lump sum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Residential Institutions Redress Scheme was established under the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 to administer a redress scheme to persons who as children were abused in any of 139 scheduled institutions. Awards under the scheme were made following applications from and evidence provided by the survivors, including evidence of having been a resident in one or more of these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (31 May 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 relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Funding available to the Department is used in mainstream education initiatives. However, if a school decides to invite any music group to their school, then it is a matter for the school in question and for them to fund such an initiative. I am aware of the excellent work being done by the group Seo Linn to promote music and song in the Irish Language. I will be responding shortly to your...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Under my Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution as defined in the scheme. The definition of an approved institution is set out in Section 7 of the Student Support Act 2011 and Regulation 3 of the Student Support Regulations 2016. There are no plans to amend the definition of an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Information and Communications Technology (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The new Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 (Enhancing Teaching, Learning & 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: 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, local authorities and the Department's own databases. With this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department approved a grant to the school in question in June 2015 for the construction of additional accommodation. The project has been devolved to the school authority for delivery.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that the Pilot Support Scheme was introduced last year for students who are in the Protection System or at the Leave to Remain (but not deportation order) stage. The scheme was intended to provide supports to qualifying students which were similar to those available in the statutory based Student Grant Scheme. A total of 39 applicants applied for the pilot scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I am pleased 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 and a Special Education Teaching (SET) classroom. The project approved is intended to provide the accommodation concerned in the most cost effective way. The final approval letter issued on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: After-School Support Services (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The upcoming strategy reflects the key commitments in the Programme for a Partnership Government (May 2016). The Programme includes commitments assigned to the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs relating to improving the range and quality of options for parents for afterschool care for school-age children. We have undertaken to consider how...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Advertising Expenditure (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: For the Deputy's information, the following table lists, by organisation, expenditure from my Department's administrative budget on advertisement fees. Expenditure on public advertisements is incurred in connection with a wide range of educational programmes and schemes including staff appointments in the education sector, invitations to attend local hearings, invitations to forward...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The criteria used in relation to patronage of new schools places particular emphasis on parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage, with parental preferences at the centre of the process. In this regard, patron bodies and prospective patrons applying for the patronage of a new school announced by my Department must collect and demonstrate evidence of parental demand for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: 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, local authorities and the Department's own databases. With this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Since 2006, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory responsibility and authority for regulation of the teaching profession, including the registration of teachers under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015. Under the Teaching Council [Registration] Regulations 2009, Regulation 3 (Montessori and other categories), graduates with certain Montessori qualifications (Level 8 on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Reviews (31 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: My Department does not keep information relating to union membership of teachers and therefore I am not in a position to furnish the Deputy with the information sought. Currently students in second year who may not have completed their first classroom-based assessment will, as agreed with both of the teacher unions in 2015, have the opportunity to complete this early in the autumn term of the...