Results 17,461-17,480 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (25 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Teacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on my Department's website. Each one point adjustment to the pupil teacher ratio (ptr) at post-primary level is estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (25 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: In the 2014/15 academic year, there were just over 18,000 core staff across the higher education system (whole-time equivalents). This figure encompasses some 9,800 academic staff and 8,300 non-academic staff. These figures do not include contract research staff. There were just over 190,000 students (whole-time equivalents) enrolled in 2014/15 giving an average academic staff:student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (25 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy is aware, it is my intention to replace all purchased prefabs with permanent accommodation over the lifetime of my Department's capital programme 2016-2021. To enable this development, my Department will be carrying out an assessment of the number of prefabs being used in schools to deliver the curriculum and to determine whether or not individual prefabs need to be replaced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Contracts (25 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Teachers in Primary , Voluntary Secondary and Community/Comprehensive schools are employed by the managerial authorities of schools. The information as requested by the Deputy is not available. However, officials in my Department would be prepared to discuss the issues raised in the question with her.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (25 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 150 together. Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing schedule in the current year at primary level operates on the basis of 1 classroom teacher for an average of every 28 pupils. Lower thresholds apply in the case of the 646...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (25 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Teacher allocations to all post primary schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website. In accordance with the published staffing arrangements each school management authority is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Programme for Government Initiatives (25 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware the Programme for a Partnership Government provides that the role and power of an Ombudsman for Education, to whom a parent could complain and appeal on foot of a decision by a board of management, will be examined by the relevant Oireachtas Committee to ensure its consistency with the need to ensure better local decision making and accountability to parents. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (25 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Special Education Support Service (SESS) co-ordinates, develops and delivers a range of professional development initiatives and support structures for school personnel working with students with special educational needs in a variety of educational settings. These settings include mainstream primary and post-primary schools, special schools and special classes. The continuing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Expenditure (25 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: My officials contacted the Deputy's office and I understand that the 39 projects referred to are those mentioned on page 195 of the Ministers Brief prepared by my Department and now available on my Departments website. The relevant section states ...."From the 5 year Construction Programme 2012-2016, the Department continues to progress 19 major projects in architectural planning, 31...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Service Provision (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The overall policy of my Department is to offer the best quality connectivity to all schools in line with technical solutions available in the market and within required financial parameters. As the Deputy is aware, all post primary schools receive at least 100mbts connectivity through a programme undertaken jointly between the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources (now...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scoileanna Gaeltachta (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Mar is eol gan dabht don Teachta, áiríodh tionscadal tógála don scoil dá dtagraíonn sé sa Chlár Caipitil 6 Bliana de chuid mo Roinne a fógraíodh i mí na Samhna seo caite agus tá an tionscadal sin le dul chun tógála in 2019 - 2021. Mar is eol, b'fhéidir, don Teachta, chuir an scoil i gceist moladh faoi bhráid...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: My officials are currently liaising with the school to which the Deputy refers as to how and why the application for additional funding for its devolved school building project arises. When all of the relevant information has been supplied by the school and reviewed the school will be informed of my Department's decision.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has made an application to my Department for capital funding for additional accommodation. The application is currently being assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as this process is finalised.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for Government 'A Programme for a Partnership Government' has a commitment to enhance the guidance counsellor allocation in our secondary schools. The current budget provides an improved staffing allocation to second level schools for the purpose of enhancing guidance provision. This improvement takes effect from next September. It brings the basis of allocation from 19:1...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware of the provisions in the Student Support Act 2011 which provide for appeals to Appeals Officers within SUSI. Determinations of Appeals Officers can in turn be appealed to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The Deputy will appreciate that it would be inappropriate for me to seek to interfere in this statutory independent appeals process. However, my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Visiting Teacher Service (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Review of the Visiting Teachers service for blind and visually impaired and deaf and hard of hearing pupils (VTVHI) report was published on my Department's website on 10th February, 2015. The report is available at the following link: . The review recommended that a dedicated specialist sensory support service incorporating current services for children...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The draft financial statements of the following Institutes of Technology are showing a deficit for 2014/15 academic year: Athlone Institute of Technology Cork Institute of Technology Dundalk Institute of Technology Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology Letterkenny Institute of Technology Institute of Technology Tralee Waterford Institute of Technology. It should be noted that a number of these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology Expenditure (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 135 to 137, inclusive, together. The Higher Education Authority has provided the following details to my Department with regard to the split between pay and non-pay in respect of the 2016 operating budget of Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT). Pay is 85% and non-pay is 15% (excluding certain activities such as research etc) of the budget. In addition,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 139 together. As the Deputy is aware, the school in question has a major building project included in my Department's 6 Year Capital Programme. The school concerned submitted a proposal through its Patron to relocate the school within the Portlaoise area to meet its long term accommodation needs. In that regard, my Department has undertaken a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Funding (24 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 140, 172 and 179 together. The Government recognises the importance of higher education to Ireland's future economic and social development and also the huge impact a higher education experience has on the lives of individuals. In considering the best way forward, the previous Government established an Expert Group to examine future funding requirements...