Results 17,541-17,560 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Spending on provision for children with special educational needs has been prioritised in recent years, despite the enormous pressures on the public finances. Funding for special education provision in 2016 will amount to €1.4 billion, which is equivalent to approximately 17% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training. This has increased by 10% in the past two...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The purpose of the review is to assess the extent to which the needs are being met. The reply I gave outlined the provision in place and, to be fair, there has been a significant increase in resource teaching, special needs assistants and the number of special classes. The number of pupils served has considerably increased, so far more children with special needs are being supported in our...

Other Questions: School Admissions (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: General legislation will provide that schools cannot refuse admission to a child on grounds of religious belief. However, if a school is oversubscribed and there are too many children, the current legislation allows it to choose a child of its denomination over a child who is not of that denomination. A school cannot turn away someone because he or she is Muslim or has special needs and so...

Other Questions: Preschool Services (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: On the specific preschool referred to by the Deputy, I understand the community facilities provided on the site in question initially provided accommodation for a preschool but that, following its closure, a new preschool has been opened in two classrooms in the school. It should be noted that under Circular 16/05, issued in 2005 on the use of school premises during the school day for...

Other Questions: Preschool Services (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I am very sympathetic to the Deputy's point and believe the Department recognises the value of integrating the service. From a narrow point of view, the Department is committed to having a 24-classroom school to provide the education service which is its responsibility. I believe the difficulty was that no formal request had been made by the school before it opened. Nonetheless, I am...

Other Questions: Preschool Services (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Clearly, I would like to be able to resolve the issue but, equally, I understand my Department has a statutory obligation to provide school places, not preschool places. Given its budget which I know is highly limited - we read in the newspapers about how limited it is - the Department has to concentrate on its statutory responsibility. There are constraints on a Department in providing...

Other Questions: Educational Reform (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy will be aware, A 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 made 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....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I would certainly support State bodies getting involved. If one goes back through the full list of over 80 proposals, there are State bodies involved. These are very significant and important sectors of industry. The take-up in traditional apprenticeships has doubled since 2012 and we are planning for a very substantial increase in the take-up of those. We are planning for the...

Other Questions: Third Level Fees (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Government recognises the importance of higher education to Ireland's economic future and social development, as well as 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 for the higher education system and to present options for...

Other Questions: Third Level Fees (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I fully agree with the Deputy that we need to increase participation from groups that are not well-represented, including areas of particular disadvantage. The targets that are set envisage an increase of about one third in the participation of disadvantaged groups. They have been set out in different areas across students with disabilities, mature students, various socio-economic groups...

Other Questions: Third Level Fees (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I agree with the Deputy that that pilot scheme run by the Northside Partnership is exceptional. It is an example of how we should proceed. Among the 30 actions that are committed to in higher education access one is to build on those kinds of approaches to try to build pathways for children who might otherwise find it difficult to get to higher education. It involves mentoring, looking at...

Other Questions: School Admissions (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: While changes to the Equal Status Act are a matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality, the question raised by the Deputy is related to school admission policies. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to publish a new school admissions and excellence legislation, taking account of current draft proposals. The published draft legislation for school admissions did not...

Other Questions: School Admissions (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I hope to bring forward this legislation at an early date. Considerable work has been done on it within the Department. The Constitution provides that the State acknowledges that the primary and natural educator is the family and it provides for the rights of parents. It then goes on to say under Article 44 that the State shall not impose any disabilities or discrimination on the grounds...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy knows, the EPSEN Act sets out very distinct statutory requirements around assessments, plans, services and appeals, etc. Essentially, the system is evolving to the point at which all of these clear legal requirements can be met. A pupil plan must be in place before a special needs assistant can be allocated to a school in respect of that pupil. The Department is using the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I agree with the Deputy. The way to implement this Act is to increase the number of resource teacher posts. The number in question increased by almost 2,000 between the 2011 and 2016 school years. There has also been a substantial increase in the number of special needs assistants. An additional 1,500 special needs assistants have been provided. This infrastructure will support the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Ireland needs to develop a highly valued apprenticeship path in new areas of opportunity while also meeting the growing demands in certain traditional areas. This approach is central to our ambition to facilitate the growth of modern manufacturing and service sectors. The new programme for Government plans to accelerate the work that was initiated by the previous Government by putting in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Traditionally, apprenticeships were solely demand-led and were confined to the traditional 24 trades. As I said in my initial reply, it is exciting that proposals have been made in respect of 80 new trades by a new batch of employers who are willing to participate. While the roll-out of these proposals will depend on the willingness of employers to take people on, we must also develop the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: School Guidance Counsellors (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I do not disagree with the Deputy but we have come through a period when there were a lot of cutbacks in education. We are now trying to rebuild that and that means putting back resources as and when we can get them. I have to knock on the door of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to try to get money and there are demands from all the other services, including health. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: State Examinations Reviews (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The new framework for junior cycle 2015 offers a significant opportunity to improve the experience for learners, to broaden the range of competences which they acquire and to facilitate more flexible teaching, catering to the different needs of students with ongoing feedback. The Department has set out a schedule for the roll-out of this new approach across all subjects over a five-year...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: State Examinations Reviews (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: To be fair to the Department and my predecessors, a lot of work has gone into trying to accommodate the introduction of the junior cycle. I understand that detailed negotiations took place, which amended it and did away with some of the biggest concerns the teachers had about assessing their own pupils in a certified State exam. Agreement was reached with the two trade unions, the TUI and...