Results 17,641-17,660 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (18 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 91 and 95 together. The Government has committed to establishing a Public Service Pay Commission to examine pay levels across the Public Service, including the entry pay levels to which the Deputy refers. The Government recognises the importance of being able to attract quality new entrants to the Public Service, particularly so in important professional areas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (18 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I propose to take questions 92 and 93 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs, including children with autism, should be included where possible and appropriate in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where children with special educational needs require more specialised...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme (18 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The school referred to by the Deputy was allocated a grant under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme in 2013. To date the school authority have not submitted the required documentation to draw down the allocated funding. The Planning and Building Unit of my Department are currently liaising with the school authority in an effort to resolve this matter. As soon as the required...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Services Staff (18 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Schemes were initiated in 1978 and 1979 for the employment of Clerical Officers and Caretakers in primary and secondary schools. While a small number of these staff remain in schools, the schemes are being phased out and have been superseded by a more extensive grant scheme. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme now receive capitation grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (18 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for Government has a commitment to reduce class sizes at primary level. Budget 2016 provides for a one point adjustment to the staffing allocation to primary schools, which will be implemented for the 2016/17 school year. This will see the primary staffing schedule operate on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 27 pupils. Lower thresholds apply...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (18 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The Board of the SEC is currently undertaking a review of the operation of the RACE Scheme. As part of this review the SEC is considering the recent High Court Judicial Review findings referred to by the Deputy. Following the review the SEC will develop...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Review (18 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. Under the terms of my Department's Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 3.2 or 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (18 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I am aware of the impact budgetary decisions taken in our economic crisis have had on capitation and related grants to our primary and second level schools. I do recognise the need to improve capitation funding for primary and secondary schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over the recent years. In 2015 the first increase in education spending was secured in recent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Speech and Language Therapy Provision (18 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Programme for a Partnership Government states that a new model of In-School Speech and Language Therapy will be established. It commits to investing an extra €500million in education by 2021 through measures including childcare subventions, HSE Speech and Language Therapists, to bring the number up to 1,102 (a 25% increase). As committed to in the Programme for a Partnership...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (18 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I can confirm that my Department is in receipt of an application for the provision of a PE hall for the school in question. I wish to advise the Deputy that due to the competing demands on my Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise available funding towards the provision of essential school classroom accommodation, it is not possible at this point to provide an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commemorative Events (17 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Department of Education and Skills has done its utmost to support and embrace the educational aspects of the Ireland 2016 commemorative programme. Under its auspices, the Professional Development Service for Teachers has already placed approximately 70 resources about 1916 on the Scoilnet portal for teachers and students, many of them produced by teachers themselves. The book,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (17 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 of more of these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (17 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Public sector pension schemes by their nature have varying rules governing their administration. They are mainly statutory schemes, set up by or under Acts of the Oireachtas. Teachers in the Community School sector are members of The Secondary, Community and Comprehensive School Teachers Pension Scheme (S.I. No. 435 of 2009) while teachers in the Education and Training Boards are members of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (17 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: A final detailed response has now issued to the person referred to by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (17 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Deputy will be aware that student grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State, within a specified reference period. The means test arrangements of the Student Grant Scheme are applied nationally. The assessment of income from the same starting point is deemed to be fair and reasonable because this approach eliminates any...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation Provision (17 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department considers that the school in question has sufficient accommodation to cater for its primary pupil cohort. The provision of additional accommodation is not therefore warranted and the school authority has been advised accordingly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (17 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Teaching Council is the body with statutory responsibility and authority for the 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 National...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Expenditure (17 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) will be applied on a multi-annual basis for the years 2016 and 2017. The Deputy will be aware that details of the successful applicants under the SWS (2016-2017) were announced on 28th April last, details of which are published on my Department's website,www.education.ie. €30 million of the €80 million announced for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (17 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. It is Department policy that all students are entitled to be taught first and foremost by fully qualified, registered teachers. Lengthening and reconfiguring the programmes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Applications (17 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The school to which the Deputy refers applied for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme (EWG) to resurface the yard. As the scope of works is outside the terms of this scheme, the application was refused.