Results 8,761-8,780 of 46,456 for speaker:Simon Harris

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 70: In page 32, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: “(f) trades unions or staff associations of members of staff of designated institutions of higher education which are recognised by those institutions, and”.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 74: In page 32, line 32, after “students,” to insert “including the number of students participating at the senior level in post-primary education,”.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 77: In page 33, line 8, to delete “requirements, and” and substitute “requirements, including requirements relating to the promotion and use of the Irish language, and”.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 81: In page 33, line 27, to delete “requirements, and” and substitute “requirements, including requirements relating to the promotion and use of the Irish language, and”.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: I know that Deputy Ó Snodaigh has the floor, but I would like to inform the committee that this relates to the planning for provision section of the Bill. I indicated earlier that I would like to work with the Deputy on the section in question between now and Report Stage.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an independent student (i.e. assessed without reference to parental income and address) if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: SUSI’s online application process for renewal student grant applications for the 2022/23 academic year opened on 10th March, 2022. New applications will be accepted by SUSI from April 28th, 2022. As part of Budget 2022, I have secured an additional €15m to enhance the existing financial supports under the Student Grant Scheme for implementation in 2022. For the academic year...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: My Department is strongly committed to supporting the health of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health and social care workforce. My officials are currently engaging with the Higher Education Authority and representatives from the higher education sector on the provision of additional places for the coming academic...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: The provision of clinical placements is a matter arranged by individual HEIs and the HSE and other healthcare providers. My Department does not have a direct role in the provision of placements. From a nursing and midwifery perspective, there are Local Joint Working Groups (LJWGs) in place across the country aligned to each HEI/University and the associated healthcare partner area. These...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 574 to 578, inclusive, together. The costs incurred by a Higher Education Institution in increasing student places on a particular course can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the individual circumstances of the relevant Higher Education Institution. It is therefore not possible to definitively calculate the costs sought. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: There are no staff at my Department absent from work on full pay due to suspension or workplace disputes. Contact details for State Bodies within the scope of the Deputy's question are set out in the attached document should the Deputy wish to contact them with this querey. Contact E-Mail Addresses for State Bodies under the Remit of the Department of Further and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 581 and 589 together. I can confirm my Department has received correspondence from the person(s) detailed and my officials have already been in contact with them regarding continuing their studies in Ireland. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, my Department has received a very large volume of enquiries, from Irish students who were studying in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: The further development and mainstreaming of apprenticeship through the creation of a single unified apprenticeship system, as articulated in the 'Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025', has a key role to play in meeting Ireland's skills needs in a manner which presents a valued proposition for apprentices and employers alike. There are currently 64 apprenticeship programmes on offer: 25...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: The nationality requirements for the Student Grant Scheme are set out in Section 14 of the Student Support Act 2011 and Regulation 5 of the Student Support Regulations 2022. The candidate's nationality or immigration status in the State determines whether or not she or he meets the nationality requirement outlined in the Act and Regulations, and would be therefore eligible to qualify for a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Flexible Work Practices (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: Phased return to a physical attendance in the workplace commenced for staff of my department following the easing of Government restrictions on 21 January and staff are currently attending the office for two days per week and working remotely for the remaining days. Following the publication last week of the Blended Working Policy Framework for the Civil Service by the Minister for Public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: I am happy to report that work on finalising the next National Access Plan (NAP) is at an advanced stage. Colleagues will soon be preparing a memo for Government with the intention of publishing the new Plan in the coming months.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: I am happy to report that work on the development of the new National Access Plan is at an advanced stage. Following an extensive consultation process, over 122 submissions were received and reviewed from a wide range of stakeholders. It has been suggested in some of the submissions received that people in care and care leavers should be included as a priority group in the next Plan. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (5 Apr 2022)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science came into existence in 2020. Prior to the department's establishment the information was managed and published by the Department of Education and is available at www.gov.ie/en/collection/department-of-education-and-skills- expenditure-on-consultancy/. The data in respect of 2021 is being compiled as part of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (31 Mar 2022)

Simon Harris: I understand that the report referred to by the Deputy in relation to the circumstances of the purchase by University of Limerick (UL) of a property in 2019 has been received and is under review by UL. In relation to the pensions matter referred to by the Deputy, that follows a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General in 2018 which highlighted concerns on the level of professional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gender Equality (31 Mar 2022)

Simon Harris: The majority of recruitment to my Department is from the Public Appointments Service (PAS) which is the centralised provider of recruitment, assessment and selection services across the Civil Service. All recruitment activities by the PAS are underpinned by their Equality, Inclusion and Diversity strategy 2021-2023 which identifies the key strategic priorities of greater knowledge and...