Results 9,901-9,920 of 46,456 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: The development of a new national strategy for research and innovation (R&I) is a key commitment in the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan 2021, which sets out the “dual ambition of placing research, development and innovation at the heart of addressing Ireland’s economic and societal challenges, and building capacity and capability across the research and innovation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Appointments (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: I can confirm that the person referenced has not held any formal or informal roles in my Department or in its agencies during the lifetime of this Government. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Government Communications (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: Neither I nor my advisors or senior management team use the services referenced by the Deputy. The use of these services is not authorised for official business on devices provided by my department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: It is not possible to definitively calculate the estimates costs as requested in light of the various adjustments that have been made to the student grant system since 2008, and in particularly the demographic changes that have taken place. To put it in context, in 2008/09 there were 57,261 students who benefitted from grant support at a cost of €264m, whereas in 2020/21 there...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: In relation to tuition fees it is important to consider that the State currently provides very substantial financial support to undergraduate students in higher education towards the cost of their studies. This support has played a very significant role in facilitating access to and growth in higher education. What was previously the preserve of a relatively small proportion of the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I wish to reiterate that my key priority and that of my Department in terms of advancing higher education integration in the south-east region is the progression by the publicly funded Institutes of Technology that make up the TUSEI consortium of their proposals for a technological university to serve all parts of the region. In this context I appointed an expert advisory panel to assess the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The additional 50,000 education and training places referred to in Pathways to Work form part of the Government’s response to the labour market and skills effects of the pandemic. A range of measures were introduced as a response to upskilling and reskilling needs of individuals and businesses through the July Jobs Stimulus and Budget 2021. These measures are providing 35,000 education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) was announced as part of Budget 2019. The HCI provides additional capacity across the Higher Education Sector to meet priority skill needs for enterprise, representing an additional investment of €300m (€60m per annum from 2020 to 2024) from the surplus in the NTF in line with recommendations contained in the independent review of the NTF on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government contains a commitment to review SUSI eligibility criteria, adjacency rates and postgraduate grant supports. To take forward this commitment I established a review of the Student Grant Scheme. This review is currently underway. It is being conducted by Indecon Economic Consultants under the direction of a steering group chaired by my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Science Foundation Ireland (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: Science Foundation Ireland have committed €5 million towards the SFI Research Infrastructure programme in 2021. The programme is also supported by SEAI who have committed €1 million towards proposals within their remit. The current available funding under the programme is therefore €6 million. There is no maximum budget request for research infrastructure proposals,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Language Schools (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1248 and 1262 together. Following the publication of COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery: The Path Ahead and in keeping with the Government’s objective of moving to a return to safe onsite provision in higher and further education, extensive planning has been undertaken by the sectoral stakeholders of the Covid-19 Working Group for the English language...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Funding (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1249, 1250 and 1251 together. The 2014-20 ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) was approved by the European Commission in February 2015 and subsequently launched in April 2015. Following the allocation of an additional €2m funding as part of the mid-term Review of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework, the PEIL OP had a total...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The 2020 July Stimulus provided for total investment of €100m in education and training measures. The Further Education and Training measures included the Skills to Compete programme; the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme and Skillnet Ireland activation programmes. The Higher Education measures included additional places on Springboard+ and Human Capital Initiative Pillar 1...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Funding (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The Partnership Agreement for 2021-2027 will cover a number of different EU Funds as provided for in the Common Provisions Regulation, including ESF+, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Just Transition Fund (JTF) and the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). The Partnership Agreement is a strategic document setting out the overall priorities across the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1254 and 1255 together. My Department's Statement of Strategy, which I published on 8 March last, contains a commitment to put in place a sustainable funding model for the higher education. This is essential in ensuring that our higher education institutions can effectively meet high standards of quality and performance, and achieve critical outcomes for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The annual spend for the 2020/21 academic year on maintenance grants as of end June 2021 was in the region of €160M. Based on the number of students in receipt of the maintenance grant for 2020/21, the estimated cost of increasing all rates of the maintenance grant by 10% is in the region of €16.5M. The Programme for Government contains commitments to, amongst other...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The student maintenance grant is a contribution towards the living costs of a student. It is not intended to cover the full costs of attending college. The student grant scheme does however, provide for different levels of maintenance support, depending on means. Grants are also provided at adjacent and non-adjacent rates. The higher non-adjacent rates are intended to provide additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme where students are studying for the first time or are progressing to study at a higher level. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. Currently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The main support to students attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the Student Grant Scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding, provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution and meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment (progression) and means. Under...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (27 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The National Student Accommodation Strategy is designed to ensure that there is an increased level of supply of purpose built student accommodation to reduce the demand for accommodation in the private rental sector by both domestic and international students attending our Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Several of the actions in this strategy centre around ensuring that HEIs have...