Results 34,621-34,640 of 46,522 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The cost of each student enrolled as an undergraduate student will vary across institutes and disciplines. For example laboratory based disciplines ( science, engineering, etc ) will have a greater cost than non-lab disciplines (arts, business, etc). Health related disciplines (e.g. medicine and dentistry) will be significantly higher than non-lab disciplines. An average cost for an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 860 and 861 together. English language education (ELE) in Ireland is a broad and diverse sector with the vast majority of activity undertaken by private sector providers. I am of course aware of the contribution made by the sector and of the challenges that are being encountered given the substantial impact that the Covid-19 outbreak has had on students,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Nursing Education (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Details of the number of nurses graduating on 2017 to 2019 are included in the attached table. According to a survey of graduates carried out nine months after graduation, 89% of 2017 and 91% of 2018 nursing and midwifery graduates who were employed in Ireland went into employment in the Human Health and Social Work sector, which includes both private and public healthcare provision. Survey...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The mental health and wellbeing of students is of paramount importance to my Department. The additional 2020 allocation of €2 million in support of mental health services and wellbeing was made available to higher education institutions via the HEA funding allocation model earlier this year. Each institution has received a share, based on the number of students registered, with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: International Students (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Incoming international students are a matter for each institution. However, the sector has advised it has adopted a set of principles to manage the process of international students including managed arrivals at the airport and restricted movements for 14 days. The higher education sector has developed a protocol of assurance, to support the protection of public health, to safely manage the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The details requested by the Deputy on the numbers of students housed in certain types of student accommodation are not collected or held by my Department. The “Practical Guidance for Further and Higher Education for Returning to On-site Activity in 2020”, published by my Department in July contains some guidance for managing the risk of virus transmission in student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The Student Grant Scheme is administered by the centralised national grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), a business unit of CDETB (City of Dublin Education and Training Board), on behalf of the Department. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for SUSI to determine. If an individual applicant considers that he/she has been unjustly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The Once-Off COVID-19 Grant to support disadvantaged students in accessing ICT devices is part of the package of COVID-19 supports for higher and further education institutions funded by my Department. This initiative addresses concerns regarding the digital divide in the context of the shift to online and blended models of learning, which were identified by a range of stakeholders in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The Government’s objective for the establishment of a university serving the north-west is being advanced through the Connacht Ulster Alliance (CUA) TU development consortium composed of Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Galway Mayo IT and IT Sligo. CUA is working on plans to submit an application seeking an order for establishment as a technological university under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: At the end of August, SUSI had received over 91,000 applications from students with over 67,500 students assessed as eligible for support for academic year 2020-21. In line with previous years, SUSI’s payment schedule is updated to coincide with college start dates. In accordance with legislation, to receive payment, students must be registered with their college and the college...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Offices (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education; Research; Innovation and Science operates from accommodation provided by the Department of Education and Science and the response provided by that Department will incorporate this Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Advisers (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: In accordance with the terms of the Public Service Management Act 1997 I will be appointing two Special Advisers to assist me in carrying out my ministerial functions at the Department which will not be subject to a civil service secondment arrangement. The current salary scale applicable to the position of Special Adviser is as follows: Point Amount 1 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and as such are academically independent and are entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes. As providers, it is the responsibility of each higher education institution (HEI) to put in place appropriate supports to ensure that the needs of students of disabilities are met. Each HEI has an access and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Under my Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible full-time undergraduate students with students paying the student contribution which currently stands at €3,000. The Student Contribution, was introduced with effect from the 2011/12 academic year. There has been no increase in the contribution since 2014/15. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Advisers (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I envisage that two special advisers will be appointed by my Department.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for the question. One of the few jurisdictions that has higher fees is Northern Ireland. I presume the same logic would apply in terms of the Deputy wanting to see a reduction in fees in Northern Ireland where Sinn Féin is in government and where the fees are £4,395 sterling per annum and students, therefore, are leaving colleges in Northern Ireland heavily...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I agree with the Deputy. Opportunities that are often available to students will not be available in the current college year, the most obvious being employment opportunities. Many students work part time to supplement the cost of living and the cost of going to college. For this reason, we decided to make a targeted intervention this year in doubling the student assistance fund. This...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Fees (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I very much welcome the survey done by the Deputy and it is important to directly hear the voices of students. In 2015, the State was investing approximately €1.4 billion of Exchequer funds in higher education and that has now risen to €1.8 billion. When we add the SUSI costs, the figure rises to above €2 billion. We need to do more and the programme for Government...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Higher Education Institutions (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I was delighted to see this question as I had an exciting meeting the other day with representatives of HEAnet, the organisation that is involved in rolling out technological solutions for students. The Deputy knows that eduroam is a Wi-Fi system used not just by students on campus in Ireland but around the world. HEAnet is in the process of developing proposals to see how this eduroam...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Higher Education Institutions (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I suggest we engage on this matter if the Deputy wishes to send me some proposals in this regard. We fund the HEA through the innovation and transformation fund and I have a long list of projects I could read out that it is already funding. The Deputy has identified a real need, particularly in some of the more rural parts of the country. HEAnet is funded through the HEA and it is...