Results 35,021-35,040 of 46,522 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research and Development (20 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Innovation 2020, the current national strategy for research and development, science and technology, acknowledges the importance of the pipeline of skilled and talented individuals playing a critical factor in innovation. From pre-primary through to further and higher education and throughout an individual’s career, skills and knowledge need to be continuously enhanced if individuals,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (20 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The assessment of means under the Scheme is based on gross income from all sources before the deduction of income...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (20 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The provision of funding to for Higher Education on an annual basis is part of overall expenditure management and budgetary policy. Queries in relation to the overall expenditure on Higher Education in relation to the national budget are more appropriate for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Government Funding for Higher Education: In recent Government funding has demonstrably...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (20 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I am not aware of any plans to build a new higher education institution on the northside of Cork city. However, my Department continues to work collaboratively with CIT (soon to become part of Munster Technological University with IT Tralee) and UCC in the development of capital projects in line with their established masterplans. Higher education building projects in Cork supported by my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (20 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Following the conclusion of the review of the code used to generate Calculated Grades, improved Calculated Grades results were transmitted to the CAO on Saturday 3rdOctober. The CAO subsequently identified 485 students who were entitled to a higher preference CAO offer as a result of their improved grades. As of CAO Round 4, which was issued on Thursday 8thOctober, all of these students have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (20 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 499 and 500 together. Higher Education providers are autonomous institutions with responsibility for the day to day operations and requirements of students and staff. The provision of breastfeeding spaces is a matter for individual institutions in accordance with the relevant guidelines. My Department does not have any role in this matter. I would expect...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Offices (20 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science is presently temporarily accommodated at the Department of Education’s office campuses. I am informed that there are presently no dedicated facilities for breastfeeding or expressing milk as no request for such a facility has been currently made by a member of staff. I can assure the Deputy that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disability Support Services (20 Oct 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 Admissions (20 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The HEAR scheme is operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) who set the policy criteria for the scheme. Admissions under the scheme is regulated by the higher education institutions themselves. Each institution determines its own admissions policy in relation to the scheme, the number of places they reserve and the allocation of those places. My Department does not have a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (21 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The objective of the statutory based student grant scheme is to provide additional assistance where parental income is below a certain threshold or, in the case of independent mature students, where the level of income of the student and his or her spouse warrants additional assistance by way of a grant. For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (21 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy may be aware a Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) Working Group was established in March 2017.  The key objective of this group was to develop a plan to develop a sustainable future for the Mayo Campus arising from concerns about the financial viability of the campus.  The Report contained 33 recommendations for implementation. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 200 to 202, inclusive, together. As announced in July, the government has provided additional and re-prioritised funding in the amount of €168m to enable providers to facilitate the safe return of students to further and higher education in 2020, in the context of public health advice. This funding includes provision for PPE and equipment, online...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (21 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The CAO is a company established by the Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on their behalf.  It is governed by a board of directors drawn from across the higher education sector, and decisions on the operation of the CAO are made by this board. Neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Neither I nor my Department have any role in relation to the provision of financial supports for nurses and other medical students undertaking clinical placements. These are matters for the Department of Health and the HSE as appropriate. In this context I refer the Deputy to PQ Number 30359/20 which I answered on 13 October.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (21 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I wish to advise the Deputy that TU Dublin does not have a borrowing framework and has no debt. The Universities Act, 1997 contains a provision for universities to borrow within a framework agreed with the Higher Education Authority. This framework, which was agreed with the now Department of Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science and the now Department of Public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (21 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: As part of a package of COVID-19 supports for the higher and further education sectors, my Department has allocated €15 million to higher and further education providers for a once-off COVID-19 grant to support disadvantaged students in accessing ICT devices.   This initiative addresses concerns regarding the digital divide in the context of the shift to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I am very conscious of the impact the pandemic has had on our students. To ensure the safety of our students and staff in further and higher education under the remit of my Department, the majority of college will be online for this semester.  In recognition of the challenges facing full time third level students the Government has approved once off funding of €50m to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (21 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 210 together. I am conscious of the challenges faced by students regarding student accommodation this year due to both financial pressures, and the blended learning format of the 2020/21 academic year. Responding to these issues is a significant matter of concern for myself and for my colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Science Foundation Ireland (21 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I have had discussions with Science Foundation Ireland in relation to their ambitions to develop their international footprint. In this regard I understand that the Ireland House approach to developing an overseas agency presence may be an appropriate model to utilise and I am interested to see these plans progress as part of our ongoing engagement with SFI.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (21 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: It has been a significant priority for me, in the context of the shift to online teaching and learning that has arisen from the public health restrictions, to provide support to students to facilitate connectivity and to examine options designed to seek to minimise the extent to which connectivity challenges act as a barrier to full participation in higher and further education. In this...