Results 35,201-35,220 of 46,522 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: In line with the Common Travel Area, Irish students, unlike students from other EU Member States, will not be treated as International Students for fee purposes. Officials in my Department are currently engaged in intensive discussion with their counterparts in the Devolved Administrations in the UK with a view to finalising the fees to be charged to Irish Students, reflective of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions are administratively and academically independent, and have the right to determine their own criteria and procedures for admission. Neither I nor my Department have a role in the determination or review of these admissions processes. A review of the Leaving Certificate and International Baccalaureate curriculum and examinations across a representative range of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Data (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: The information as requested by the Deputy is not readily available. My Department is in the process of working with its agencies to collect and collate the data in question and will revert with a reply to the Deputy directly as soon as it is received.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: The breakdown of student numbers from Northern Ireland, by academic year, is contained in the attached spreadsheet. The most recent data available is for the 2018/2019 academic year. NI Enrolments 2014/2015 2015/2016 2016/2017 2017/2018 2018/2019 Full-time 762 951 955 1,065 1,003 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: In recognition of the challenges facing full time third level students the Government has approved once off funding of €50m to provide additional financial assistance in this academic year. The funding, which was provided in Budget 2021, in recognition of the significant upheaval they have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic will offer financial assistance to all EU full-time...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 555 and 562 together. I am conscious of the challenges faced by students in relation to student accommodation this year due to financial pressures and the blended learning format of the 2020/21 academic year. Throughout the last number of months my Department has been engaging with representatives from the higher education sector to address the challenges...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 556 and 564 together. In recognition of the challenges facing full time third level students the Government has approved once off funding of €50m to provide additional financial assistance in this academic year. The funding, which was provided in Budget 2021, in recognition of the significant upheaval they have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: The establishment of technological universities (TUs) is an important part of the Government’s higher education and regional development policy as underscored in the Programme for Government 2020. TUs will provide increased choices for students, an enhanced student experience and greater access for students in tackling educational disadvantage with TUs offering a broad range of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Horizon 2020 Strategy (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: To date, Ireland has been part of 1,855 projects since the beginning of Horizon 2020 in 2014. The Commission “Dashboard” provides publicly available, regularly updated information on all these projects with links to each individual project including the start and end dates for the project, the institutions involved in the project, the geographical location of these institutions,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: SUSI’s data sharing arrangements are governed by provisions in the Student Support Act 2011 and where applicable, secondary legislation provided for in the Act. These data sharing arrangements assist in verifying an applicant’s eligibility for grant funding. As part of the agreed data sharing protocols, SUSI has live access to records of Department of Employment Affairs and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: It is important to note in relation to this issue that applications to undertake study at postgraduate level are made directly to individual higher education institutions. Higher education institutions are autonomous institutions as provided for in legislation and on that basis, the criteria governing the level of tuition fees to be charged in the case of postgraduate study is solely a matter...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: It is important to note in relation to this issue that under the Free Fees Schemes the Exchequer currently makes a very substantial contribution amounting to €340 m to meeting the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate Higher Education students with those students who are required to pay the student contribution paying €3,000 per annum towards the cost of their studies. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: My Department has published reports on consultancy costs after each calendar year on www.education.ie. Tables showing the returns for consultancy costs for 2018 and 2019 follow. A return for 2020 will be compiled after the end of the accounting period. Details in respect of accountancy, legal, project management and IT companies, are not immediately available but are being compiled and will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 566 and 568 together. In recognition of the challenges facing full time third level students the Government has approved once off funding of €50m to provide additional financial assistance in this academic year. The funding, which was provided in Budget 2021, in recognition of the significant upheaval they have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: Under the July stimulus package an additional funding allocation of €47.5m was provided for Higher Education skills-related programmes. The higher education elements of the July stimulus package were in three broad areas – further support for Springboard+ and HCI Pillar 1 (€10m), Funding for Postgraduate provision (€22.5m), and the provision of modular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: In recognition of the challenges facing full time third level students the Government has approved once off funding of €50m to provide additional financial assistance in this academic year. The funding, which was provided in Budget 2021, in recognition of the significant upheaval they have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic will offer financial assistance to all EU full-time...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (1 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: The HEA has been working with higher education stakeholders for the past 12 months on the issue of the collection of data on higher education institution staff by ethnicity. The HEA Centre of Excellence for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion will request such data in December 2020, following the publication of a statement by the Athena SWAN National Intersectionality Working Group in May 2020....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (2 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: The principal support provided by the Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the 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 decision on eligibility for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (2 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: Under the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is available to eligible students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the terms and conditions of funding, including those relating to residency, means, nationality and previous academic attainment. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (2 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: Due to the differences between different types of part time courses, no meaningful average cost can be provided to the Deputy. Part-time and flexible students can fall under a number of categories such part-time students on traditional on-campus full-time programmes, blended learning, evening/weekend on-campus students and remote students. Part-time students can take a wide range of number of...