Results 35,641-35,660 of 46,522 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health and Social Care Professionals (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: The data requested by the Deputy is not held by my Department nor the agencies under its remit. Placements are organised at the level of each individual Higher Education Institution (HEI), as part of their programme offerings to be delivered in conjunction with relevant placement providers. Where appropriate, each HEI will develop their programme offerings to meet the accreditation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: As was announced on 23rd February, the Government has agreed that Level 5 as set out in the Plan for Living with COVID-19 will remain in place until midnight on 5 April 2021. Level 5 measures designate higher and further education as essential insofar as onsite presence is required and such education activities cannot be held remotely. On 6th January I confirmed that further and higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: Universities and Institutes of Technology are autonomous and determine their own procedures for admission.  The CAO process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on their behalf.  Decisions on admissions are made by the higher education institutions who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Therefore neither I nor...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: The Programme for Government contains commitments to, among other things, review SUSI eligibility criteria, adjacency rates and postgraduate grant supports. The review of the Student Grant Scheme has just commenced and is due to report in Summer 2021. My Department is overseeing the implementation of the review through a steering group with student representation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: European Council Meetings (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: Education policy issues are dealt with at EU level as part of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport (EYCS) Council. Education policy issues can range from those related to Early Childhood Education and Care to Higher Education, and so representation at such meetings may be from either the Department of Education or the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department has not incurred any COVID-19 related spend that is based on contracts awarded under a negotiated procedure without prior publication procedure in 2020 or to date in 2021.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department has not incurred any COVID-19 related spend that is based on contracts awarded under a negotiated procedure without prior publication procedure in 2020 or to date in 2021.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cross-Border Co-operation (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I am committed to engaging in a collaborative relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive on areas of mutual interest and my Department is working closely with the Shared Island Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach on this work. I have met with Minister Dodds, and we discussed a number of areas of interest for cross-border collaboration between our two Departments. Senior...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 622, 624, 625, 632 and 641 together. 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. To satisfy the terms and conditions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (3 Mar 2021)

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 SUSI to determine. For...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: The information requested in not readily available in the format requested by the Deputy. In 2016, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) appointed an independent Expert Panel to review thecurrent allocation model for funding higher education and to make recommendations on the most appropriate funding model for the future. The completed review recommends reforms to the HEA funding distribution...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: The CAO process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on behalf of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Decisions on admissions, including deadlines for submissions of applications, are made by the HEIs who then instruct the CAO in this matter. Students whose November Leaving Certificate results entitled them to a higher preference offer based on their 2020...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 628 and 644 together. I am conscious of the impact that Covid-19 has had on the leaving certificate class of 2021, and will take action as necessary to ensure that a full range of further and higher education options are available to them. According to figures released by the CAO a total of 632 offers were identified as a result of the 2020 Leaving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Under the Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate higher education students with students paying the student contribution. The student contribution applies to all students on an annual basis, who are eligible under the 'free fees' scheme. The current rate is €3,000 per annum. Currently in excess of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy may be aware, my Department was established in July 2020. The information requested by the Deputy in regard to the agencies under the aegis of my Department is not routinely compiled by my Department. My officials are in contact with the aegis bodies and I will arrange to have the material forwarded to the Deputy when it becomes available. In relation to procurement, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Neither I nor my officials have met with the group in questions, and I am not aware of any correspondence sent by them to me or my Department. The national policy for managing COVID-19 is not a matter for my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: In response to the combined demographic and funding challenge, the then Minister for Education and Skills appointed an Expert Group to identify and consider issues related to the long term sustainable funding of higher education in Ireland and to identify funding options for the future. The expert group report, Investing in National Ambition: A Strategy for Funding Higher Education”...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Equity of Access to Higher Education continues to be a national priority for the Government and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The Programme for Government reflects the importance of supporting learners at risk of education disadvantage and learners with special education needs in higher education. The vision of National Plan for Equity...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cross-Border Co-operation (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I am strongly committed to exploring potential North-South dimensions of provision in the region. Last October, I had a virtual meeting with Minister Dodds, when we discussed a number of areas of interest for cross-border collaboration between our Departments. My Department's management board also had a bilateral meeting earlier this year with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland...