Results 35,881-35,900 of 46,522 for speaker:Simon Harris

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Responses to Brexit in Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (26 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: We are full and very willing participants in that process. In fairness to the Minister of State, she has turbocharged this since coming into office. There are other areas but disability is a good example of where there is a need to join up the public service need with the number of training places. Sláintecare, and health more broadly, is another example. If we want to deliver on...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Responses to Brexit in Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (26 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank Senator O'Reilly for his questions. As a Border politician, he is particularly conscious of the North-South issues. To be very clear, we are exploring, and will be proactive in exploring, every possible opportunity to do more on a North-South basis. I have had many interesting political meetings on this. I had a very good meeting with the leader of the SDLP, Colum Eastwood, on...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Responses to Brexit in Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (26 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Chairperson for her questions. Speaking bluntly, the point she made about Erasmus is correct. My Department needs to make the case - and we will - that there are additional costs for Irish students accessing Erasmus abroad in comparison with students who live on the Continent. If I lived somewhere in mainland Europe, I could connect with universities and institutions in other...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Responses to Brexit in Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (26 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: The issue of funding is an important one on which the Taoiseach and I are engaging intensively. We had the Cassells report in the previous Oireachtas. In an interesting decision, an all-party Oireachtas committee decided there was a need for another report. That work is now under way with input from the European Commission. It is due to land in the next quarter, and what I can tell the...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Responses to Brexit in Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (26 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: Yes, I agree.

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Responses to Brexit in Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (26 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: On Horizon 2020, the precursor to Horizon Europe, we did very well in the end. We have drawn down more than €1 billion, but we are ambitious to do even more. That is even more essential now because science, research and innovation is going to be our future economic and societal well-being. We have seen that during the pandemic. We see it in all the international debate going on...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Responses to Brexit in Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (26 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: Agreed.

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Responses to Brexit in Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (26 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: I think the Senator was instrumental in my being invited here. I think he had a Commencement Matter a few months ago on professional qualifications and mutual recognition. I went into it in my opening statement but a significant amount of progress has been made due to very pragmatic, intensive and painstaking engagement by many regulators - probably more than 40 - to work our way through...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Responses to Brexit in Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (26 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: I have to get out of that bad old habit of over-talking. I tend to do that at the end of every meeting. I get too relaxed and start to say too much. We have a lot of work to do with regard to Magee. The British and Irish Governments have made a commitment in respect of Magee. I and my officials have had meetings regarding Magee. We have met with people in Magee and Ulster University and...

Residential Tenancies (Student Rents and Other Protections) (Covid-19) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (28 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: Deputy Pringle will be relieved to know that I cannot sing. He will also know the biggest issue facing students is Covid-19, so he will excuse me for continuing to speak about it. If we get the next few days, weeks and months right, we will begin to address and rectify so many of the difficult and horrific challenges young people in this country have faced. I thank Deputy Ó Broin...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Funding (28 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: REACT EU is a €47.5bn initiative under the European Recovery Instrument to respond to the impact of COVID-19 and to prepare a green, digital and resilient recovery of the economy. The funding allocations are allocated in two tranches, for 2021 (80%) and 2022 (20%).  The allocations will  top-up existing 2014-2020 cohesion policy programmes and Member States can allocate the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Nursing Education (28 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 732 and 775 together. The information requested by the Deputy on the quota for nursing students is available in the attached table. The figures are available from 2011 onwards as that is when funding for undergraduate nursing transferred to the HEA. The quota on EU nursing places is set by the Department of Health/HSE and any increases to the quota (as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (28 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: The timeframes for the claiming of all tax reliefs, including those on third level fees, are set out by the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 and are managed by the Revenue Commissioners. There are no current plans to revise these timeframes as they relate to tax relief on third level fees. However, these matters remain under review. Further information on the current tax relief scheme and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (28 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible 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.  In relation to support available for students studying abroad, the Student Grant Scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (28 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 735, 774 and 777 together. The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the intake quota of medical students per year is available in the table attached. The Medical Education in Ireland: A New Direction report, known as the Fottrell Report (2006) outlined a recommended quota of EU and Non EU Medical Students. No further analysis has been conducted...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Erasmus+ Programme (28 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: According to the most up-to-date HEA figures, there are currently 1,026 students from Irish institutions abroad on Erasmus+. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (28 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: Neither my Department nor the Higher Education Authority collect the data on the number of students on joint programmes with institutions in other jurisdictions.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (28 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: According most recent enrolment data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in the UK, there were 9,140 Irish students in the UK in the 2019/ 2020 academic year. The Department does not have ready access to data on the number of students in other countries beyond Ireland and the UK.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: The decision to support Erasmus students was taken in the context of my Department's role as national authority for the Erasmus programme.  It is not possible to extend the arrangements for other categories ofstudents who travel outside the State to pursue their studies in other countries. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (28 Apr 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department does not have data on the travel arrangements of students who travel independently to pursue studies outside of the Erasmus+ programme. In the main, these students undertake their studies independently and as a matter of personal choice.  It is therefore not possible to provide an estimate of costs.