Results 36,321-36,340 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (7 Jul 2021)

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: Third Level Fees (7 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware that there are various income thresholds used depending on the type of grant, family size etc. While SUSI has statistics on those students who have applied for grant support and can estimate with some degree of certainty, what impact changes to the thresholds might have for those students on lower income levels, the accuracy of its estimates become less reliable at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (7 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: In 2019, in response to steep increases in the price of some student accommodation, legislation was brought in to ensure that students would have the same affordability measures as tenants within Rent Pressure Zones. Student accommodation will be similarly included in any future measures brought in around Rent Pressure Zones and caps on rent increases. Under the Residential Tenancies...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (7 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The National Student Accommodation Strategy is designed to ensure that there is an increased level of supply of purpose built student accommodation to reduce the demand for accommodation in the private rental sector by both domestic and international students attending our Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Several of the actions in this strategy centre around ensuring that HEIs have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cybersecurity Policy (7 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: Research projects often encompass a multitude of subjects, and are funded by multiple sources including public, private and European funding. At present it is not possible to determine an exact figure for R&D expenditure across the system on this specific area. My Department is progressing a standard classification system for public expenditure on research for Ireland, which is intended...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: An Teanga Gaeilge (7 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: Tá tiomantas an ÚAO chun tacú leis an nGaeilge mar atá cumhdaithe in Acht an ÚAO 1971: “Ag comhlíonadh a fheidhmeanna don Údarás coimeádfaidh sé i gcuimhne i gcónaí na haidhmeanna náisiúnta atá ann an Ghaeilge a aisiriú agus an tsaíocht náisiúnta a chaomhnú agus a fhorbairt agus...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Grant Payments (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for the question. The student support scheme is a critical financial support for students participating in higher education. As of earlier this week, Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, had received almost 74,000 applications from students. To date, almost 53,500 applications have been assessed, with more than 47,000 deemed as eligible for support for the next...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Grant Payments (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: There are crossed lines of communication here, so let me be clearer. Full-time students will not be in a position to receive the PUP from September. Therefore, they will be entitled to have their SUSI application assessed as though they have not received the payment. That is the purpose of the change of circumstances. I met my officials as recently as yesterday on this. I acknowledge...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Grant Payments (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: Not to surprise the Deputy, but I am doing more for students than she has asked me to do. Not only are we going to put in a disregard of €4,500, because full-time students are no longer entitled to the PUP from September, if they apply for the change of circumstances, that will mean their application will be reassessed without their PUP payment being calculated as part of it. SUSI...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Technological Universities (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for the question and for consistently raising with me the need for a Wexford campus as part of the technological university for the south east. It has been a long-term objective of what is currently Institute of Technology, IT, Carlow to secure and develop a suitable, permanent campus site in Wexford. In the broader context of higher education progression and integration,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Technological Universities (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: That is an excellent suggestion. I would be very happy to take the Deputy up on it and arrange for a meeting with Oireachtas Members from Wexford, perhaps the chief executive of Wexford County Council, the president of IT Carlow and their like to meet me. I would be very happy to try to do that this month, at least online. I will take the Deputy up on her offer to visit the existing...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Technological Universities (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. She does not need me to tell her about the success of the Wexford campus because she herself has been a beneficiary. I very much believe this technological university for the south east will be transformational, not just regarding access to education, although that will be the case, but also regarding the foreign direct investment potential the Deputy referred to. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. I would not agree that the underfunding started when my party came into government. Unfortunately, the underfunding of higher education is an intergenerational issue that needs to be rectified. I accept, however, the point on the need for a sustainable model of funding for higher education. My Department's statement of strategy, which I published on 8 March, contains a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy knows that every time she says we have the highest fees in the European Union, I am going to point out this is only because Northern Ireland left the European Union, sadly, as part of Brexit. The fees for students in the North, where the Deputy's party is in government, are a hell of a lot higher. The timeline is a matter for the European Commission. In fairness to it, I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I genuinely welcome the work that the Deputy is going to undertake. I was pleased that I could announce with the Taoiseach €40 million from the shared island unit for all-island research which will make a real difference, not only in investing in research but also in building the links and personal relationships between individual researchers and the institutions North and South. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: We have been discussing the required funding for the safe return to college, not just for the institutions but also for the students, and the great work that has been done by the student well-being engagement group that I asked the Union of Students in Ireland to chair. The short answer to the Deputy's question is that I expect to receive approval for additional funding from Cabinet on 19...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The short answer to any questions about what students or staff members will have to do is we will follow the prevailing public health advice at the time. The way I think of it is that if we look on colleges as small towns, in effect, or indeed not so small towns in many ways, the rules that would apply in any town should apply there as well. For example, if a restaurant can be open in a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: There will be statements on this issue next week in the Dáil. I do not have the figure for lab places to hand. We give devolved capital grants to each institution. I would have to approach the institutions through the HEA to obtain that information. I can certainly do that for the Deputy. The Deputy referenced recorded lectures. I accidentally overlooked that. It is something I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Fees (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for the question. First, I would like to see our registration fees reduced. We need to do it in a way that is sustainable. I often think that when we talk about our registration fee, we sometimes ignore our reality, which is that not far off 50% - I think it is around 48% - of students have their registration fee paid in full or in part by the State through the SUSI...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Fees (8 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: Absolutely. Let me be really clear. While I am proud of the SUSI support scheme, which supports tens of thousands of students who may not otherwise be able to access higher education, that is not to say that I believe the current system is satisfactory, because I do not. A key commitment in the programme for Government was to carry out a comprehensive review of SUSI and how it operates....