Results 36,601-36,620 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: The information requested by the Deputy is not held by my Department. My Department's main source of statistics on students is the Student Records System administered by the HEA, which does not record whether students are residing in student accommodation.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government contains commitments to, among other things, review SUSI eligibility criteria, adjacency rates and postgraduate grant supports. On foot of these commitments I gave approval to commence a review of the Student Grant Scheme. My Department is overseeing the implementation of the review. A Steering Committee has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: The SUSI payment schedule is updated each year in line with college start dates, as to receive payment, a student must be registered with their college and the college must confirm their registration with SUSI.  SUSI consulted with colleges and found that for academic year 2021-22, many colleges will open from mid to end September. Following careful consideration, the first scheduled...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government contains commitments to, among other things, review SUSI eligibility criteria, adjacency rates and postgraduate grant supports. On foot of these commitments I gave approval to commence a review of the Student Grant Scheme. My Department is overseeing the implementation of the review. A Steering Committee has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Government Communications (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: The Department uses industry standard mobile device management software to manage corporate mobile phones. There are no records indicating that my Ministerial mobile phone nor the Ministerial mobile phone of my colleague Niall Collins TD was hacked.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Government Communications (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: I can confirm that I do not use a personal phone for government business. I am not aware of any hacking of the devices I use.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Freedom of Information (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science was established on 02 August 2020. The following table outlines FOI requests received and processed since establishment: Year Total Responded 2021 ytd 43 2020 (DFHERIS est 08/2020) 27 My Department reports annually to both the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commissions of Investigation (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: Under the Commissions of Investigations Act 2004, in the preceding decade, there have been no commissions of investigation that come under the remit of my Department. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: The Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey is undertaken every two years among Ireland’s publicly-funded higher education institutions. The last iteration, covering the 2018-2019 academic year, was conducted by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Following a Government decision to transfer certain research and innovation functions, the HERD...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: Since the publication of the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030, the strategic policy context for the System Performance Framework has continued to evolve, including recent significant changes in the higher education landscape. The publication of the Statement of Strategy by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science earlier this year sets out...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: The development of a new national strategy for research and innovation (R&I) is a key commitment in the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan 2021, which sets out the “dual ambition of placing research, development and innovation at the heart of addressing Ireland’s economic and societal challenges, and building capacity and capability across the research and innovation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Appointments (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: I can confirm that the person referenced has not held any formal or informal roles in my Department or in its agencies during the lifetime of this Government. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Government Communications (9 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: Neither I nor my advisors or senior management team use the services referenced by the Deputy. The use of these services is not authorised for official business on devices provided by my department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (15 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides for leadership training and development opportunities for staff in line with identified demand, evolving business need and corporate developments. In this context, staff from my Department attended a programme provided by Common Purpose Ireland Ltd. this year (2021). Expenditure in this regard was €4,600.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (15 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: On 6 September, I announced €38m in capital funding for higher education institutions over the 2021-2022 academic year. This devolved capital grant will facilitate higher institutions in addressing a range of key capital investment priorities. A reduced level of funding has been approved for release to UL at this time. This funding will allow the most urgent capital priorities to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (15 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: Since the release of the Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship in Ireland 2016-2020, there has been an increase in the number of apprenticeship registrations year on year since 2016. Due to the unprecedented crisis that Covid-19 caused on our education and training sector, registrations for apprenticeships dropped but recovered strongly in the latter half of the year, with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (15 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: In recognition of the particular circumstances faced by students this year, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science worked with the HEA and the Higher Education Institutions to identify where additional places could be provided in the higher education system. As a result of this, together with the additional places created under the Human Capital...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (15 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions via the recurrent funding model. The HEA also allocates funding under specific initiatives and programmes including Skills funding under the NTF; access initiatives; capital grants;...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (15 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: The Student Grant Scheme is a critical financial support for students participating in further and higher education. As in any statutory scheme, a core principle of the scheme is that there is consistency of approach and an equitable treatment for applicants as part of the means assessment process. All applications are assessed nationally with reference to the terms and conditions of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Language Schools (15 Sep 2021)

Simon Harris: On 31 August 2021, the Government published COVID-19: Reframing the Challenge, Continuing Our Recovery and Reconnecting, Ireland’s plan for the next and final phase of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This phase, taking place over the course of September and October, will see the majority of Covid-related restrictions gradually lifted and replaced by guidance, underpinned by a...