Results 36,921-36,940 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (10 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Springboard+ 2020/21 provided 19 courses in construction related areas with 1,107 funded participants. Under Springboard+ 2021/22, there are 25 courses available (634 places) in construction related areas. Response to the courses has been positive with 1,115 applications received and 464 offers to date. 7 of these courses, representing a total of 175 places, have not yet commenced and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (10 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department sources its statistics on student enrolments from the HEA's Student Records System. The figures provided as part of Parliamentary Question No. 673 of 2 November 2021 related to first year enrolments in medicine courses. Therefore these figures contain first year repeat students in addition to new entrants. In addition, in recognition of the particular circumstances and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (10 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The following table outlines the funding provided to Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) each year from 2008 to date in 2021 as administered via the HEA. - B4 Recurrent Provision B16 & C4 Capital Provision 2008 €3,567,171 €2,897,566 2009 €4,766,230 €921,289 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (10 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board (MSLETB) is currently working with SOLAS on the establishment of Mayo College of Further Education and Training.  Included in this is a proposal from the ETB to redevelop the facilities and buildings referred to by the Deputy. SOLAS, in conjunction with my Department, is currently in the process of developing a...

Seanad: Science Week: Statements (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Acting Chair. I note her personal interest in the topic. It is great that we are having a debate in Seanad Éireann, as well as last night in Dáil Éireann, on the issue of Science Week. We may use this debate as a catalyst or launch point to have a conversation about science in general, research in science, policymaking, and the work that we do as well. I thank...

Seanad: Science Week: Statements (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: There is still time left for other counties to catch up. When we look to the future, it is important to look at our research past as well. Ireland has for many years played its part in advancing the breadth of human knowledge in creating new technologies that have had an international impact. One notable person is Ellen Hutchins of Cork, who was Ireland’s first female botanist. Her...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Progression is a key tenet of the Student Grant Scheme and section 2 of the Student Support Act 2011. To satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course, having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another where the award for the subsequent course is of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (11 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Student Grant Scheme, administered by SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), provides grant assistance 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 means test arrangements of the Student Grant Scheme are applied...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 427, 428 and 430 together. There are ten NZEB programmes available at the current time. Five of which are general construction related (NZEB fundamentals, site supervisor, ventilation, retrofit and NZEB for construction workers) and five of which are targeted to skilled craftspersons in specific trades (Bricklaying, Carpentry, Electrical, Plastering and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research and Development (16 Nov 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: Adult Education Provision (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Adult Literacy for Life Strategy identifies the following high-level strategic targets compared to the baselines, as follows: - Decrease the share of adults with unmet literacy needs (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) level 1 or below) from 18% (2012 data) to 7%. - Decrease the share of adults with unmet numeracy needs (PIAAC Level 1 or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The devolved capital grant allocation for 2021 facilitates higher institutions to address a number of key capital investment priorities including the procurement of additional ICT devices, i.e. laptops and other devices, to support disadvantaged students who have difficulty in accessing a suitable device for their studies. The laptop grant scheme is managed by each institution. Therefore the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: There are three higher education projects that have been delivered to date, by way of Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract. The National Maritime College of Ireland and Cork School of Music, which are part of Munster Technological University, are now well over half way through the PPP contract period. The most recently delivered PPP project is the East and Central Quads at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: At this time, the TU Dublin property disposal strategy has yielded some €172 million, all of which will be reinvested in the Grangegorman development, mostly Programme 3. The Central & East Quad buildings were delivered by way of a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Maintain (DBFOM) PPP contract, and therefore most of the costs will be payable by way of monthly unitary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Science Foundation Ireland (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: A key mission for TUs is the building of research capacity and the promotion of innovation and its diffusion, through support for firm-level innovation, developing research centres and gateways in established and emerging regional clusters and ensuring that the research system in the regions is internationally connected. In respect of competitive funding calls carried out by Science...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: There are a number of ongoing (non PPP) higher education investment projects which support the TUs and IOTs. Currently there are 27 capital projects approved or under way in the TU/IOT sector. These projects are approved for €106m in Exchequer funding. My Department is also reviewing the parameters of the next phase of Exchequer capital investment in the higher education sector...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Science Foundation Ireland (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The information regarding the Allocation and Expenditure each year since 2012 for Science Foundation Ireland is set out in the following document. SFI funding for next year will be confirmed once the Revised Estimates Volume 2022 has been published. In the meantime, I can confirm that NRRP funding is included in my Department’s overall NDP ceilings as set out in the recent NDP review....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department is currently seeking to progress a sector wide borrowing framework for TUs in line with the recommendations of the 2019 TURN report. Although at a relatively preliminary stage, it is anticipated that in the first instance any borrowing framework would prioritise the provision of purpose built student accommodation in line with commitments in the Government's Housing for All plan.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I remain committed to expanding the imprint of higher education across the south east region. IT Carlow and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) have been very clear that the new TU will serve the entire South East region. This will include a larger footprint for higher education in Waterford and the acquisition of a site to accommodate a purpose-built campus in Wexford. WIT is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (16 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The design, including costing, of models of academic programme delivery remains a matter for agreement by the relevant applicant institutes seeking to become a TU and as such, my Department was not involved in the process referred to by the Deputy in the case of the TUSEI consortium comprising IT Carlow and Waterford IT. Government has demonstrated and I have reiterated on many occasions...