Results 36,961-36,980 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (17 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Details on the number of students not currently eligible under the criteria of the Department's Free Fees Initiative due to previous attendance on an undergraduate course are not readily available. Under the Department's Free Fees Initiative (FFI), the Exchequer pays tuition fees on behalf of eligible first time undergraduate students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (17 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Officials from my Department were recently been advised by representatives from Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that their participation in Erasmus was extended to May, 2023, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. On this basis, they had secured funding to cover all NI higher education Erasmus mobilities for the 2022/2023 academic year. In the light of this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (17 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 171 and 172 together. We are currently collating the information, and will revert to the Deputy with a response as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (17 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The CAO application portal for the 2022 academic year opened on 5th November. Information on how the number of applicants compares to previous years is therefore not yet available. My Department will closely monitoring any potential impact that the level of applications may have on entry to further and higher education in 2022. A key goal of my Department is to ensure that all students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (17 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for SUSI to determine. In assessing an application for the 2021/22 academic year, SUSI will have regard to the following qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant: 1. The student must qualify for the standard rate of grant;2. Total reckonable income, after income disregards and Child Dependant Increase(s) are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research Funding (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Following the conclusion of the formal negotiations by the European Commission with Israel on Israel's association to the Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research & Innovation in October, the Commission has launched the process to formalise the agreement and aims to sign the agreement before the end of the year. Member States have no formal role in the development of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The General Scheme of the Higher Education Authority Bill was published on 4 May, 2021. Pre-Legislative Scrutiny on the Bill commenced on 6 July and the Pre-Legislative Scrutiny Report was published on 28 September 2021. I and my officials have had further engagement with the key stakeholders since 28 September. My officials are currently working with the Office of the Attorney General...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The attached Excel spreadsheet contains a response to PQ 56614/21, with the first sheet containing the number of enrolments in paramedic courses, and the second sheet containing the number of graduations. Enrolments and Graduations Paramedic courses

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reports (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department's Statement of Strategy, which I published on 8 March last, contains a commitment to put in place a sustainable funding model for the higher education. This is essential in ensuring that our higher education institutions can effectively meet high standards of quality and performance, and achieve critical outcomes for our economy and society. The report referred to in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Enrolments in part-time courses, by domicile, are shown in the table below. Domicile Part-Time Enrolments Ireland 47,246 Northern Ireland 470 Great Britain 369 Other EU 519 Non-EU (excl. UK) 929 Unknown 125 Total ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: As previously outlined to the Deputy, Article 23 of the Student Grant Scheme 2021 deals with the determination of reckonable income. In calculating reckonable income no account is taken of capital assets. Therefore no deduction is given for capital expenditure, regardless of how it is treated for income tax purposes. I have no plans at present to depart from the above practice in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (18 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Student 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 develops their programme offerings to meet the accreditation standards of relevant regulatory and professional recognition bodies (PRBs) including where placements...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Appointments (23 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, I announced important changes to the CAO webpage last week to enhance the visibility of further education and apprenticeship options. I offered through my social media channels to visit schools to talk to 5thor 6thyear students about their options. We received over 580 responses and are now working on a schedule of visits. I am really pleased to say the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of persons who completed an apprenticeship and became fully qualified tradespersons in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form, is currently being collated by SOLAS and will be sent to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (23 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department is seeking to progress a sector wide borrowing framework for TUs in line with the recommendations of the 2019 TURN report. Initial discussions stretching back to 2019 on the development of a TU borrowing framework took place with relevant actors including the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It is now anticipated that any borrowing framework would in the first...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (23 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 453 and 454 together. 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. All applications are assessed with reference to the terms and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Reform (23 Nov 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 set out...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (23 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 456, 457 and 458 together. Terms and conditions of employment for tutors, lecturers and other staff in higher education institutions, including membership of the single public service pension scheme, are a matter in the first instance for the employer. Information on that scheme is available at singlepensionscheme.gov.ie/ . In line with Sections 53 and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (23 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: There are no plans by Government to seek to establish any additional universities under section 9 of the Universities Act 1997. Rather, it is stated Government policy to establish and develop technological universities, which agenda has been successfully pursued since 2019 with three TUs established, and a further two expected to be established next year. Chapter 11 of the Technological...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Nursing Education (23 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Following Government approval, I published A Safe Return: Plan for a safe return to on-site Further and Higher Education and Research in 2021/22 on June 15th. The Safe Return Plan can be accessed at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/bcd91-a-safe-return-to-on-site-fur ther-and-higher-education-and-research/ The plan, which is predicated on the sector’s full commitment to...