Results 37,441-37,460 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Advertising (22 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 608 and 615 together. The Department has not received any awards from this publication.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (22 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme where students are studying for the first time or are progressing to study at a higher level. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. With regard to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (22 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: Universities and institutes of technology are academically independent and have the right to determine the procedures and criteria for the selection and admission of students. The CAO process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on behalf of the higher education institutions. Neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation of the CAO, and it is not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (22 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: In 2019, my Department launched a call under the Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund (HESIF) for key strategic projects to be co-funded by the Exchequer.  At that time University College Cork (UCC) prioritised an application for a new building, the Cork University Business School (CUBS) to be funded.  The CUBS application was successful and approved in principle for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (22 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: There is no quota placed on dental courses by my Department, and therefore the places offered are a matter for the higher education institutions, in line with their autonomy. However due to the high level of practical work involved there are material constraints on the number of students that can be accepted onto dentistry courses. My Department is strongly committed to supporting the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (22 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 613 and 614 together. Ireland places central importance on skills policy and human capital development. Ireland has an advanced system of skills provision, across Further and Higher Education, lifelong learning and human capital development, which is agile and responsive to changes in the world of work, in order to address evolving skills needs. As outlined in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (22 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The income limit for the special rate of grant is aligned to the maximum point of the weekly State Contributory Pension plus the maximum Qualified Adult Allowance for a person over 66 years. The student grant means test for 2022 is based on gross reckonable income for the 2021 tax year. As the Department of Social Protection state pension payment was not increased in Budget 2021, the special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Climate Action Plan (22 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: A Capital Planning and Climate Change unit was established within my Department in September 2021. The Unit is responsible for coordination of the overall Departmental approach to Climate Action Plan implementation including supporting inter-Departmental and whole of Government work in this area.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (22 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: Under the Further Education and Training Act (2013), SOLAS has statutory responsibility for planning, funding, and co-ordinating Further Education and Training (FET) in Ireland. While The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021 -2025 plan sets out actions to provide for craft apprentices to express preferences on the location of their off-the-job training. The offer of an off-the-job training...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Communications (22 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: I do have the application referred to by the Deputy. However, I do not use it for official Government business.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research Funding (22 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The SFI Research Centres are funded on a multi annual basis.  During 2021 there were 16 SFI Research Centres in receipt of funding through the SFI Research Centres Programme.  These are set out below along with the projected allocations for those Research Centres in 2022. SFI Research Centres do receive funding through other SFI programmes.  The attached table  reflects...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Medical Cards (23 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) is operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) on behalf of the higher education institutions who set the policy criteria for the scheme. DARE does not come under the remit of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. However, the question raised by the Deputy is outside of the aegis of DARE...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (23 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The table under sets out the disaggregated Exchequer funding provided in relation to TU development and progression as allocated by the HEA to date. A further €30 million will be allocated under the Transformation Fund later this year, bringing the total funding under that Fund since 2020 to €90 million and including funding from the earlier Higher Education Landscape Fund to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (23 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: Staffing matters and the appropriate development or operation of any campus of the new multi-campus South East Technological University will upon its establishment be a matter in the first instance for the governing body of the new university. IT Carlow currently operates a campus presence at Rathnew, Co. Wicklow and to the Department's knowledge there are no plans to expand that presence.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (23 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware the National Development Plan commits to a step up in investment in further education and training infrastructure. Under plans being developed by my Department, it is projected that expenditure will increase from less than €20m in 2020 to approximately €100m by 2025. As part of this commitment, I recently announced a new and significantly more...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: Craft apprenticeships account for 25 of the 62 existing available apprenticeship programmes .The COVID-related shutdown of on-site learning activity over the last two years had a significant impact on the ability of apprentices to access off-the-job training. The remaining 37 apprenticeships have not been delayed but may have had disruption to recruitment in, for instance, hospitality....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Meetings (24 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: I and my officials meet periodically with the National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI). This is solely in relation to specific projects related to ending sexual violence and harassment in third level education. Details of every engagement since 2019 is not available. My Department provides some funding to the NWCI to support its work regarding Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Further and Higher Education (1 Mar 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank my colleague, Deputy Alan Farrell, for raising this very important issue this evening and also for talking about it on a regular and ongoing basis. I also thank him for his interest in and commitment to FET and in particular how it can benefit the community of Swords in the county of Fingal. As the Deputy has outlined, Fingal county has shown the highest growth of any local...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Further and Higher Education (1 Mar 2022)

Simon Harris: I again thank Deputy Farrell for raising the issue. My message to the DDLETB in the context of Swords, and my message to all ETBs, is that we have a very significant pot of funding to invest in FET colleges of the future, to expand provision and to upgrade facilities for exactly the reasons the Deputy outlines, including the need to make sure we have the skills we require in this country to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (1 Mar 2022)

Simon Harris: In 2021, a record 8,607 new apprentices were registered in the apprenticeship system. This is an increase of over 38% in comparison to 2020. 6,955 registrations were in craft apprenticeships, and largely in the construction sector. There were 1,652 registrations on the newer, post-2016 programmes. At the end of 2021, the overall apprentice population was 24,212. Regarding the deputy’s...