Results 38,361-38,380 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (15 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: SOLAS are the body that has statutory responsibility for the national apprenticeship system. This includes responsibility for those awards issued under its predecessor bodies, FÁS and ANCO. My Department has no role in issuing or validating individual awards. However, the Apprenticeship Services section of SOLAS receive a lot of these types of queries and will be happy to assist in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (16 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (16 Jun 2022)

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. It is therefore not possible to provide an estimate of potential costs as sought. It is important to note that under the Department's Free Fees Initiative (FFI), the Exchequer pays tuition fees...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (16 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: I am aware of the issues raised by the organisation in question and in the media regarding accommodation issues for some international students. Given that the welfare of international students is a priority for my Department, I was concerned to hear of the details in this case, which I understand relates to private rental accommodation in Dublin. As a nation, we pride ourselves on being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (16 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 418 and 419 together. I thank the Deputy for her question on this important matter. Each of our educational institutions and aegis bodies have a duty of care to their students and staff. They have a responsibility to foster a campus culture that is clear in the condemnation of unwanted and unacceptable behaviours, which act as barriers to the safety of both...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Provision of Education Supports for Ukrainian Students (1 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: I do not wish to use up the Deputy's time but the position is similar in the case of nursing. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland and the Medical Council are working through issues. It might be useful if I provided some of the notes I have to the committee. It is basically about each independent regulatory or competent authority, which is SOLAS in the case of the trades, working...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Provision of Education Supports for Ukrainian Students (1 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The short answer is that this is about additionality and working to ensure we put an individual support and information structure around anybody who comes here. I can only speak for the numbers in further and higher education. So far those numbers have been quite small and especially so in the context of the overall numbers. There are probably around 500,000 people in third level education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: Performance and Equality Budgeting is an integral part of the current budgeting framework of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) and metrics are reviewed as part of the Revised Estimates process. DFHERIS Higher education context and impact indicators that specifically address socio-economic diversity in higher education include: -...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (21 Jun 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. My officials have referred your query to SOLAS for direct reply on this individual matter. If you do not receive a response from SOLAS within 30 days, please do come back to my office for further follow-up.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: Key to the delivery of the ambition set out in the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-25 is a new organisational architecture, involving a National Apprenticeship Office (NAO) and National Apprenticeship Alliance (NAA). The Office will have responsibility for all aspects of the management, oversight, and development of the apprenticeship system and for implementing the Action Plan....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Visas (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The administration and regulation of immigration permissions, including the entry and residence conditions of non-EEA students who are granted a Stamp 2 immigration permission, are a matter for the Minister for Justice and queries related to these permissions should be addressed to my colleague in the first instance. Stamp 2 permissions allow non-EEA students to come to Ireland to study...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The main financial support available to eligible students attending full-time further and higher education courses is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme administered by SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland).  At further education level this may include a maintenance grant depending on eligibility.  The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Private Partnerships (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: Bundle 1 of the Higher Education Public Private Partnership Programme, comprising six projects, is currently at preferred tenderer stage. A Preferred Tenderer has been appointed and the technical and commercial work streams are currently ongoing. It is currently estimated that the programme will achieve financial close in Q3 2022 with construction activities commencing on all six sites...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: On the 4th of May I launched Funding the Future – a landmark policy on the future of higher education. Funding the Future was created as part of a Department of Further and Higher Education, Research and Innovation response to the commissioned independent report Increasing the Sustainability of Higher and Further Education in Ireland and the separate independent review of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Private Partnerships (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: Bundle 1 of the Higher Education Public Private Partnership Programme, comprising six projects, is currently at preferred tenderer stage. A Preferred Tenderer has been appointed and the technical and commercial work streams are currently ongoing. It is currently estimated that the programme will achieve financial close in Q3 2022 with construction activities commencing on all six sites...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The introduction of a new Employer Grant of €2,000 per apprentice per annum is a significant deliverable under the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025. Its introduction means that, for the first time, employers of all apprentices will now have access to financial support, either through direct payment of allowances to apprentices or through this employer grant. In this way,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: A breakdown of total undergraduate enrolments in healthcare and welfare disciplines by domicile is in the table below. This data is from the HEA's Student Records System and refers to the 2020/21 academic year, the latest available. ISCED Detailed Field of Study Ireland GB/NI/Other-EU Non-EU Total Enrolments (0913) Nursing and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: Ensuring an appropriate pipeline of suitably qualified healthcare professionals is a key priority for my Department. The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The complex nature of the student grant scheme means that there is a risk that some students receive grant payments for which they are not eligible, including for reasons beyond the direct control of SUSI.   To mitigate the risk of overpayments, SUSI implements procedural and system-based controls within its application assessment and grant payment operations. A highly developed...

Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (22 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: I am speaking specifically to amendments Nos. 5, 6, 16, 37, 39, 58, 59 and 62. The reason I list them at the start is to indicate that I am now bringing forward a further eight amendments on Report Stage in order to strengthen the provision relating to the Irish language in the Bill. 6 o’clock I am sincere when I say that I enjoyed our Committee Stage discussion, particularly...