Results 38,741-38,760 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scientific Research (14 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: Under the National Development Plan 2018-2027, as part of Project Ireland 2040, the Government outlined its intention to review Ireland's membership of international research organisations, including CERN. The Government gave a specific commitment in Innovation 2020 to initiate discussions with several international research organisations. Four organisations were identified – CERN, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (14 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: The main support available to assist students with the cost of attending further or higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved full-time course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (14 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous institutions within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutions of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Under this legislation the institutions are academically independent and are entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes, including the mode of delivery...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Qualifications Recognition (14 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: My Department has been advised by the Department of Health of the following arrangement regarding social care workers. The Social Care Workers Register is due to open on the 30 November 2023. This will begin a two-year transition period for existing practitioners to apply to register with CORU. On 30 November 2025, the title 'Social Care Worker' will become a legally protected title in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (14 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: The review of the Student Grants Scheme was published on the 4th May 2022 and makes a number of recommendations on issues including the rates of grant, income thresholds, adjacency criteria, part-time learning and postgraduate support. I have already instigated improvements to the student grant scheme in Budget 2022. For the academic year 2022/23:- - There has been an increase to all student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (14 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: 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. A student may wish to discuss his/her individual circumstances with the SUSI Support Desk by calling 0818 888 777. A very important feature of the scheme is the change of circumstances provision. If a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (14 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 426 and 427 together. The provision of Higher Education funding on an annual basis is part of overall expenditure management and budgetary policy for Government. It is worth noting that Government investment in Higher Education is not specifically allocated against a per student metric and state investment in the sector is not limited to the recurrent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (14 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 428 and 429 together. Apprenticeships are employer led demand driven educational and training programmes that aim to develop the skills of an apprentice in order to meet the needs of industry and the labour market. As apprentices are employees, the demand for and number of apprentices is primarily dictated by the employers in any area or sector. The Action...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. She is correct that I was very concerned to hear about this situation. It relates to a situation where a QQI-accredited programme is still a valid programme but CORU, the independent regulator, has expressed concerns about its ability to put the students on the register. My understanding is that individual meetings were to take place between the college and students to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (15 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is working with colleagues both in SOLAS, the HEA and other Departments to respond to projections of skills needs in the construction sector and to increase skills supply through the current network of tertiary skills provision. Research into professions linked to tertiary skills has been conducted and is being...

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

Simon Harris: Apprenticeships are employer led demand driven educational and training programmes that aim to develop the skills of an apprentice in order to meet the needs of industry and the labour market. As apprentices are employees, the demand for and number of apprentices is primarily dictated by the employers in any area or sector. The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 sets out new ways of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (15 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: My Department allocates funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to designated Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The HEA provides block grant funding to the Higher Education Sector, from within the allocation available, through the Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM) which is driven by overall student numbers. The grant is allocated as a block grant as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (15 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: My Department allocates funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to designated Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The HEA provides block grant funding to the Higher Education Sector, from within the allocation available, through the Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM) which is driven by overall student numbers. The grant is allocated as a block grant as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (15 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: My Department allocates funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to designated Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The HEA provides block grant funding to the Higher Education Sector, from within the allocation available, through the Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM) which is driven by overall student numbers. The grant is allocated as a block grant as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (15 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the attached tabular statement.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (15 Sep 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: Further and Higher Education (15 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions determine their own procedures for admission. The CAO process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on their behalf. Decisions on admissions are made by the Higher Education Institutions who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation of the CAO and it is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (20 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: Ageist.

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (20 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: The Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, and I will be taking the debate tonight. He will be here for some of it and I will be back for the rest of it. I thank Senators for their amendments. I responded in July to some of these amendments and those responses still stand. I welcome Senator Warfield's acknowledgement that we have tried to strengthen the references to trade unions on a...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (20 Sep 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank Senators for their amendments. There is quite a wide breadth of issues covered in this grouping. I will try to respond to each, starting with amendments Nos. 56, 57 and 58 in the names of Senator Higgins and others. These amendments relate to expanding on the names of the organisations and agencies that are listed and prescribed in the legislation. I understand what the Senator is...