Results 42,101-42,120 of 46,575 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (19 Oct 2023)

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. For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible 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 decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (19 Oct 2023)

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. With regard to the student referred to by the Deputy, my officials have advised me that this application has been reviewed by SUSI and SUSI has been in contact with the student in question to outline...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this question. The Deputy will be aware that late last year I was very happy to announce that Kerry ETB's (KETB) proposal for Killarney under the FET College of the Future Major Projects fund was successful at the first stage of the assessment process. The proposal put forward by KETB is to transform FET provision in Killarney. This is a really exciting...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The issue of academic career precarity is and will remain an important element of the work of my Department. As announced in the recent Budget, an additional €193 million in funding is being provided over 2023 and 2024 to the Higher Education sector. This includes some €60m under the Funding the Future policy framework to build capacity and to ensure the sector is funded...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Apprentices are primarily employees and all of the 73 available apprenticeships are undertaken under a contract of employment. For the majority of apprenticeships, the rate of pay is agreed between the apprentice and the employer. The apprentice continues to be paid during both on-the-job and off-the-job training elements of the apprenticeship. While attending off-the-job training, craft...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 379, 385, 387 and 389 together. The tertiary education system plays a central role in ensuring that our graduates from higher education, further education and training and from apprenticeship are equipped with the cognitive skills, the essential transversal skills, and the vocational and professional skills and competencies which will equip them for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeship more accessible to employers and learners. Expansion to date has widened the impact of apprenticeship to areas of skills shortage such as engineering, technology skills, logistics, and fintech. The ambition of the Plan is to reach 10,000...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Following on from improvements made to the Student Grant Scheme in Budget 2023, a range of further measures were announced to enhance the scheme and other supports as part of Budget 2024. The once off cost-of-living measures benefiting students in the 2023/24 academic year will include: A €1,000 reduction in the student contribution fee for higher education students eligible for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 382 and 384 together. Supporting all third level students on their education journey and addressing and overcoming obstacles which may make this journey more challenging is a core strategic function of, and one of the key reasons for the establishment of, my Department. It should be said that there has been much progress made by my Department in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department has made significant changes in the further and higher education, research, innovation and science sectors since its establishment in 2020, and are looking forward to seeing these sectors flourish over this current year and the years to follow. With 400,000 people enrolled in learning across further and higher education, the Department is responsible for a fairly sizeable...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: In respect of Higher Education Costs - for the majority of students Budget 2023 and Budget 2024 has had the effect of reducing the cost of higher education. For the second year in a row, as a cost of living measure I have reduced the student contribution fee by €1,000 for free fees eligible students and increased the postgraduate fee contribution grant by €1000. I am very...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships. The ambitions of the Plan span both financial and non-financial measures. Significant financial supports to employers that have been introduced include:The annual Employer Grant of €2,000 per apprentice means that employers of all apprentices now have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I was delighted to travel to East Clare earlier this week to announce that the proposal put forward by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board for their FET campus near Scariff is to be funded as part of the next tranche of capital investment under the Further Education and Training (FET) Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund. This funding will support Limerick and Clare Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 627, 631, 632 and 639 together. Since becoming Minister, I have introduced a number of changes to support PhD researchers. The first one was to address the discrepancy between the stipend paid to PhD researchers for the Irish Research Council (IRC) and those of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). Then, in Budget 2023, the stipend was increased by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: In November 2022, I appointed Dr Andrea Johnson and Mr David Cagney to undertake an independent National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers. This is the first time that State supports for PhD students have been considered holistically in this manner. The Co-Chairs’ first review report which was published in June 2023 notes that, of the approximately 10,000 PhD students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Ensuring a supply of qualified vets to meet the demands of Ireland's agrifood sector is an important issue for my Department. A number of institutions put forward proposals, following the recent HEA Expression of Interest process outlining options for the expansion of veterinary medicine provision. As the Deputy is aware, there is a substantial capital cost associated with the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I am actively prioritising the supply and affordability of student accommodation, in recognition of the challenges our students are facing. Through “Housing for All”, the Government has approved development of policy and funding to increase the supply of student accommodation. I have to date secured Government approval in principle of up to €61m in funding to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (24 Oct 2023)

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: Third Level Costs (24 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Through the Free Fees Initiative (FFI), the State provides funding, exclusive of the student contribution, towards the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate higher education students who are pursuing approved full-time undergraduate courses of study in an approved higher education institution in the State. Courses outside the State are not included under the FFI and the student...