Results 9,561-9,580 of 10,920 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Planning is a regulated profession under the terms of Directive 2005/36 and the regulator in Ireland is the Irish Planning Institute (IPI). Five programmes are accredited by this regulator in Irish universities. The data attached was sourced from the Student Records System database of the Higher Education Authority. Student numbers are rounded to the nearest five for data protection purposes....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: As the Deputy may be aware, the objective of the statutory based student grant scheme is to provide additional assistance where parental income is below a certain threshold or, in the case of independent mature students, where the level of income of the student and his or her spouse warrants additional assistance by way of a grant. For student grants purposes, students are categorised...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: 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. In relation to support available for students studying abroad, the Student Grant Scheme provides...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The arrangement the Deputy refers to is with Queens University Belfast and has been designed to create additional capacity on the island to train doctors. It sees the creation of fifty medical places, twenty five commencing in September 2024 and a further 25 in September 2025. The expansion of medical provision in higher education is a key priority for my Department and the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Reflecting the importance of the Irish language in the higher education system, the Higher Education Authority Act 2022 includes in the objects of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) the responsibility of ensuring that higher education institutions support the promotion and use of the Irish language. It should however by noted that higher education institutions (HEIs) are autonomous in their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department is not directly involved in collaborations between individual post-primary schools and third-level institutions regarding the transition of students to further or higher education. However, to support the policy on Irish-medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht, my officials participate in the Steering Committee run by the Department of Education. This committee focuses on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department has not awarded any publicly funded contracts to the company referenced by the Deputy at any time since the creation of the Department in 2020.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Appointments (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The role of Government Chief Science Advisor was most recently advertised by the Public Appointments Service (PAS), with a closing date for receipt of applications of 16 May 2024. The PAS process is ongoing, and a candidate will be selected and appointed in due course. Reflecting international good practice, my Department has been working towards establishing the national Research and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Asylum Seekers (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am advised that the Department of Foreign Affairs is very limited in the assistance that it can provide to individuals in Gaza who are not Irish citizens or immediate dependents accompanying Irish citizens. The decision to permit or refuse exit from Gaza is made by the relevant authorities on the ground. In this context, the Department of Foreign Affairs was able to assist a small number of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Asylum Seekers (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: To avail of funding under the Free Fees Initiative (FFI) or the Student Grant Scheme, students must meet the criteria of the respective schemes including the residency and nationality criteria. In terms of residency, a student must be ordinarily resident in Ireland or the EU, the EEA, Switzerland or the UK for at least three of the five years before embarking on an approved third level...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Currently, my department provides a range of measures to help Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BoTPs) access further and higher education in Ireland. The Temporary Tuition Fee Support Scheme provides EU tuition fee funding for eligible students attending a full-time approved course in a publicly funded higher education institution (HEI). The scheme is aimed at eligible first-time...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (18 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: A pilot part time fee grant scheme will be introduced effective from September 2024 for eligible part-time students attending specified undergraduate courses leading to a major award. This is an important new initiative which will open the doors of higher education to many groups who cannot participate in full time programmes. The parameters of the scheme are currently being finalised and I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research and Development (18 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Awaiting reply from Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (18 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: As the Deputy is likely aware, in February this year, an agreement was reached with Queen's University Belfast, for the funding of twenty five additional medical places for qualifying students from Ireland or Northern Ireland in Queen's commencing from September 2024. These places will be co-funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (18 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: This Parliamentary Question falls under the remit of the Department of Health. My officials have been in contact with that department and they have confirmed that they will provide a response should the deputy contact them directly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: European Court of Justice (18 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department has not been issued with any fines by the Court of Justice of the European Union since its formation in 2020.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (18 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I, together with Minister O’Brien brought an updated memo for information to Government in May. This memo noted their intention to expedite a legal change to examine the duration of student accommodation contracts to reflect the academic year accommodation requirements, traditionally September to May annually, unless a student initiates a request for an extended 51 week contract. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (19 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: As the Deputy may be aware Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous under the relevant legislation and neither I or my Department have a role in the management of their academic or administrative affairs. If your constituent has not done so already I would suggest they contact the HEI directly in relation to this matter. If this does not resolve the matter, I would encourage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (20 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, Technological Universities Act 2018, and Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 -2006. Under this legislation HEIs are academically independent and entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes including the number and type of programmes offered. As such, neither I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (20 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) is one of the pathways to study undergraduate medicine. Graduate entry courses require applicants to hold a level 8 qualification prior to entry with the graduate entry medicine degree conferring a further level 8 qualification on the recipient. As the Deputy will be aware, the free fees initiative (FFI) provides tuition fee funding for eligible first time...