Results 9,721-9,740 of 10,622 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Staff (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The table below provides details of the expenses paid to Ministerial advisers in my Department from January 2020 to September 6th 2024. Minister Harris was in place from January 2020 – 08thApril 2024. Minister O’Donovan is in place from 09thApril 2024 to date. Name 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Joanne Lonergan Nil Nil N/A* N/A N/A Sarah Bardon Nil ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2025 (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Deputy will be aware that the Government made provision to reduce the student contribution payable by each ‘free fees’ eligible student by €1,000 in academic years 2022/23 and 2023/24. Those reductions in Budgets 2023 and 2024, formed part of a wider cost of living package. As I look ahead to Budget 2025, I am conscious of the need for the progressive implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Regional Development (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The National Skills Strategy to 2025 (NSS) provides a framework for skills development to help drive Ireland’s growth, both economically and societally. One of the key elements of the NSS was the development of a new skills architecture, composed of a National Skills Council and nine Regional Skills Fora. It is important to note that the core function of the Regional Skills Fora is to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The information requested by the Deputy on the number of students from this State studying at further and higher education level in Britain is not available within my Department. Regarding the financial supports available for such students to meet fees and maintenance costs, the Student Grant Scheme provides maintenance grants to eligible undergraduate students pursuing approved courses in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am conscious of the need for the progressive implementation of measures to address cost as a barrier to attending higher education. In advance of Budget 2025, I will be publishing an options paper which will set out various possible measures to reduce the cost of attending higher education for students. I will have regard to these options when making proposals regarding student supports in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Qualifications Recognition (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, the guiding legislation governing the process for managing each recognition of professional qualification is S.I. No 8 of 2017. SOLAS operates in full compliance with the applicable S.I. SOLAS is required to reply within one month on receipt of an application and subsequently, provide a decision to each applicant within three months,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Due to apprenticeship courses being national programmes, it is possible for an individual in county Tipperary to do any of the apprenticeship programmes at any given time. Apprentices are registered at the Education and Training Board (ETB) in the region in which their employer is based, not where the apprentice lives. In addition, this does not reflect where off-the-job training is carried...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Higher Education Authority conducted an Expressions of Interest to identify options for substantial expansions across Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine. There are significant capital costs involved in progressing these options and it is important the scale of the costs is fully understood and planned for. The options identified...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Bodies (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The members of the Board of Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland were appointed through the Public Appointments Service led process for State Board positions. The members are listed below, along with brief biographical descriptions. Michael Horgan- Chairperson Dr Eoin O’Sullivan Anne Vaughan Professor Niamh Moloney Professor Valeria Nicolosi Dr. Godfrey Gaston Professor...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Bodies (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The total level of funding provided by Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland will be the combined existing funding previously awarded by Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Research Council. A detailed breakdown of this funding is set out in the tables at the links below. The budget awarded to the agency for 2025 will be agreed through the estimates process with the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1999 and 2000 together. The availability and cost of accommodation is a challenge for many students especially at this time of year. Last week I updated my government colleagues on the progression of policies designed to alleviate these challenges. A capital investment of €100m from the National Development Plan windfall allocation enabled the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The availability and cost of accommodation is a challenge for many students in realising their ambitions for higher education. I provided an update to Government last week on the progression of policies designed to alleviate these challenges. Under the Student Grant Scheme, ‘holiday earnings’ is income that a student has earned outside of term time in the previous tax year and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) scheme is operated by the Irish Universities Association, on behalf of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). My Department has no remit for this scheme. Under HEAR each institution determines its own admissions policy, the number of places to be reserved, the allocation of those places, and the review and appeals processes. Applications to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Please see the following link for the Funding allocated to the Fund for Students with a Disability (FSD) as requested by the Deputy. It is important to note that the fund was administered on an academic years basis until 2019 when it changed to a calendar year. This was on foot of a recommendation from a review of the FSD in 2017. The final allocation and recipient numbers for 2024 are not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Department does not hold the specific data requested by the Deputy, however in 2023 there was a significant increase generally in the proportion of students receiving a first preference offer, i.e., 59% of Level 8 offers were for first preference courses, and 85% were for a first, second or third preference course. This was an increase of 5% and 3% respectively from 2022. As the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research Funding (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: In Ireland, academic freedom, including matters related to research funding, is strongly protected by legislation, such as the Technological Universities Act 2018 and the Universities Act 1997. The Higher Education Authority Act 2022 (HEAA 2022) further supports this by including provisions to:Advance equality of opportunity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education.Respect the academic...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Expansion of provision of Veterinary Medicine programmes is a key priority for Government. However, these programmes are complex to deliver and require appropriate equipment, laboratory facilities, and appropriately qualified academic staff, to meet the requirements of the regulator. As you are aware, the HEA Expression of Interest process brought to Government in June last year identified a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I was delighted to launch the new Part Time Fee Scheme for Specified Undergraduate Courses recently, which came into effect from September 1st, 2024. This is the first time, under the Student Support Act, that fee support will be available for students studying part-time. Fee support will be provided to eligible part-time students attending specified publicly funded undergraduate courses...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. I have arranged for officials from my Department to forward the information directly to the Deputy's office once it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The annual rates of maintenance grant for undergraduate and postgraduate students, maximum tuition fee grant rates for undergraduate students, postgraduate fee grant rates, student contribution grant rates for undergraduate students and income limits for the student contribution grant for the 2024/25 academic year are all listed below. Table 1 Annual rates of maintenance grant for...