Results 9,801-9,820 of 10,622 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (23 Jul 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The decision on eligibility...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (23 Jul 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The new Student Accommodation Strategy will align with the long-term student accommodation policy and methodology which was approved by Government in January 2024. The aim of this policy is to increase the supply of student accommodation and to examine alternative solutions that will remove accommodation as a barrier to higher education through: Increasing the supply of student accommodation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (23 Jul 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: As the Deputy is aware, a student’s earning is taken into consideration over the year and is treated as income with the exception of earnings over holiday periods. Over the past few Budgets, the amount a student can earn during holiday periods (Easter, summer and Christmas) has increased. This amount has increased from €6,552 in the 2023/2024 academic year to €7,925 in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (23 Jul 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme. The Scheme provides for fee and maintenance grants to all students who meet the qualifying criteria such as means, residency, nationality and progression. The Student Grant Scheme provides funding for students undertaking approved Post Leaving Certificate Courses, Undergraduate Courses and Postgraduate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (23 Jul 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2652 and 2653 together. I thank the Deputy for raising matters in relation to the cost of providing additional supports for postgraduate students. The Deputy will be aware that there are supports available to eligible students undertaking postgraduate study under the student grant scheme. Details of these postgraduate grant supports are available at: Higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (23 Jul 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: As part of the Government's Budget 2024 cost of living measures, Post Graduate Students who met the eligibility criteria for a Postgraduate Fee Contribution Grant benefited from a once off increase in this grant of €1,000 from €4,000 to €5,000 during the 2023/24 academic year. Maintenance grants for all postgraduate students are being re-introduced from September 2024 for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (23 Jul 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The information requested by the Deputy is not available at a county or post-code level. The Department of Education publishes the transition rate from post-primary to third level on a national level as part of it's annual "Education Indicators for Ireland" report. The transition rate from post-primary to higher education in a given year is a measure of the percentage of students from the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 Jul 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The information requested by the Deputy is being compiled by City of Dublin ETB, Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB, Technological University Dublin and SOLAS and answer will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (18 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am aware that Cardinal Health Ireland Ltd issued a collective redundancy notification on 29 August 2024 in respect of 308 positions over a 15 month period from April 2025 to June 2026. Clearly the potential loss of these jobs is most regrettable and I understand that my colleague Minister Burke’s Department is working with the company management and with staff on current and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (18 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am aware of the very challenging context for female Afghani students. 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. All students, including Irish Nationals or persons granted International Protection are required to meet the residency...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (18 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department and officials do not use AI services in the course of their duties, as such no policy is in place currently. My Department will continue to monitor developments in relation to AI and the other models referenced by the Deputy, in particular with regard to potential applications that may be identified by other Government Departments.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Artificial Intelligence (18 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department and officials do not use AI to generate official text. My Department will continue to monitor developments in relation to AI, in particular with regard to potential applications that may be identified by other Government Departments. The information in respect of aegis bodies, within the scope of the Deputy’s question, is not held by my Department. Contact details for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (18 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Higher Education: The HEA collects data on students with disabilities from two data sources: the number of students supported by the Fund for Students with Disabilities and the number of students reported as having a disability from the Equal Access Survey, a voluntary set of questions asked of first years in higher education each year. The table below represents the number of new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (18 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: One of the five overarching objectives of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 is "Apprenticeship for All”, which aims to ensure that the profile of the apprenticeship population better reflects the general population. Action 8.3 of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 commits to deliver a bursary programme for apprentices who are experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage...

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

Patrick O'Donovan: Thank you for bringing to my attention the concerns of your constituent regarding Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) programmes in Ireland. The places in Queens University Belfast (QUB) on Medicine programmes do not include GEM programmes and only applies to students who have not attended third level education previously. Further information regarding the arrangement with QUB is available...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (18 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: 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 (ie: assessed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (18 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 838, 839, 840 and 841 together. Athena Swan Ireland do not have a role in the allocation of funding by the HEA to higher education institutions. The allocation of recurrent grant funding to institutions is a matter for the HEA and is approved by the HEA Board. Designated institutions of higher education set out their contribution to the achievement of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (18 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am aware of the very challenging context for female Afghani students. 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. All students, including Irish Nationals or persons granted International Protection are required to meet the residency...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (18 Sep 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Deputy will be aware that Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB (DDLETB) are being supported by SOLAS in developing their Preliminary Business Case (PBC) proposal for Swords under the FET College of the Future Major Projects fund. The development of a robust PBC is fundamental to the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines. The proposal put forward by DDLETB is one of twelve projects...

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

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department works collaboratively, through SOLAS and the HEA, with the Education Training Boards and all higher education institutions on the development and delivery of capital projects. Capital investment in Carlow and Kilkenny for 2024 will be realised through existing capital projects and devolved funding mechanisms as detailed in the below table. The table below outlines Further...