Results 9,801-9,820 of 11,795 for speaker:Niall Collins

Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Second Stage (Resumed) (2 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: I wish to offer my condolences and sympathy to the family of the late Noel Treacy, former Deputy and Minister, who served in this House for 30 years. He is a huge loss to his wife and family, his local community and the many organisations with which he was involved in Galway. I refer in particular to Galway GAA, where he was chairman of the county board for a number of years after his...

Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Referral to Select Committee (2 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science pursuant to Standing Orders 95 and 181.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (2 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 123. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 511 of 25 January 2022, if she will request the authorities of An Garda Síochána to provide information relating to the total budget allocation and total cost of Operation Foray from 2018 to date (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5265/22]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (3 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 209. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the assistance that may be offered to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5538/22]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (3 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 278. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way that a contractor that fits windows and doors can get on the tender list for her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5537/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 449. To ask the Minister for Health if home help workers will receive the €1,000 bonus for frontline healthcare staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5646/22]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (3 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 474. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a response to correspondence (details supplied) will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5571/22]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy for her question. The backlog in apprenticeship training to which reference was made results from the adverse impact of Covid public health restrictions on the operation of the education and training sector. In responding to these restrictions, it has been a priority to seek to facilitate, whenever possible, access to on-site teaching and learning for essential...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy for her comments. In the initial reply I outlined to the Deputy that significant money had been applied to this issue and I believe she has acknowledged that. In total, across both this year and last year, €37 million will have been made available to address this issue. This includes a change in the structure of phase 2 off-the-job training which will facilitate a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: With respect to the Deputy, that is total nonsense. To try to present a scenario that we are trying to accrue savings and not invest in apprenticeships or not reform the whole space is simply not the case, and the Deputy knows this. We have 62 apprenticeships up and running, as the Deputy is aware, and we have approximately another 20 in development and approximately another 15 expressions...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy for the question. The action plan for apprenticeships 2021-2025 sets out new ways of structuring, funding and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeships more accessible to employers and learners in order to achieve a target of 10,000 annual registrations across a wide range of programmes by 2025. Expanding apprenticeship across all sectors of the economy has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: On the last point raised by Deputy Stanton, that is an issue which the Minister, Deputy Harris, and I have raised with the new director of the National Apprenticeship Office. It is something which is very much on its work programme. There is a dropout rate similar to that across all sectors, but it is something we are conscious and aware of. On the point raised by Deputy Smyth, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: We discussed this earlier. Across 2021 and 2022, €37 million has been provided to address the significant backlog which arose due to the Covid pandemic and the restrictions that were imposed throughout various lockdowns that significantly impacted the off the job training available to apprentices. SOLAS and our ETBs are providing extra capacity and are hiring extra trainers. They...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: Significant progress is being made in realising the ambition for apprenticeship set out in the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025published in April last year. The further development and mainstreaming of apprenticeship in Ireland through the creation of a single unified apprenticeship system has a key role to play in meeting Ireland's skill needs in a manner which presents a valued...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: As the Deputy will appreciate, the CAO is a company whose membership is representative of the higher education sector with the participating institutions retaining full control over their admission policies and decisions. Against that background, the developments to the CAO website for the 2022 application process are particularly welcome. A key goal for my Department is to enhance the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education Provision (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: Education and Training Boards, funded through SOLAS, provide a range of programmes to cater for the literacy needs of adults. While the allocations for the 2022 are not currently available, the details in respect of the 2020 and 2021 are set out below. Programme Reported spend for 2020 Funding allocated for 2021 Adult Literacy Groups ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: The Mitigating Against Educational Disadvantage Fund (MAEDF) aims to provide funding to support educationally disadvantaged learners in accessing and participating in community education. The MAEDF was first made available in 2020 when €5.8 million was awarded to 507 community education projects funded through the 16 Education and Training Boards. The projects funded varied from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education Provision (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: The Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) Strategy sets out a cross-government, cross-economy and cross-society approach to achieve the vision of an Ireland where every adult has the necessary literacy, numeracy and digital literacy to engage in society and realise their potential. During development and going forward, the ALL strategy closely references complementary initiatives across relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Generation (8 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 201. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a response will issue to a matter raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied) in relation to payment for excess power generated by household PV panels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6302/22]