Results 9,841-9,860 of 11,795 for speaker:Niall Collins

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: I will give an overview. The number of students in full-time higher education, which includes universities, technological universities, institutes of technology and other higher education colleges, in 2020 was 165,946. In 2014, it was 151,360. We can see the increase. The split between undergraduate and postgraduate, favouring undergraduate, is 85% to 15%. We have had a demographic...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: We will get that information. An important point to be made to the committee on the CAO, places and offerings is that the metric achieved last year was in line with that of previous years in that 50% of CAO applicants received their first preference and 80% of applicants received their first, second or third choice. That is a benchmark metric from before Covid. Management and delivery in...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy. Both issues are important. The Department takes them very seriously. The Minister, Deputy Harris, has really led in these areas. In 2021, €5 million was allocated to our higher education institutions to support student mental health and well-being. That builds on the €5 million provided in the previous year to enhance the capacity of the support...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: We are open to considering these matters. The initiatives are demand led in that demand can go up and down. We will not be found wanting in providing the required supports. Along with having provided supports through the student assistance fund, we have significantly ramped up student assistance funding. There is over €18 million for this year alone across all the higher education...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: I will give the Deputy an example. Yesterday evening, I was in the University of Limerick. Its student services office has in its student assistance fund more than €1 million, which is significant.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: As Deputy Farrell stated, the provision of trained workers is crucial to rolling out the retrofitting campaign. The sector is aware of the challenge. We are getting ourselves to a place to provide the training that will be required to produce the workers. As the Deputy rightly said, a training course can range from a number of days to a few weeks. There is a limited number of training...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: It is over four years.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: It is to allow the providers to provide the training centres. It is not just in retrofitting, although retrofitting courses will be part of it. In the ETB sector in particular, a lot of work has been going on in the background as the ETBs get ready for this. We have the nearly zero energy building, NZEB, centre in Wexford which is in the Chairman's constituency. We have provided funding...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: We will provide the committee with a note on that.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: We can provide that data to the committee and the Deputy.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: Absolutely, there is. As I alluded to in my comments to Deputy Alan Farrell, the Department will announce a capital investment call tomorrow. That will be available to the technological sector for any projects or proposals it may have for us. The Chairman will be aware that the different technological university projects are at different points in their journeys or transitions and that we...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: What the Chair has said with regard to student accommodation is true. There is great demand for it and we are addressing that. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy Harris, has spoken about this on a number of occasions. The technological university sector will be permitted to borrow to build student accommodation. That will happen. The Minister is in ongoing dialogue with the Minister for...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: We will revert to the Deputy on that specific application from Ballyhaunis. There is to be a 115% increase in our capital allocation, which is a significant amount of funding. As I said in my remarks to the Chair and Deputy Alan Farrell, it is a matter of building and increasing capacity. That is exactly what we want to do.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 26 - Education (Revised)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (10 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: We will give the committee a proper and exact analysis across the high-demand courses, including in respect of the point the Deputy raised. Medicine, veterinary, teaching and ICT were the high-demand areas. Again, the pressure in question will be faced this year.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Pension Provisions (15 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 207. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment further to Parliamentary Question No. 238 of 28 September 2021, if he will provide an update; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7614/22]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Defective Building Materials (15 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 346. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of a matter regarding the defective block scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7536/22]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Grant Payments (15 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 385. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a person (details supplied) can avail of the new grant due to be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8332/22]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (15 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 591. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 117 of 2 February 2022, her views on whether it is best practice from a corporate governance and management perspective that An Garda Síochána is unable to provide the cost of any Garda operation; if she can request An Garda Síochána to provide a best estimate of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (16 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 189. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the total expenses paid to retired members of An Garda Síochána; the number who received payment having appeared at the Disclosures Tribunal; the reason some claims for expenses were not paid; the number of persons that were not paid; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8547/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Feb 2022)

Niall Collins: 864. To ask the Minister for Health the Covid-19-related visiting restrictions that apply in hospitals (details supplied); if there is a standard rule; if each hospital can have its own guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8260/22]