Results 10,021-10,040 of 10,622 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (8 Oct 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 Admissions (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The appeals process for the leaving certificate results are the remit of my colleague, Minister for Education with whom I have consulted in this response. Advancement to Higher & Further Education is the remit of my department and I will also address that in this response. This year the closing date for submission of Leaving Certificate appeal applications to the State Examinations...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: In both 2023 and 2024, a 33% reduction in the student contribution was provided for apprentices registering in higher education. In each of those years this measure cost €3.8 million and it is estimated that it benefitted over 11,000 apprentices. In Budget 2025, a once off 33% reduction to the student contribution has been provided for apprentices. The cost of the measure will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Services (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: In terms of funding available to the higher education sector for mental health supports, higher education institutions (HEIs) receive funding from a variety of sources that contribute to the expenditure associated with the full range of institutional activities. Funding includes recurrent funding allocated by my Department to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Deputy may be aware that the institution to which she refers is funded by the Department of Education. Private higher education institutions, including the institution to which the Deputy refers, may be able to receive funding or subsidies from the State for limited courses that are approved for funding under specific initiatives. Through the Free Fees Initiative (FFI) the State...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Under the Free Fees Initiative, the State pays tuition fees, exclusive of the student contribution, on behalf of eligible students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses. In order to qualify for funding under the Department's Free Fees Initiative, students must meet the criteria of the scheme including the residency requirements in their own right. In order to meet the residency...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department is continuing to oversee the implementation of a plan put in place by the National Apprenticeship Office to significantly increase apprenticeship capacity and respond to rising craft apprenticeship registrations as a result of our buoyant economy. As of end-August 2024, a total of 2,484 craft apprentices are waiting six months or longer for Phase 2 off-the-job training this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Consultations (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Attached for the Deputy's attention is an excel file prepared by my officials, which provides a breakdown on the amount expended by my Department in 2023 and to date in 2024 on consultancies. A further comprehensive breakdown on the nature of the work conducted can be found in the Pivot sheet.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Meetings (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: A meeting was requested on the 06th September 2024. Due to diary commitments a meeting has not yet been scheduled.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Ireland is experiencing record numbers of people in employment, resulting in a highly competitive market for talent. In the context of these labour market conditions, there are a number of areas which are experiencing shortages of trained professionals. The November 2023 Skills and Labour Market Research Unit "Difficult-to-Fill Vacancies Survey" identified Science, Technology &...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: This Government has made significant investment to grow the apprenticeship system. In Budget 2025 my Department secured a significant investment of €77.4m into the apprenticeship system. This represents the single largest investment in core apprenticeship funding since the formation of my Department in 2020 and, since then, investment in apprenticeship has increased by 83%. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Following on from improvements made to the Student Grant Scheme in both Budget 2023 and 2024, a range of further measures were announced as part of Budget 2025 to enhance the scheme and other supports. Improvements to the Student Grant Schemes effective from September 2025 include: Increasing the Special Rate of Maintenance Grant threshold from €26,200 to €27,400. Increasing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Since the establishment of my Department in June 2020, a key objective has been the continuing enhancement of quality education provision at third level. My Department has worked to drive performance & governance reform and improved outcomes as we work to deliver a world-class tertiary education system that is accessible, adaptable, and aligned with the evolving needs of society. On...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department’s vision, as outlined in its Statement of Strategy, is to develop an inclusive, learning and innovative society where every person is able to reach their full potential. With a focus on education, training and research, my Department will contribute towards a prosperous, sustainable and vibrant society, ready to meet the challenges of a changing world. To realise this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: It is a priority of the Department to expand pathways into and within tertiary education, supporting learners to get to where they want to go according to a learning route that is well-suited to their needs. There are approximately 400,000 people enrolled in further and higher education in Ireland, and this is projected to grow further in the coming years. My Department has prioritised...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department is focused on driving a skills ecosystem and skills agenda in Ireland which is agile and responsive to priority skills needs, including changes in the world of work driven by technology, to ensure Ireland has a skilled and productive workforce. My Department places a fundamental focus on working with the skills ecosystem, to ensure an adequate pipeline of skills to match...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Student Grant Scheme is the principal support for students in financial terms by my Department and is administered on behalf of my Department by the national student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), a business unit of City of Dublin ETB. It provides grant assistance to eligible students attending approved full-time and part-time courses in approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am very much aware that the rising cost of living continues to impact students, as highlighted by data sources such as the Consumer Price Index and the Eurostudent Survey, in which monthly expenditure was reported by respondents as €1340, up from €1135 in the previous survey. The Government, through successive budgets, has sought to reduce the cost of higher education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: There are a number of key strategies in place at all levels of education to ensure we meet existing and future skills demands, including in the area of the sciences. These include policies designed to ensure a pipeline of suitably qualified science and technical graduates, and initiatives to equip young people and the working population more generally with the skills and capacity to meet...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (8 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department's focus is to ensure that workers have the skills required to deliver Government priorities, including for residential construction and retrofitting and the National Development Plan. This can only be achieved by working with industry to ensure that construction skills provision matches identified needs. My officials work with partners such as the Construction Industry...