Results 10,101-10,120 of 10,622 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Bodies (23 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The following table includes a breakdown of all payments made to CEOs of State agencies under the remit of my department for each year since 2022 in tabular form. Name of Body Salary of CEO or equivalent paid at the Scale or Rate ( please check to ensure Grade salary scale details are up to date) Other payments/bonuses paid Describe nature of any benefit in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (24 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 375 and 376 together. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) manages the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) for higher education on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS). Funding under the FSD is provided to HEIs as a block grant to assist them in offering supports and services to eligible...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Properties (24 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Deputy will be aware that Kerry ETB are being supported by SOLAS in developing their Preliminary Business Case (PBC) proposal for the proposed infrastructure that will be delivered in Killarney 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 KETB is one...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Supports for students living in Palestine are delivered through a number of Irish Universities as part of the Scholars at Risk Programme and University Sanctuary Programmes, in addition to specific institutional responses. This includes specific scholarships schemes and other well-being supports. The Department of Foreign Affairs is also providing support to students from Palestine...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: 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 relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. As per Article 17(4)(b) of the Student Grant Scheme 2024, a student or tuition student is ineligible for grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Placements for health and social care programmes are arranged at the level of each individual Higher Education Institution as part of their programme offering, to be delivered in conjunction with relevant clinical placement providers. Early Years Education programme placements are provided by early years education settings. Placement hours are a requirement of the regulator to meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (24 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Deputy will be aware that I published the Annual Options Paper on Reducing the Cost of Education in September (). The paper identifies various options to reduce the cost of education, including options to reduce the student contribution paid by students. The Annual Options Paper has estimated the cost of removing the student contribution at circa €289m; this is the net cost...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Government recognises third level education can be a significant cost for families and students. The Deputy will be aware that I published, in September, this year’s Annual Options Paper on the cost of education which sets out options for further enhancement of student supports across the various sectors and was considered as part of this year’s budgetary process. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous institutions responsible for their own academic affairs including the curriculum and student numbers on individual courses. The costs incurred by a HEI in increasing student places on a particular course or establishing an additional course can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the individual circumstances...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (5 Nov 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: It happens to us all, a Cheann Comhairle.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Examinations (6 Nov 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Trinity College Dublin is an autonomous institution within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997. Under this legislation, it is academically and administratively independent and is entitled to regulate its own academic affairs and administrative processes. Neither I nor my Department have a role in these internal processes. I would encourage any student with queries regarding their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (5 Nov 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: As the Deputy may be aware, the objective of the statutory based student grant scheme is to provide additional assistance where household income is below a certain threshold. For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents/legal guardian or as independent mature students. A candidate's reckonable income for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (5 Nov 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Deputy may be aware that 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. A student may be assessed as an independent student (i.e. assessed without reference to parental income and address) if they have attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (5 Nov 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Student Grant Scheme is a statutory scheme. As with any statutory scheme, a core principle of the Student Grant Scheme is that there is consistency of approach and an equitable treatment for applicants. All applications are therefore assessed nationally with reference to the terms and conditions of the Scheme, which are applied impartially to all applicants. SUSI has no discretion...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (5 Nov 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: In my Department, staff figures are recorded on a quarterly basis. The number of staff vacancies for Quarter 3 (up to the end of September) in 2023 was 34 and for Quarter 3 in 2024 was 43. The staff vacancies by grades for Quarter 3 in 2023 and Quarter 3 in 2024 are set out in the following tables: Q3 2023 Principal Officer 1 Assistant Principal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (5 Nov 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: For the 25 craft apprenticeship programmes including for the motor mechanic programme, the sectoral gross wage norms are either agreed within the relevant sector through collective bargaining agreements, or are set out in legally binding Sectoral Employment Orders recommended by the Labour Court. Periods of off-the-job training are funded from the National Training Fund with payments made...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (5 Nov 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. An official from my Department has advised that the student outlined by the Deputy was issued a letter by SUSI on 25 October 2024 requesting additional documentation. On receipt of the requested...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (5 Nov 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The number of staff from my Department who were on a career break in 2023 and 2024, is set out in the below table. 2023 Principal Officer 1 Administrative Officer 2 Executive Officer 0.5 2024 Principal Officer 1 HIgher Executive Officer 1 Administrative...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (5 Nov 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Officials from my Department will contact the Deputy for further information in respect of the question posed and will revert to the Deputy directly upon receipt of this further information.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (5 Nov 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. An official from my Department has advised that the student outlined by the Deputy was awarded the €500 student contribution grant by the awarding authority, SUSI, for the 2024/2025 academic...