Results 11,601-11,620 of 11,795 for speaker:Niall Collins

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (1 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: As the Deputy is aware, my Department has significantly increased its investment in the Further Education and Training (FET) sector in the last number of years, from circa €909 million in 2020 to €1,055 million in 2024 (excluding capital allocation). SOLAS is responsible for the strategic co-ordination and funding of the FET sector in Ireland, and it allocates funding to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (1 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: As the Deputy is aware, a new grade of Adult Educator, with a standardised pay scale aligned to the Youthreach Resource Personnel Scale, was formally established earlier this year. Existing tutors, some 2,800, have the option of assimilating to the new incremental pay scale, with effect from 1st April 2023, or remaining on their current terms and conditions. The Education and Training...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (1 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy for his question. Based on latest data available, the cost of reducing the staff/student ratio in the higher education sector by one point is estimated at €77.5m. The cost of reducing the ratio by two and three points is estimated at €166m and €267m respectively. Calculations are based on the 2022/23 higher education sector enrolment figures for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: As the Deputy is aware, Further Education and Training (FET) encompasses a wide range of courses and programmes, ranging from Level 1 to Level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications, i.e., from basic literacy programmes to apprenticeships. Different levels of engagement are required for the learner depending on their needs and the course requirements, e.g., full-time, part-time,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (1 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: As the Deputy is aware, my Department has significantly increased its investment in the Further Education and Training (FET) sector in the last number of years, from circa €909 million in 2020 to €1,055 million in 2024 (excluding capital allocation). As the state agency responsible for the FET sector in Ireland, SOLAS allocates the bulk of this funding to the 16 Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (1 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: As the Deputy is aware, my Department has significantly increased its investment in the Further Education and Training (FET) sector in the last number of years, from circa €909 million in 2020 to €1,055 million in 2024 (excluding capital allocation). As the state agency responsible for the FET sector in Ireland, SOLAS allocates the bulk of this funding to the 16 Education...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Telecommunications Infrastructure (2 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: 74. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the radar and associated communications infrastructure at a location (details supplied) has been decommissioned and no longer in use; if not, the plans for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39306/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (2 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: 104. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she or her legal representatives will expedite a reply to correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39304/24]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (2 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: 109. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she proposes to increase the hourly rate of €13.40 paid to bus escorts for special education schools; when this rate was last revised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39350/24]

Financial Resolutions 2024 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (3 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: I am sharing time with Deputy James O’Connor. I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on the budget, which we were apprised of this week by the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers. I congratulate both Ministers on their presentations and in particular, my colleague Deputy Chambers who presented his first budget to the House as Minister for Finance and, indeed, our deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (3 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: 94. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she can fund the provision of replacement lockers (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39563/24]

Gnó na Dála - Business of Dáil: Motion (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: That is a two-way street.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy. There has been a high demand from employers and learners alike for craft apprenticeship in recent years, reflecting a strong construction sector and the Government's commitment to the targets within Housing for All and the climate action plan, and to the delivery of the national development plan. Craft apprentice registrations increased by 25% from 2019 to 2023. As a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: I will clarify a point because I may have misspoken earlier. The number of training places has grown by 40% since the end of 2023, from over 5,600 places in December 2023 to 7,500 places in August 2024. As I previously said to the Deputy, over 130 instructor posts have been sanctioned to date. As I said, 80 such posts have been filled. The Deputy asked for a timeline. The remaining posts...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: The Deputy is asking what else can be done to help to reduce the backlog. The National Apprenticeship Office launched a recruitment campaign across several media in November. That campaign used a centralised National Apprenticeship Office platform for applications. Added to that, a new advanced block approval process for the posts was put in place and the approval process was delivered...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: Through budget 2025, we secured €6 million of annual recurrent funding to support the activation of up to 1,200 student accommodation beds in regional campus locations. A leasing programme is being developed as a key deliverable arising from the recent TU student accommodation study. At least 30% of the beds delivered through this programme will be provided at below market rate to a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: I wish to refer to the student accommodation strategy. The long-term student accommodation policy was approved by the Government in January 2024. This policy will inform future student accommodation strategies and schemes that are being developed throughout 2024 and beyond. The dual-benefit policy aims to increase the supply of specific accommodation, therefore removing students from the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: The key to student accommodation is the same as it is for housing: to increase the supply. We must bring on more supply to address the demand. We also have an obligation to try to reduce costs. That is the reason we put a lot of work into the standard design for purpose-built student accommodation, which is similar to the school building programme, for example, whereby there is a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: We are pleased to be in a position to increase all income threshold limits for student grants in budget 2025. From September 2025, we are increasing the special rate of maintenance threshold from €26,200 to €27,400 in line with social welfare increases. We are increasing all other maintenance and student contribution grant thresholds by 15%. We are also increasing the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: In addition to what I outlined in my previous contribution, we have also introduced a number of other measures to reduce the cost of education, including providing €9 million to increase the PhD stipend from €22,000 to €25,000 per annum. That will benefit approximately 3,000 postgraduates. As the House will be aware, we have a one-off reduction in the student...