Results 2,741-2,760 of 45,291 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (31 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: A national network of 5 TUs stretches across some 25 campuses, bringing the advantages and potential of university-driven skills and innovation to communities across the country. Higher education access is being provided in a far more balanced regional manner and TUs are driving regional development and socio-economic progress in places with no previous university footprint as diverse as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (31 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: My Department has entered recharge arrangements with respect to emergency funding provided to both IT Tralee and Waterford IT. As regards Waterford IT, now under SETU, the latest recharge payment was made in October 2023 bringing total repayments to €6.9m. The recharge arrangement with IT Tralee, now MTU, is due to commence in May 2024.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (31 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: Technological Universities have been established to create a step-change in the delivery of higher-level skills, new knowledge creation, venture start-ups and collaborative innovation support for enterprise; and hence to meaningfully expand the higher education sector’s contribution to regional development. To support the post-establishment development of TUs, the Higher...

Services for those Seeking Protection in Ireland: Statements (30 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: I have some of it.

Services for those Seeking Protection in Ireland: Statements (30 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: I welcome the fact the Dáil has allocated time to discussing an issue of major policy importance economically and socially: migration. In recent weeks and months, this issue has dominated much public discourse in this House and probably in houses and communities across the country. Unfortunately, a significant amount of that conversation has been grounded in misinformation,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (30 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: My Department has not availed of services or engaged any consultancy from the companies in question over the past five years. As such, no records of contractual arrangements exist.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (30 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: The information requested by Deputy Farrell is presently being compiled by SOLAS. An answer will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (30 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: My officials have referred Deputy Farrell's query to the National Apprenticeship Office where the information requested is presently being compiled. An answer will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (25 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: The information requested by Deputy Healy-Rae is presently being compiled by SOLAS. An answer will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (25 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) is the pharmacy regulator. It is responsible for setting the standards of education and training for pharmacists qualifying in Ireland. This includes developing standards and carrying out the accreditation of pharmacy degree programmes. In August 2014, the Minister for Health approved changes to the education and training of pharmacists. This...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on Key Issues: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (24 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: I thank the committee. It is a very long list of topics, which I am delighted to try to cover. I will cover some of them in my opening statement and then, no doubt, we will pick some of them up in the exchanges. In budget 2024, we worked to secure what is objectively a significant cost-of-education package for third-level students. This included a €1,000 reduction in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on Key Issues: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (24 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: I will quote from the meeting I had with the USI the day before we announced the policy, where they described the policy as extremely welcome. People have to say in public what they say in private. If they do not, I will call them out on it. We had a meeting that lasted a couple of hours. It was a good and engaging meeting. We have listened to 22,801 students. They will contact the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on Key Issues: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (24 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: We will be okay on the clock. I am not trying to eat the Deputy's time. There are other elements that are factually new. I had no mandate or permission from Government to ask the technological universities to put forward proposals-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on Key Issues: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (24 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: -----and we now do. I am rejecting out of hand the idea that there were no new policy decisions taken by Government. The Government minutes will show that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on Key Issues: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (24 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: We are very busy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on Key Issues: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (24 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on Key Issues: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (24 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: If the Deputy would like to write to me with any specific examples of what she feels are reannouncements-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on Key Issues: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (24 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: -----I would really appreciate it because I am fed up with the generalities here. My Department is working extraordinarily hard on making real and positive impacts as regards pathways for education. A big part of what we do is communicating with citizens, often citizens who have been locked out of education. We will continue to communicate with them. I wish to be clear in that regard. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on Key Issues: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (24 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: No, hang on. They asked for this grant.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on Key Issues: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (24 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: What the universities are saying is that we should do this. If I told this committee today that we were going to build purpose-built student accommodation in the regions, which we are, by the way, the Deputy's next comment would be that this would take a significant time, which would be fair to say because we do not have the designs or the planning permission yet. In the interim, we are...