Results 3,461-3,480 of 45,291 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (21 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department and the Department of Health have made significant progress in providing additional places on healthcare programmes. This year, 460 additional places were created in healthcare programmes, including key therapeutic disciplines. This represents meaningful additionality within existing infrastructure in the Higher Education sector. This follows on from the work of the working...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (21 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: In November 2022, the Government confirmed approval for a new policy led by my Department, to provide State assistance to stimulate the development of new and additional student accommodation for public higher education institutions. This landmark policy response will, for the first time, see the State providing financial support in the construction of student accommodation, and underpins the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (21 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: Assessment of means under the Student Grant Scheme 2023 is based on gross income from all sources, of the dependent applicant and his/her parents. No deduction is given for outgoings with the exception of pension contributions, legally enforceable maintenance payments and employment related expenses as approved by Revenue. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: The main support available to assist students with the cost of attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved full-time course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 296, 299, 301 and 302 together. Ensuring an appropriate pipeline of suitably qualified graduates is a key priority for me and my Department. Officials from my Department have been engaging extensively with the Higher Education Authority and the higher education sector to identify where additional places can and should be provided in the higher education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: There are a small number of institutions who have courses tailored specifically for students with an intellectual disability. I have visited some of the institutions who run these courses and have met with a number of students this year who are either current or past pupils. However, I am acutely aware that the level of provision is not enough and needs to be increased. The fourth...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: The tertiary education system plays a central role in ensuring that our graduates from higher education, further education and training and from apprenticeship are equipped with the cognitive skills, the essential transversal skills, and the vocational and professional skills and competencies which will equip them for success in work and society. Against the backdrop of the accelerating and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department and I are actively working to address the supply of student accommodation in response to the overall supply and affordability being experienced by our students which is supported by Government approval to develop a number of policy responses to activate supply under Housing for All. I have established a dedicated student accommodation unit in my Department to develop and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 303 and 307 together. The backlogs in apprentice progression, predominantly at phase-2 off-the-job, has been an area of unrelenting focus for this Government. In August 2021, there were almost 12,000 apprentices awaiting off-the-job training. At the end of August this year, 7,578 apprentices were waiting for off-the-job training. Of these 5,257 apprentices...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (21 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: Improvements to the student grant scheme has been a key priority since becoming Minister and I have already made a number of significant improvements to the Student Grant Scheme benefitting thousands of students. The Budget 2023 package announced last October included an increase to certain qualification thresholds in that:-The threshold for the student contribution 50% grant has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 305 and 306 together. As the Deputy will appreciate, individual institutions are responsible for staffing matters, including the recruitment of lecturers and the management of any vacant lecturing positions.As Minister, I rightly have no direct role in that regard, and, accordingly, my Department does not collect nor have access to any data relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (20 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: A postgraduate fee contribution of €4,000 or a postgraduate fee grant, up to a maximum of €6,270 towards the cost of fees plus a maintenance grant is available to Postgraduate students pursuing an approved course. This is dependent on the level of a student's reckonable income. To receive the Postgraduate fee grant plus a maintenance grant, students must meet the criteria...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (20 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: In considering the matters raised it is important to note that the total level of fees charged to Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) students is a matter for the higher education institutions (HEIs), consistent with the principle of their institutional autonomy. The State contribution under reference is a funding subsidy provided, via the HEA, to HEIs towards the cost of provision for EU student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1051, 1064 and 1066 together. The apprenticeship system provides a real and substantive career pathway for first time learners, it allows them to ‘earn while they learn’ whilst also combining practical hands on training with classroom learning.To date, the programmes on offer through this model have expanded to address areas of skills...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: Currently, Phase 2 Pipefitting training is delivered in Cork ETB and LMETB by two instructors. Phase 4 is currently delivered in LMETB and there is currently one workshop with one instructor delivering the training. As of August 2023, the total population of Pipefitting apprentices is 329, 327 of whom are and 2 of whom are female.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: During the pandemic, when ETB training centres were closed, some apprentices moved to online learning for theory elements of their programme only. It was not possible to deliver practical training on any apprenticeship at that time as it requires the use of in-person instruction and the use of a workshop. Craft apprenticeship programmes work through integrated theory and practical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: Work is under way to increase the level of training capacity across the apprenticeship system. In addition, an accelerated on-the-job process to reduce time gaps between off-the-job and on-the-job phases to assist with apprenticeship progression towards qualification is being implemented. At this stage it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion, but it is a priority to further...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: The development of further training capacity is being prioritised. We will continue to monitor the National Waiting Lists against apprentices currently waiting to be called to their Phase 4, off-the-job training? Where an apprentice is, through no fault of their own, delayed in training, they can avail of a higher off-the-job training allowance while training. For example, an apprentice...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (20 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students on full-time courses who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, approved course, previous academic attainment and means. With regard to the specific application, I have been advised by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the position in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (20 Sep 2023)

Simon Harris: Article 24(6) of the Student Grant Scheme 2023 provides that gifts or inheritances received in the reference period are included as reckonable income. An applicant can, however, re-apply for subsequent years of their study as the inheritance amount is taken into account for one year only. If any of the persons whose income is under consideration received a gift or an inheritance in the...