Results 3,861-3,880 of 45,495 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Reform (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: Any integration of Carlow College, St. Patrick's into an autonomous higher education institution is in the first instance a matter for the respective governing authorities of Carlow College and any potential partner higher education institution. In this context, the Department understands that the College has been engaging with South East Technological University (SETU) on potential...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: A key strength of the apprenticeship model is that it is an employer demand-led approach to meeting workforce and skill requirements in our economy. As such, the demand for and number of apprentices is primarily dictated by employers in any sector. General expansion of apprenticeship as a route to career development is a key priority for Government. The Action Plan for Apprenticeship...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: While there are currently no plans in my Department for the provision of funding of universities to explicitly avail of solar photovoltaic solutions as part of any summer works scheme, I can advise the Deputy that energy efficiency and decarbonisation initiatives in the Higher Education Sector are underway, since 2020. An Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Programme (EEDPP)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1350 to 1352, inclusive, 1354, 1360 to 1362, inclusive, and 1378 together. The Technological University Transformation Fund (TUTF) is a three-year fund (1 September 2020 – 31 August 2023) that invested €90 million in the technological sector to assist with the development and progression of technological universities. Technological university...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: I am actively working to address the supply of student accommodation. Increasing costs of construction and financing are impacting on viability, and as a result a number of Universities had to pause their projects. In responding to these challenges, on 29 November 2022, Government approved development of both short and medium term policy responses to activate supply. These landmark...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Legal Cases (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will appreciate, third level institutions are autonomous institutions within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. As such, individual institutions are responsible for student and staffing matters and are subject to compliance with relevant legislation. My Department does not collect nor have access to the specific information...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: The Technological University Transformation Fund (TUTF) is a three-year fund (1 September 2020 – 31 August 2023) that has invested €90 million in the technological sector to assist with the development and progression of technological universities. Technological university consortia, technological universities, and institutes of technology received funding under the TUTF, with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Communications (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: Please see below the percentage of social media videos posted on each of my Department's social media accounts that included closed captioning/subtitling between 1 May 2022 and 30 April 2023, inclusive; and the percentage of same that feature translations into Irish or another language. In addition to videos, my Department and the agencies operating within the Further and Higher educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will be aware that section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 (IHREC), requires public bodies, in the performance of their functions, to: eliminate discrimination; promote equality of opportunity; and protect the human rights of its members, staff and the persons to whom it provides services. A “public body” is defined in the Act as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: Under the Further Education and Training Act (2013), SOLAS has statutory responsibility for planning, funding, and co-ordinating Further Education and Training (FET) in Ireland. My officials have referred your query to SOLAS for direct reply on this individual matter, who have advised an email has been issue directly to the apprentice this morning providing a scheduling status update.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: The Technological Universities Transformation Fund (TUTF) is a three-year fund (1 September 2020 – 31 August 2023) that has invested €90 million in the technological sector to assist with the development and progression of technological universities. Technological university consortia, technological universities, and institutes of technology were eligible to apply for funding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: Following enquiries with SOLAS, I understand that the email address oireachtasinfo@solas.ie and the contact number referred to by the Deputy are no longer in use. The new email address and contact number for queries are communications@solas.ie and (01) 533 2500.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Veterinary Services (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: Ensuring a supply of qualified vets is an important issue for my Department. Workforce planning requirements for the veterinary medicine sector are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in consultation with the Veterinary Council of Ireland. Officials in my Department have been engaging closely with colleagues in Minister McConalogue's Department in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: The General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023 provides that the Board of the new agency may establish committees to assist and advise it in relation to the performance of any of its functions. The Bill proposes that, where committees are established to provide specific research expertise, they should be known as “Councils”, with the policy rationale underpinning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy has outlined, the higher education sector currently continues to operate under the terms of an Employment Control Framework (ECF). The system operates on a number-based control approach whereby an annual ceiling for core funded posts is agreed for the sector each year. Only posts within that ceiling can involve permanent contracts. The ceiling of core funded posts has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: 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. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Appointments to State Boards (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: On 5 April, Government noted my intention to create the new Research and Innovation agency on 1 January 2024, to initiate a process to designate the Director General of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) as the CEO designate and to initiate a process through the Public Appointments Service to select a suitable Chair and Board Members of the agency. The appointment of the CEO designate was a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (13 Jun 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: Departmental Expenditure (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: Officials in my Department have requested that the relevant aegis bodies, under the remit of my Department, revert to you directly on this matter as this level of information is not held by my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (13 Jun 2023)

Simon Harris: Under the Universities Act 1997, Technological Universities Act 2018 and the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous entities including with regard to the management of their library facilities and as such my Department has no function in this matter. My Department does, however, provide funding to the Irish Research eLibrary (IReL),...