Results 21-40 of 2,023 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (26 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The principle support provided by my Department, in financial terms, is the student grant scheme, which makes available means-tested financial assistance to students in further and higher education. The student grant scheme is administered on behalf of the Department by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority (26 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Higher Education Authority Board currently comprises a Chairperson and 12 ordinary members. I can advise the Deputy that all the current members of the Board are ordinarily resident within the State with the exception of four members, two of whom reside in the United Kingdom and two who reside in the United States of America. The international...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (26 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The student maintenance grant is a contribution towards the living costs of a student. It is not intended to cover the full costs of attending college. The student grant scheme does, however, provide for different levels of maintenance support, depending on means. Grants are also provided at adjacent and non-adjacent rates. The higher non-adjacent rates are intended to provide additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Data (26 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The data provided in the following table is in respect of students who are awarded a grant from SUSI the centralised grant awarding authority, which was established in 2012.  It does not encompass data relating to the 66 awarding authorities who have continued to process renewal applications on a transistionary basis, as their data is not collated in the format requested by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Data (26 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The following table provides a breakdown of the grant awards for the academic year 2016/17 in the categories requested by the Deputy.  However, approximately 5,500 of these students did not take up the grant for a number of reasons e.g repeating a year and in the majority of cases not take up their college place. The data provided in the following table is in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Data (26 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the following table: County of Origin of ROI Students 2016/17 Enrolments Carlow 2,615 Cavan 2,657 Clare 5,590 Cork 24,744 Donegal 6,330 Dublin 47,091 Galway 13,950 Kerry 6,587 Kildare 8,960 Kilkenny 4,180 Laois 2,896 Leitrim 1,361 Limerick 8,806 Longford 1,515 Louth 4,965 Mayo 5,690 Meath 7,668 Monaghan 2,387...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (26 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Private third level institutions are operated independently and do not come under the remit of my Department. However, private higher education institutions may choose to voluntarily engage with QQI, the national agency with responsibility for quality assurance and qualifications across the further and higher education sectors, to seek validation of programmes and to gain access to QQI...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grants Data (26 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The data provided in the table are in respect of students who received a grant from SUSI the centralised grant awarding authority, which was established in 2012. It does not encompass data relating to the 66 awarding authorities who have continued to process renewal applications on a transitionary basis, as their data are not collated in the format requested by the Deputy. The table provides...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (26 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Fees for part-time courses are a matter for the relevant institutions. However, based on enrolment data for part-time students provided by the HEA the estimated cost of extending the maintenance grant to Higher Education students would be €32m per year. The Deputy will be aware that tax relief is available for certain fees paid in respect of part time courses. Full details of this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (26 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding as a block grant to the institutions. As autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of this funding, along with any funding it receives from private sources, is a matter for the individual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (26 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The majority of English language schools in Ireland are privately run. The relationship between teachers and private providers of education is based on a private contract. Issues relating to working conditions are a matter between the two parties and do not come under the remit of my Department. There is an extensive range of legislation in Ireland which protects the employment rights of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (13 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: A Student Accommodation Strategy is currently being finalised by my Department and will be submitted for approval to Government prior to publication. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (13 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The position with regard to specific issues raised in the recent programme referred to by the Deputy is that my Department and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) have established an independent review of the governance, HR and financial practices with the University of Limerick which was one of the Universities referred to in the programme. In addition the HEA has commenced the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (13 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation is responsible for the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI). I understand that its subhead provision for the PRTLI in 2016 was €30.4m and in 2017 it is €14.4m. The total Exchequer and non-Exchequer funding for Cycle 5 of the PRTLI was approved at the outset of the programme in December 2010, and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Access to Higher Education (13 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: There are currently 14,612 full and part time students in Department of Education and Skills funded Higher Education Institutions in the South East region. Data provided by the institutions to the HEA shows that Institute of Technology Carlow currently has 6,820 full and part time students and Waterford Institute of Technology has 7,792. Information provided by the HEA from their student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (13 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 322 to 324, inclusive, together. Based on the number of students that qualified for free fees funding in the academic year 2014/15 (and were therefore liable to pay the Student Contribution), and taking into account overall expected increases in student numbers, it is estimated that the net cost to my Department of abolishing the Student Contribution for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grants Data (13 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: It is not possible to definitively calculate the cost of the various adjustments that have been made to the student support system since 2008, particularly in light of the demographic changes that have taken place. To put it in context, in 2008/09 there were 57,261 students who benefitted from grant support at a cost of €264m, whereas in 2015/16 there were 80,622 students in receipt of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: International Students (13 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The most recent data available on the percentage of international students studying in Department of Education and Skills aided Higher Education Institutions is for the academic year 2015/2016. The information provided by Higher Education Institutions to the Higher Education Authority indicates that in the academic year 2015/2016, 8.7% of full time students were of Non-EU domicile of origin...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grants Data (13 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: The Deputy will be aware of the Programme for Government commitment to increase financial supports for post graduate students with a particular focus on those from low income households. In response to this commitment, Minister Bruton secured additional funding of €4million in Budget 2017 to facilitate the reinstatement of full maintenance grants, from September 2017, for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grants Data (13 Jul 2017)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Financial supports are currently available for those postgraduate students who meet the eligibility criteria of the Student Grant Scheme. Post-graduate students who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant under the Student Grant Scheme are eligible to have their post graduate tuition fees paid up to the maximum fee limit of €6,270. Alternatively, a postgraduate...