Results 381-400 of 10,554 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: In my Department, staff vacancy figures are recorded on a quarterly basis. The number of staff vacancies by grade were first formally recorded in Quarter 3 2023. The total number of staff vacancies broken down by grade for Quarters 3 and 4 in 2023 and Quarters 1 to 4 in 2024 are set out in the tables below. The information in respect of state bodies, within the scope of the Deputy’s...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: As my Department was established in August 2020, there are no staff members on a career break beyond five years.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capital Expenditure Programme (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: The following table sets out the ongoing capital building projects co-funded by my Department. The funding in question is channelled through the Higher Education Authority for disbursement to higher education institutions. Name of HEI Project Name DFHERIS Allocation Completion Date Funding Programme MU Technology Society...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Consultations (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department has commissioned 10 external consultant reports in 2024 to date. The following table reflects the expenditure on these consultancy fees as requested. External Consultant Report Company Date of Publication Total Cost (€) Including apprentices in the national minimum wage - A Discussion Paper John McGrath ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: A new Student Accommodation Strategy is in development following Government approval of the long-term Policy in January 2024. The Strategy aims to increase supply of state supported student accommodation, reduce the cost of delivery through development of standardised design guidance, promote efficient use of existing building stock through refurbishment and an examination of vacancy, while...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Deputy will be aware that Budget 2025 contains a package of measures to support households with the cost-of-living. These cost-of-living measures include a €1,000 reduction in the student contribution fee payable by higher education undergraduate students that are eligible for the Free Fees Initiative (FFI). Postgraduate courses are not approved courses under the Free Fees...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I would like to thank the Deputy for your correspondence in relation to steps my Department is taking to address gender-based violence and harassment in higher educational institutions. The Government takes a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, as is set out in the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: Thank you for raising this matter with me. It is important to note that the Student Assistant Fund (SAF) is a separate fund to the 1916 Bursary and ineligibility for the 1916 Bursary does not make the student ineligible for the SAF. As Deputy is aware Higher Education Institutes are autonomous bodies, both academically and administratively, and therefore, the Department is not in a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research Funding (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Research and Innovation Act 2024 provided for the amalgamation of the functions, staff, and assets of the former Science Foundation Ireland and Irish Research Council. Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland was subsequently established on the 1st of August 2024. A priority during this process was to minimise disruption for researchers and to maintain the operation of current programmes....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Deputy will be aware that Budget 2025 contains a package of measures to support households with the cost of education. These measures include a €1,000 reduction in the student contribution fee for higher education students that are eligible for the Free Fees Initiative (FFI). To avail of this measure, students must be eligible for free fees and be attending a free fees approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: Léargas manages the relevant Erasmus+ activities under the aegis of my Department. According to data held by Léargas, please see below information relating to the Erasmus+ programme - 1. The Number of Second Level Schools with Erasmus+ funding 152 Second Level Schools have carried out learner mobilities between 2021 and 2024. 2. The Number of Students Involved 1074...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy for his question. Kerry ETB are currently being supported by SOLAS in developing their Preliminary Business Case (PBC) proposal for Killarney under the FET College of the Future Major Projects fund. The development of a robust PBC is fundamental to the requirements of the Infrastructure Guidelines. The proposal put forward by KETB is one of twelve projects that are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Appointments to State Boards (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I can confirm that since 1st November 2024, there has been one appointment to one state board. This was the reappointment of the SOLAS Chair, Mr Seán Aylward, on 13th November 2024. Appointments to Boards, Bodies and Agencies under the aegis of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are updated and published on the website below: ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Higher Education Authority (HEA) provides information in relation to bursaries and scholarships available at hea.ie/funding-governance-performance/funding/student-financ e/other-finance-bursaries-scholarships/. Apart from the Student Grant Scheme, there are various other supports that may be available to third level students: Students in third-level institutions experiencing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank Deputy Murphy for his questions which I will address separately as below: 1. Graduation Costs: With regard to the matter of the cost of graduation ceremonies, our universities and technological universities are autonomous institutions as provided for in the Universities Act 1997. Therefore the management of their day to day functions, including the management of graduation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: Thank you Deputy Murphy for your question regarding the number of students who withdrew from programmes in the stated HEI's. Each HEI has multiple programmes of education on offer at any given time I would advise the Deputy to consultation with the information provided by the Higher Education Authority which makes data on Progression and Completion for Higher Education Institutions publicly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: Technological University (TU) Dublin is an autonomous higher education institution established under the Technological Universities Act 2018. As an autonomous institution, TU Dublin is responsible for its own internal affairs, including procurement. TU Dublin is required to comply with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and all relevant Department of Public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Funding the Future Framework published in May 2022, outlines the vision for how higher education will be funded and how this will support students, employers and wider society. The Framework identified an amount of €307 million as representing the quantum of increase in core funding required to deliver enhanced performance, strategic reforms and strengthened quality of outcomes. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research Funding (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: Research equipment is an integral element of any national research and innovation system, as articulated in Impact 2030, Ireland's national research and innovation strategy. It equips researchers across all disciplines to undertake their research, to be internationally competitive and to produce new knowledge and innovations for both economic and wider societal impact. It is also critical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (22 Jan 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: Thank you Deputy Byrne for your question on the establishment of professorships in Technological Universities. My Department considers the appointment of professorships to TU's as necessary for the full realisation of this sectors’ university status within the HEI landscape. Professorships are at the apex of an academic staffing structure necessary for leading innovation, research and...