Results 4,701-4,720 of 45,291 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: In its forty years of operation, the Civil Legal Aid Scheme has been a significant and beneficial public service, providing legal aid and advice to people of limited means in civil disputes, including family law.  However, since the Scheme was set up, Irish society has changed, and the demands of the service have grown. In order to provide maximum benefit to those it was established to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including responsibility for the recruitment, training and distribution of Garda members. As Minister, I have no role in such matters. I am however assured that Garda management keeps...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: Section 2(1) of the Immigration Act 2003 places obligations on carriers to ensure that passengers travelling to the State are in possession of a valid travel document that establishes the person’s identity and nationality, and that they have the appropriate visa if required. In 2022, the GNIB issued 958 carrier liability fines. Each fine is €1,500, rising to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: On 28 June 2022 the Government gave approval to draft the General Scheme of a Bill to place the Irish Prison Service (IPS) on a full statutory footing with a non-executive Board, audit committee and other structures that align with best practice in the governance of State bodies.  Drafting of the General Scheme is well advanced with a view to its submission to Government shortly....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: The Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011 was enacted with the primary purposes of reforming the law relating to the ownership and management of common areas of multi-unit developments and facilitating the fair, efficient and effective management of owners' management companies (OMCs). The Programme for Government contains a commitment to conduct a review of the existing management company...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Schemes (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, I obtained approval from the Government to close the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) to further applications from 15 February 2023. The Immigrant Investor Programme was established over a decade ago during a time of unprecedented economic difficulty to stimulate investment in Ireland that would be of strategic and public benefit to the State. Since its inception,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: The Travel Document Unit in my Department processes travel documents for people who are deemed to be refugees under the 1951 United Nations Convention. This Unit also processes a separate travel document for family members of persons granted refugee status who are beneficiaries of family reunification programmes that cannot obtain a national passport. In recent times this Unit has experienced...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: I can advise the Deputy that applicants must make an application for an Irish entry visa from their home country or a country where they are legally resident. Visa applications for beneficiaries of family reunification programmes are dealt with on a case by case basis but will, wherever possible, be processed speedily and sympathetically. Once a visa application has been granted ISD may...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware the Garda Síochána (Retirement) (No. 2) Regulations 1951 (S.I.335/1951) allow the Garda Commissioner, with the consent of the Minister for Justice, to extend the age of retirement of a Garda member where this is in the interests of the efficiency of the Garda Síochána due to special qualifications or experience in policing possessed by that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capital Expenditure Programme (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: The Charlestown Apprenticeship project is currently under review as part of the Mayo, Sligo & Leitrim Education and Training Board’s (MSLETB) wider estate strategy and apprenticeship regional provision in the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim areas. SOLAS continues to work closely with the senior management team in MSLETB to finalise the required provision as part of this strategy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department has one member of staff working as Research and Innovation Attaché in the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels. The officer represents Ireland at the Working Party on Research, which handles matters in the research and innovation area, including legislation prior to discussion at the Competitiveness Council meetings. The working party...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: In May 2022, I launched Funding the Future, a landmark funding and reform framework for higher education. I also set out my intention to advance a progressive range of measures to address cost as a barrier to education, in the context of overall budgetary decision-making. The Government has now made important decisions about a sustainable model of funding for higher education into the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (18 Apr 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: Apprenticeship Programmes (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: A key commitment of the ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ is to grow the number of apprenticeship registrations across the public service, including local authorities, to reach 750 annual registrations by 2025. This represents a more than seven-fold increase on 2020 registrations and will support a long-term goal of 7% of the apprentice population being employed by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pensions (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1806 and 1807 together. I am firmly of the view that there should be access to public service pensions for research staff in all higher education institutions across the sector. In order to unify our approach to the treatment of Researcher grades, my Department has been engaging positively with management bodies, the Department for Public Expenditure, National...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Fishing Industry (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1808 and 1809 together. The growth of offshore renewable energy is critical to meeting our climate action targets. The Government is committed to ensuring that the education and training system, including both higher and further education providers, is appropriately positioned to support the development of the skills required by this sector. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research and Development (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: I should first explain that my Department provides resources for competitive research funding allocated through calls managed by Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Research Council. This is in addition to the research funded by Higher Education Institutions through their block grants. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous bodies established under statute and accordingly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Qualifications Recognition (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: The Irish Government is committed to providing every support possible to Ukrainian people seeking the recognition of their qualifications in Ireland. Where a profession is regulated, such as the professions of doctor, nurse or teacher for example, an individual wishing to practice their profession in Ireland must engage with the relevant Irish Competent Authority or professional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pensions (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: As noted in my previous response, a business case has been prepared to support access to the single public service pension scheme for those researchers who are not currently able to join the scheme. This business case has been submitted to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan and Reform and is currently under review. This is an iterative process and, as such,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Services (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government contains a commitment to “provide a range of free, adequate, safe, and suitable period products in all educational publicly-funded settings (including schools, colleges and HEIs), to ensure that no students are disadvantaged in their education by period poverty.” Last year, a pilot was rolled out to nine further...