Results 481-500 of 33,693 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: In respect of Higher Education Costs - for the majority of students Budget 2023 and Budget 2024 has had the effect of reducing the cost of higher education. For the second year in a row, as a cost of living measure I have reduced the student contribution fee by €1,000 for free fees eligible students and increased the postgraduate fee contribution grant by €1000. I am very...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships. The ambitions of the Plan span both financial and non-financial measures. Significant financial supports to employers that have been introduced include:The annual Employer Grant of €2,000 per apprentice means that employers of all apprentices now have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (19 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I was delighted to travel to East Clare earlier this week to announce that the proposal put forward by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board for their FET campus near Scariff is to be funded as part of the next tranche of capital investment under the Further Education and Training (FET) Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund. This funding will support Limerick and Clare Education...

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

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, graduate entry medicine is a pathway for degree holders who want to pursue a medical career on an accelerated four year programme. The Free Fees Initiative pays the tuition fees of eligible students undertaking their first full time undergraduate programme. The Free Fees Initiative does not meet fees in respect of students who are completing a second undergraduate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Legal Cases (18 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department is continuing to review relevant records to establish the situation in relation to information of the kind sought by the Deputy, i.e. with regard to legal cases taken against this Department in each of the past ten years and to date in 2023. As soon as this process has concluded, I will ensure that an appropriate response is forwarded to the Deputy, including with respect to any...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (18 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. If you were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (18 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 292 and 293 together. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are autonomous bodies as set out in legislation and receive funding from a variety of sources including state grants; competitive funding; tuition fees and commercial/private income streams. My Department cannot instruct an institution to develop an area for overflow parking. Under the Public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (18 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Parliamentary Question No. 1008 of 21stMarch 2023 related to a list of major capital projects in which the Deputy requested details in respect of the progression of these projects. In my reply, I stated that the information sought was not available at the time but I am now in a position to provide the relevant information. Attached is the table of the capital projects list provided in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (18 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The apprenticeship system is currently responding to a marked increase in demand over the past four years, driven by overall tertiary sector demand, Covid-related training backlogs, and growing demand for skills delivered through apprenticeship. Given these delays, it is the Government’s ambition to right-size apprenticeship capacity in line with the labour market demands, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (18 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: There has been a strong growth in registrations for craft apprenticeship in a demand-led system, where employers in a buoyant construction sector are continuing to recruit strongly to meet their future skill needs. Craft apprenticeship registrations for 2022 and 2021 were in total 13,254, an increase of almost 40% over the preceding two years. The strength of the construction sector is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (18 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students (ie: assessed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (18 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The difficulties faced by students in accessing affordable student accommodation is an issue of which I am actively pursuing. Government approval to develop a short and long term policy response was received in November 2022. This policy will address the supply of affordable student accommodation for priority group students attending publicly funded higher education institutions in Ireland....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Budget 2024 (18 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I can confirm to the Deputy that the 2024 Budget sees an investment of an additional €239 million for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science. This brings my Department’s allocation to over €4 billion in 2024. With this significant new investment, I will be able to fund a number of major priorities for this Government. A Cost of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (17 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Skillnet Ireland is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Article 26 of Skillnet Ireland’s Articles of Association provide for its Board of Directors to comprise 13 members including:One nominee of IBEC who will act as the chairperson.Six employer/business representatives comprising:three nominees from IBEC;one nominee from the Small Firms Association;one nominee from the Construction...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (17 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006, and the Technological Universities Act 2018. As such they are autonomous in relation to their admission decisions. I have no role or remit in this regard If a student receives an upgrade and the revised result places them higher on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Process (17 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The Construction Safety Licensing Bill 2023 will provide for a new and comprehensive framework for the licensing of certain construction and quarrying activities in Ireland. The Bill is progressing through the legislative process. It was initiated in the Dáil in March 2023 and has progressed through Second Stage and Committee Stage in the Dáil. The next step will be to prepare the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Regulatory Bodies (17 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: I wish to advise the Deputy that the initial process for filling vacancies on State Boards, for bodies under the aegis of my Department, are managed by the Public Appointments Service (PAS), who hold responsibility for the recruitment and assessment process in respect of new appointments to those Governing Boards. PAS are currently running a process in respect of the board referred to by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (17 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: Section 473A of the Taxes Consolidation Actof 1997 provides for tax relief on fees paid for third level education programmes. The Act refers to lists of ‘approved colleges’ and ‘approved courses’ which are eligible for tax relief. Lists of approved education providers and programmes which are eligible for tax relief are published on the Revenue Commissioners...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (17 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Data Protection (17 Oct 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect on 25 May 2018 and any personal data breaches since its introduction are dealt with under the Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Article 4 of the GDPR defines a data breach as “‘a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration,...