Results 5,681-5,700 of 46,260 for speaker:Simon Harris

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...

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: 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 student accommodation projects had to be paused. In responding to these challenges, on 29 November 2022, Government approved development of both short and medium term policy responses to activate supply. These...

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: Third Level Education (18 Apr 2023)

Simon Harris: Higher education institutions have taken significant steps to ensure that teaching and learning is enhanced by the integrated use of digital technologies, both on-campus and remotely. This is in line with the their statutory academic independence which includes the mode of delivery of programmes of study. Many HEIs have been developing new blended learning programmes for validation. Such...

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

Simon Harris: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department has given approval to SOLAS in August 2022 for the relevant ETB to appoint a Design Team to develop proposals for Youthreach provision in the building referenced. My Department is advised by SOLAS that the ETB have tendered for this Design Team and are awaiting conclusion of the procurement process Once this procurement is finalised and the...

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

Simon Harris: The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of staff who took sick leave is in the following table. Due to the relatively low number of employees working in my Department and the consequential risk of identification the number of staff who identified stress as the reason for their absence has not been included in the interest of the protection of employee well-being....

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

Simon Harris: I can confirm to the Deputy that in the event that a member of staff in my Department is concerned about bullying at their place of work they are advised of the anti-bullying, harassment and sexual harassment policy for the Irish Civil Service, entitled "Dignity at Work", which is published by the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform. Since the establishment of the...

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

Simon Harris: Since the establishment of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in August 2020 to date, no officials at my Department have been dismissed from duty.

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

Simon Harris: Apprentices are primarily employees and all of the 66 available apprenticeships are undertaken under a contract of employment. For the majority of apprenticeships, the rate of pay is agreed between the apprentice and the employer with the employer paying the apprentice during both on-the-job and off-the-job training elements of the apprenticeship. For the 25 craft apprenticeship...

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

Simon Harris: Capital exchequer funding for approved capital works projects comes from various sources, however there is no specific EU funding received for capital works in universities.

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

Simon Harris: My Department has allocated €5 million to the Higher Education Authority for mental health and well-being services this year in Higher Education Institutes. As autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of mental health and well-being funding, including the funding of student services, such as support for people dealing with gambling addiction, is a matter for each Institute so...