Results 5,921-5,940 of 46,260 for speaker:Simon Harris

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Opt-In Regulation (EU) 2021/2303: Discussion (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: The principal roles of the agency will be monitoring. The monitoring will cover the operational and technical application of all aspects of the common European asylum system. Frontex is obviously a border agency whereas this will monitor the common European asylum system. They are not directly linked but, again, when I go to justice and home affairs meetings there tends to be a sharing of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Opt-In Regulation (EU) 2021/2303: Discussion (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: This is an agency in its own right. The Deputy is asking me a question specifically about Frontex. I think all our European agencies do their very best to respond to very difficult and challenging situations. Can people and organisations sometimes do better? Of course they can but this is an agency in its own right. The only exemplar that this agency is building on is the work of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Opt-In Regulation (EU) 2021/2303: Discussion (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: No. It is absolutely not about the individuals, it is about the systems. It is about best practice and it is about a resource to draw on to support the embedding of best practice and the information exchange but I welcome the question because it is an important one.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Virement is the process wherebysavings on one or more subheads are used to meet excess expenditure on another subhead or subheads within the same Vote with the prior approval of the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDPR). Where virement amounts are not confirmed at time of sanction request, provisional sanction is provided by DPENDPR and definitive sanction is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department is committed to the continued roll-out of supports and targeted initiatives to tackle educational disadvantage and support equity of access, participation and success in both further and higher education. The National Access Plan (2022-2028) commits to collection of data on key priority groups including travellers, people in care and those who have experienced homelessness....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy may be aware, the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) operates the pension payroll for the Technological Universities.I am advised that the NSSO is working closely with the different institutions to ensure any outstanding pension increases are paid to individuals as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ukraine War (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Following the invasion of Ukraine and in line with the European Council Decision on 4 March 2022, the Government is applying rights under the International Protection Act 2015 to those granted temporary protection. The Act entitles recipients to immediate access to the labour market, along with access to social welfare, accommodation and other State supports including healthcare and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Under the Further Education and Training Act (2013), SOLAS has statutory responsibility for planning, funding, and co-ordinating Further Education and Training (FET) in Ireland. My officials have referred your query to SOLAS for direct reply on this individual matter. If you have not received a response from SOLAS within 30 days, please feel free to come back to my office for further follow-up.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Under the Further Education and Training Act (2013), SOLAS has statutory responsibility for planning, funding, and co-ordinating Further Education and Training (FET) in Ireland. My officials referred your query to SOLAS and due to the provisions outlined in GDPR a response on this individual matter was issued to the apprentice on March 21st 2023. 

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: For student grants 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 assessed as an independent mature student if he or she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course or of re-entry following a break in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department does not have a role in relation to loans which might be offered by lenders to students for particular purposes. This is a matter between the relevant lenders and the students applying for such loans. In May 2022 the Government approved Funding the Future – a landmark policy on the future of higher education. The Government has decided that the funding model for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: My Dept of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, recently announced a State investment of up to €41 million to support the delivery of a phase one development of 405 additional student accommodation beds on Dublin City University's Glasnevin Campus. This funding is part of the wider Government short term initiative to activate purpose built student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capital Expenditure Programme (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: My Department have no projects that are on hold due to capital funding pressures.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Private Partnerships (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: The Public Private Partnership (PPP) model does not cater for economic or value for money evaluations post entering into contract. I can confirm that value for money evaluations were carried out prior to executing the PPP contracts for both projects referred to by the Deputy. There is no provision within the contract, to carry out any such evaluations within the agreed contract, nor is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, an emergency once off and repayable funding allocation of €5m was provided to the Institute of Technology Tralee (IT Tralee) by the HEA and Department in 2019. Serious cash-flow difficulties emerged in the Institute and it was identified in 2018 that the Institute would need additional funding and a series of cost saving measures to ensure its sustainable...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: Irish universities have autonomy to borrow within a framework agreed with the Higher Education Authority (HEA), the Department of Finance and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Based on data provided to the HEA, total university borrowings at 30 September 2022 were €977m (2021: €942m). An analysis of university borrowings as at 30 September 2021 (the latest date...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: The information that the Deputy is seeking is not readily available. My Department is currently collecting and collating the data required which will be provided to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: The Premier House building purchase was approved by the TU Dublin (formerly IT Tallaght) governing body in 2013 to meet additional capacity needs identified by the Institute at the time. Following negotiations with a commercial property firm acting on behalf of the vendor and property advisors acting on behalf of the Institute agreement on the cost was reached. In accordance with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: All processes relating to property and site acquisitions are conducted in accordance with the Public Spending Code requirements and relevant guidance from the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. The acquisition of the proposed site is currently being progressed by Wexford County Council. Expanding the higher education campus in Waterford and Wexford remain key...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Mar 2023)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy may be aware, the Higher Education Authority is currently reviewing, with an Expert Panel expressions of interest to build capacity in Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Dentistry and Veterinary from 2024/2025. I understand from the HEA that overall, responses represented a rapid, nationwide engagement with the call, with expressions of interest in developing new courses in...