Results 6,221-6,240 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: I am acutely conscious of the challenges facing students and the need for the progressive implementation of measures to address cost as a barrier to education. I also recognise that costs are not limited to tuition fees payable by students and that students have real cost of living challenges such as fuel, food or accommodation and have specific costs associated with their courses such as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education Provision (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: The claim to align tutors to a pay scale of an existing grade in Education and Training Boards remains unresolved. The Labour Court recommended in 2020 that the official side identify the scale of cost it was prepared or able to absorb and make an offer within those parameters given the constraints applying under FEMPI legislation and the Public Service Stability Agreement in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service, including in relation to disability services. Significant engagement is ongoing between my Department, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: At present, the student grant scheme is targeted at full-time students. Courses that are part-time, less than two years in duration, are conducted online or as distance courses or which lead to a special purpose or distance award are not currently approved for the purposes of the Student Grant Scheme. However, I have been consistent in my position that we need to develop our student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: The new National Access Plan which was launched in August aims to support inclusion and diversity in our student body while addressing the wider challenges faced by students. Students with disabilities will continue to be a priority group in the new plan and for the first time the plan will have a particular focus on students with an intellectual disability. Delivery of the Plan is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: The Department for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is committed to the implementation of the Official Languages Act 2003 to ensure the improved provision of public services through the Irish language. The Act was strengthened in 2021 in order to significantly increase the quality of those services provided in Irish to the public by State bodies. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: The National Access Plan 2022-2028 (NAP) is framed and underpinned by available data from sources such as the Deprivation Index Score (DIS) data, the HEA Student Records System (SRS) and Equal Access Survey (EAS), the Census data and published data from other organisations. Four overarching targets for the higher education system are set, reflecting some of the priority groups targeted by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: As an immediate and tangible relief against the challenges of the rising cost of living, I was pleased to introduce: a once off payment in 2022 of €500 for PhD students who receive an IRC or SFI award and a €500 increase to the stipend baseline in 2023 for PhD students who receive an IRC or SFI award. This measure will only apply to the cohort of students in receipt of a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to the achievement of ambitious targets for offshore wind generation capacity by 2030 and is ensuring that the education and training system is appropriately positioned to support the growth and development of the skills required the move to Zero Carbon. Important skills and workforce responses are already in place to meet the needs of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: The key source of statistics on students in higher education is the HEA's student records system (SRS) which records enrolments as at March of every academic year, giving a single point of reference. Therefore, data is not available on a national level on students who leave their programme during the course of the academic year. The HEA publish data on the non-progression of students,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, the current National Development Plan committed to a significant step up in investment in Further Education and Training (FET) infrastructure. Earlier this year, I announced an ambitious new phase of capital investment in the further education sector with the launch of two specific capital investment programmes for the sector. A Strategic Infrastructure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Oideachas trí Ghaeilge (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: In Acht an Údaráis um Ard-Oideachas, 2022, arna achtú le déanaí, áirítear roinnt forálacha maidir le cur chun cinn na Gaeilge. De réir Chuspóirí an Achta éilítear ar an ÚAO aird a thabhairt, agus a fheidhmeanna á gcomhlíonadh aige, ar an tacaíocht le hinstitiúidí ainmnithe ardoideachais maidir...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: I was delighted to visit Kerry Education and Training Board (KETB) last week to announce that they are one of ten projects approved to proceed to the next stage of proposal development around the country for capital investment under the Further Education and Training (FET) College of the Future. KETB’s proposal is to repurpose an existing factory site into a state-of-the-art campus...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB) submitted an application under the FET College of the Future Major Projects Fund, to build new, centralised accommodation for Cavan Institute. It was agreed that this application, which was previously part of the Department of Education school building programme, would be advanced through this new FET capital funding programme. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous institutions within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Technological Universities Act 2018 and the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006. Under this legislation the institutions are academically independent and are entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes, including the mode of delivery of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: The fee payable by a student can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the student's access route including previous education. Students pursuing Graduate Entry Medicine programmes do so as second degree courses and consequently are not eligible for free fees funding or for student grants. The total level of fees charged to graduate entry medicine students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: As the Erasmus Grant Agreement letters are currently being finalised with the Higher Education Institutions, my officials have been advised by the Higher Education Authority that it is not possible to give an indication of any mobility uptake for the 2022/ 2023 academic year. However, I will write to the Deputy as soon as the information becomes available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: It is a key priority of my Department to ensure that all learners have access to the right courses for them, across the spectrum of provision in Tertiary Education. Additional capacity has been created in higher education programmes- in June I announces over one thousand additional places from September 2022. Part of the transitions reform agenda aimed to provide a broader experience for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: The difficulties faced by students in accessing affordable student accommodation is an issue of which Government and I are actively pursuing. We are committed to addressing supply of affordable student accommodation for priority group students attending publicly funded higher education institutions in Ireland. Fundamentally the challenge is one of supply of housing more generally. As a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2022)

Simon Harris: Ensuring a supply of qualified Vets to meet the demands of the sector is a priority for my Department. Workforce planning requirements for the veterinary medicine sector requires advice from and consultation with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Veterinary Council of Ireland, as the regulators of the profession. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has recently...