Results 6,301-6,320 of 45,495 for speaker:Simon Harris

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: I should have said in my opening comments that the first thing I am conscious of when attending a meeting of the Joint Committee on Autism is the breadth of the spectrum, which the Deputy reminded me of when he talked about students who transition from second level to third level, and we can all think of examples of this in our lives and communities. For autistic people, just like any of us,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: I join with Deputy Ó Cathasaigh in commending DCU on its work on an autism-friendly campus. I know that is something that runs very deep in DCU. Everyone gets funding in phase 1 of the €3 million programme. Similar to yesterday, we announced the student assistance fund or mental health funding, and people get it in proportion to the number of enrolled students. I have a list...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: I agree very much with Deputy Collins’s analysis. The answer to her first question is that these are programmes we want to start funding from next September. What we are trying to do is effectively set up three-year pilots and then at the end be able to evaluate what worked, what did not work and what could be improved. That is the timeline. On the second point, Deputy Collins...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: Not that I am aware of in my Department, but I am pretty sure people working in the health service, for example, would be the policy responsibility of the Department of Health. I will take the Deputy's suggestion back and seek the view of the Department on it and come back to her.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. I presume if that was the answer to the parliamentary question it is the full factual position, but I will double-check for her. It is worth stating the role of my Department versus the role of other Departments. I effectively see my Department as a bit of a service provider from a public service point of view. A line Department can come to my Department and say it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: The short answer is that I do, but I always caveat it by saying that training people is only one part of the jigsaw in meeting the needs of the community. It is true that my Department has a role to play, as does the university sector, and the technological universities, but the training of enough people is only one part of the jigsaw.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: The way the Deputy describes the programmes is much better than the way I describe them. That is exactly what it is - it is universal design from a capital point of view in terms of campuses and then universal design in learning. I am going to steal that, if that is okay. That is exactly what we are trying to achieve at phase 1 and phase 2, with phase 1 now under way and phase 2 from next...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: I would never say that. The Deputy can be dogged but I am sure that is a badge of honour. I do not have a note in front of me and I do not want to misrepresent the situation. My understanding, from memory, is that there is due to be some engagement through various fora at the start of next month in regard to the matter. I will confirm this to the Deputy in writing. I am very happy to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputies and I acknowledge the point. The only hope we have of making progress on this vital issue is to pull together. I very much appreciate that is the way in which this committee is doing its work. I have been following its work and I am delighted on a personal and professional level to see the existence of this committee. This all has to come back to joined-up thinking,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: We can certainly look at that. There is a need for everybody to pull together. I will offer two views that are slightly beyond the remit of my Department but I speak as somebody with a real interest in this issue. We have a model that I was involved in when I was in the Department of Health, where we started in-school therapies. It seems to be working quite well in the schools that it has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: Thank you.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: The short answer is that work is being done. The Chair is right, in that the way to fix this is to train enough people in our own country. I am confident that we will make meaningful progress on that quickly in terms of creating places, but the Chair is also right that it will take a number of years to train that first year student. I am conscious that most of these professions, if not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: It sounds logical that people training in those areas would, if they wished, participate and try to help out in what is an extraordinarily successful programme but one that needs the changes and improvements the Chair is referencing. Obviously, it is a policy decision for the Department of Education, given that it is that Department's programme, but we will engage with the Department on any...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy in Education: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: We will indeed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (17 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: The funding allocated to the Student Assistance Fund for the years mentioned by the Deputy are attached in tabular format. Academic Year General Student Assistance Fund Part-time Allocation COVID-19/ Cost of Living Funding Professional Masters of Education Funding Total Allocation 2017/2018 €8,100,000 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (17 Nov 2022)

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 do not receive a response from SOLAS within 30 days, please do come back to my office for further follow-up.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Berry for raising the initiative. This is the week that refunds have started flowing into students' accounts, which is the €1,000 refund. We will also see the bonus student grant payment on 16 December, and all student grants rising by between 10% and 14% from January. I will look at the two specific groups the Deputy has referred to. I must point out that this...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Cannon for raising this issue. The Deputy is so right that there has been huge progress when it comes to further education and training. We are all proud of what happens in that sector but we are not proud of the infrastructure in which people have to operate. As the Deputy has rightly said, GRETB has submitted a very good proposal relating to Mervue in Galway city, beside...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (16 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: Under my Department's Free Fees Initiative, the State pays tuition fees, exclusive of the student contribution, on behalf of eligible students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses. Details of the eligibility criteria are available at the following location: It is the institution attended that will determine, within the terms of the scheme, a student's eligibility for free...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (16 Nov 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 151 together. I note the Deputy’s reference to the UK Government’s awareness campaign on the issue of the prevalence of sexual violence against women and girls, entitled “ENOUGH”. The Deputy will be aware that my colleague, Deputy Helen McEntee TD and Minister for Justice, published the Third National Strategy on Domestic,...