Results 6,361-6,380 of 6,644 for speaker:Rose Conway-Walsh

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: 73. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the mechanisms he has explored to ensure students in both on-campus and off-campus accommodation will receive full refunds for unused accommodation; the institutes of higher education and accommodation providers that have agreed to give refunds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31711/20]

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: It will be no surprise to the Minister that my question relates to accommodation. I will focus on the issue of on-campus accommodation because it is unimaginable that students have been left wondering whether publicly funded institutions will give them refunds for accommodation they are prevented from using. Students secured accommodation based on assurances from the Government and...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I welcome the fact that five of the seven universities have indicated they will provide refunds, although it is important that they are provided in a timely way. I urge the Minister to seek a commitment from Trinity College and DCU in that regard because it would go some way towards reassuring students. Third level students have suffered from a great deal of uncertainty in respect of their...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Assistance Fund (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I share the Minister's concerns about the student loan model. We need to get this model right such that it will serve students and their families. We need to do that as a matter of urgency and we need to look at education as an investment and not purely a cost. We do not want our students to be leaving college, or worse still to be forced to drop out of college, because of financial...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I thank the Minister of State. I very much welcome that. Is there a single portal where young people can gain access to information on apprenticeships? Could we think about developing a separate app just for apprenticeships so we could make people, particularly the young, aware of what is available and what an apprenticeship might mean for them? Over recent years, apprenticeships have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I thank the Minister of State for that. We are all on the same page regarding apprenticeships and their encouragement. We know their value, particularly in rural communities where people may want to set up their own small businesses or be self-employed after gaining a qualification. I look forward to working with the Minister of State in the development of new apprenticeships in all kinds...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: 100. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the 10,000 upskilling and reskilling places, 4,000 apprenticeships, 5,000 higher education places and the 1,500 Springboard places separate from and in addition to the 35,000 further and higher education places announced as part of the July stimulus package; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31360/20]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: This is a fairly straightforward question. It is just seeking clarification on the 10,000 upskilling and reskilling places, the 4,000 apprenticeships, the 5,000 higher education places and the 1,500 Springboard places. Are they in addition to the 35,000 further and higher education places announced as part of the July stimulus package?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I thank the Minister for that. We just needed clarification because we are trying to get an exact picture of how many places are available and the opportunities that exist. It is important that we communicate these and ensure everybody is included. We must remove any barriers. Sometimes the criteria for some of the upskilling jobs are such that they do not fit the candidates....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Assistance Fund (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: 117. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the mechanism or criteria for distributing the student hardship fund announced as part of budget 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31361/20]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Assistance Fund (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I believe the Minister already answered this question having regard to the distribution of the student hardship fund announced as part of budget 2021. I very much welcome that. I welcome the fact that the Minister says the funding can go towards the student contribution fee because so many people are excluded from Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grants. I am aware that the SUSI...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Assistance Fund (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I thank the Minister. I welcome any opportunity to ease the financial burden on students. We need to lower the high student fees. Our success story for further education would be that nobody would have to be awake at night worrying about whether he or she could send a child to college. We have to make it affordable and examine people's real-life financial circumstances. We cannot have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: 91. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount allocated in additional funding in budget 2021 to craft apprenticeships; the number of consortia-led apprenticeships which have been created since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31359/20]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: This question relates to the additional funding that has been allocated to craft apprenticeships and to ask the Minister about the number of consortia-led apprenticeships which have been created since 2016. I very much welcome the extra money that has been put into apprenticeships but I want the information to be accessible to people. I want more encouragement for students and young people...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Accommodation (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: 83. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of his commitment to work with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to ensure private providers of student accommodation would show decency and refund deposits and rent paid by students who no longer need the accommodation due to changes in their timetable and time on campus; and if he will make a statement on the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Accommodation (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: This is a very important question which relates to my first one and asks the Minister what he is doing to ensure that private providers of student accommodation would show decency and refund deposits and rent paid by students who no longer need accommodation due to changes in the timetable and time on the campus? The Union of Students in Ireland has continuously called for emergency...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Accommodation (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: A memo was brought to Cabinet to investigate banning evictions, as was done in the previous lockdown. This is sorely needed and should never have been removed. It was needed even before the Covid-19 pandemic. Where is the same urgency when it comes to students? Students are in a unique position in the rental market as they are often asked to pay months in advance. This runs into...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Accommodation (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: The Government must bear some responsibility for this as to the institutions, the late timetables and announcements. Students are struggling immensely, emotionally, financially and socially. The anger and sense of injustice they feel is really palpable. We are asking them to adhere to level 5 restrictions. We need to bring them with us and to show solidarity with them. Level 5 counts as...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Haulage Industry (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: 163. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to provide grant aid to support and stimulate the growth of rail freight; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31128/20]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Haulage Industry (20 Oct 2020)

Rose Conway-Walsh: 164. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to reduce the current track access charges for rail freight, which are currently the highest in the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31129/20]