Results 6,601-6,620 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: The Student Grant Scheme, administered by SUSI, provides grant assistance to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. Following on from improvements I made to the Student Grant Scheme in Budget 2022, I announced a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: The Deputy may be aware that I have already instigated improvements to the student grant scheme in Budget 2022. For the academic year 2022/23, I increased the income threshold to qualify for the standard rate of student grant by €1,000. As part of Budget 2023, I have secured a significant cost of living package for third level students including a once-off €1,000 state financial...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: The National Training Fund (NTF) established by the National Training Fund Act, 2000, is a dedicated fund to support the training of those in employment and those seeking employment. The Act also provides for the funding of research to provide information on existing and likely future skills requirements of the economy. Funding from the NTF is allocated by my Department with the consent of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: The matters raised by the Deputy are for consideration by the University of Limerick. The University of Limerick is an autonomous institution within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997. It is therefore academically independent and responsible for the regulation of its own academic affairs and administrative processes, including in relation to course delivery and the determination of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: In order to qualify for funding under the Department's Free Fees Initiative students must meet the criteria of the scheme including the separate residency and nationality/citizenship requirements in their own right. In order to meet the residency criteria a student must have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss/UK state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: My Department has been informed by the South East Technological University (SETU) that it has not announced a headquarters for the university and that for the purposes of administration processes the governing body has agreed that the administrative address would be the Waterford campus. The appropriate development or operation of any campus of a multi-campus technological university,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: The legislative requirements in relation to the governing body of a technological university (TU) are prescribed in Schedule 1 of the Technological Universities Act 2018 (N0. 3 of 2018). In the context of his question I would refer the Deputy in particular to sections 5 and 11 of the schedule in relation to the regulation of governing body meetings and to section 12 in relation to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: Under the Department's Free Fees Initiative (FFI), the Exchequer pays tuition fees on behalf of eligible first-time undergraduate students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses. In order to qualify for funding under the Department’s Free Fees Initiative, students must meet the criteria of the scheme and be attending an approved course. Part-time courses are not approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, fee levels vary across the institutions, disciplines and mode of delivery. Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs, including the management of academic affairs. They retain the right to determine their own policies and procedures. The level of postgraduate tuition...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: The Deputy should be aware that, in the first instance, it is my colleague Mr. Roderic O'Gorman, Minister for of Children, Equality, Disability, Inclusion and Youth, who has primary responsibility for the provision of short-term emergency accommodation to displaced persons from Ukraine in Ireland. His Department has consistently stated that, given the challenging environment in which it is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: My Department does not place a quota on the number of places on veterinary medicine courses offered by higher education institutions, and as such the number of places provided each year is determined by the institutions themselves in line with their capacity. However, there are real, material limits on the number of places that can be created on courses with significant practical elements and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: As part of Budget 2023 I have secured a significant cost of living package for third level students including a once-off €1,000 State financial support towards the undergraduate student contribution fee for higher education students eligible for my Department’s Free Fees schemes. Courses provided outside the State are not approved courses under the Free Fees schemes and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: I was pleased to announce as part of Cost-of-Living measures in Budget 2023 a once off increase in the Post Graduate fee grant by €1,000 from €3,500 to €4,500. Postgraduate students who meet the eligibility criteria for a Postgraduate Fee Contribution will benefit from this measure. Postgraduate students who receive the Special Rate of grant will not receive this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: I was pleased to announce as part of Cost-of-Living measures in Budget 2023 a once off increase in the Post Graduate fee grant by €1,000 from €3,500 to €4,500. Postgraduate students who meet the eligibility criteria for a Postgraduate Fee Contribution will benefit from this measure. Postgraduate students who receive the Special Rate of grant will not receive this as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: The loans available for Graduate Entry Medicine students are private arrangements between the relevant lenders and the students applying for such loans. However, I do understand from both students who have written to me and engagement with the relevant higher education institutions that the availability of such loans has been important in supporting people, including mature students, to study...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: Applications to undertake a repeat period of study are made directly to individual higher education institutions. Higher education institutions are autonomous institutions as provided for in legislation and on that basis the management of the academic affairs including the criteria governing the level of repeat tuition fees to be charged are solely a matter for the relevant institution to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (11 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: In line with Circular 31/06 - Implementation of the Regulations of the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004, available at circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/finance/2006/31.pdf, staff returning to my Department from maternity leave who are breastfeeding are entitled to paid breaks from work (one hour per day taken as a one hour break, two 30 minute breaks or three 20 minutes breaks, as...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: As Deputy Conway-Walsh knows, we are pursuing a new policy in regard to student accommodation. For the first time as a State, we are going to invest in getting under way projects that have been stuck and building college-owned affordable accommodation. We will update the Cabinet committee on housing on this next week. I am meeting representatives of the Union of Students in Ireland, USI,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: I will respond.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (6 Oct 2022)

Simon Harris: It falls within my remit. I have some information for the Deputy. I assure her that none of the student levy money has in any way been lost. Her colleague, Deputy Conway-Walsh, raised the issue with me yesterday. I spoke with the chair of the governing authority today on the matter. I hope a satisfactory solution can be found. It is an autonomous decision taken by the governing...