Results 7,121-7,140 of 45,495 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The main financial support available to eligible students attending full-time further and higher education courses is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme administered by SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland).  At further education level this may include a maintenance grant depending on eligibility.  The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Private Partnerships (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: Bundle 1 of the Higher Education Public Private Partnership Programme, comprising six projects, is currently at preferred tenderer stage. A Preferred Tenderer has been appointed and the technical and commercial work streams are currently ongoing. It is currently estimated that the programme will achieve financial close in Q3 2022 with construction activities commencing on all six sites...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: On the 4th of May I launched Funding the Future – a landmark policy on the future of higher education. Funding the Future was created as part of a Department of Further and Higher Education, Research and Innovation response to the commissioned independent report Increasing the Sustainability of Higher and Further Education in Ireland and the separate independent review of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Private Partnerships (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: Bundle 1 of the Higher Education Public Private Partnership Programme, comprising six projects, is currently at preferred tenderer stage. A Preferred Tenderer has been appointed and the technical and commercial work streams are currently ongoing. It is currently estimated that the programme will achieve financial close in Q3 2022 with construction activities commencing on all six sites...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The introduction of a new Employer Grant of €2,000 per apprentice per annum is a significant deliverable under the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025. Its introduction means that, for the first time, employers of all apprentices will now have access to financial support, either through direct payment of allowances to apprentices or through this employer grant. In this way,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: A breakdown of total undergraduate enrolments in healthcare and welfare disciplines by domicile is in the table below. This data is from the HEA's Student Records System and refers to the 2020/21 academic year, the latest available. ISCED Detailed Field of Study Ireland GB/NI/Other-EU Non-EU Total Enrolments (0913) Nursing and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: Ensuring an appropriate pipeline of suitably qualified healthcare professionals is a key priority for my Department. 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. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (21 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The complex nature of the student grant scheme means that there is a risk that some students receive grant payments for which they are not eligible, including for reasons beyond the direct control of SUSI.   To mitigate the risk of overpayments, SUSI implements procedural and system-based controls within its application assessment and grant payment operations. A highly developed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (16 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. As in any statutory scheme, a core principle of the scheme is that there is consistency of approach and an equitable treatment for applicants as part of the means assessment process. All applications are assessed nationally...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (16 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: Details on the number of students not currently eligible under the criteria of the Department's Free Fees Initiative due to previous attendance on an undergraduate course are not readily available. It is therefore not possible to provide an estimate of potential costs as sought. It is important to note that under the Department's Free Fees Initiative (FFI), the Exchequer pays tuition fees...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (16 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: I am aware of the issues raised by the organisation in question and in the media regarding accommodation issues for some international students. Given that the welfare of international students is a priority for my Department, I was concerned to hear of the details in this case, which I understand relates to private rental accommodation in Dublin. As a nation, we pride ourselves on being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Policies (16 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 418 and 419 together. I thank the Deputy for her question on this important matter. Each of our educational institutions and aegis bodies have a duty of care to their students and staff. They have a responsibility to foster a campus culture that is clear in the condemnation of unwanted and unacceptable behaviours, which act as barriers to the safety of both...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Grant Payments (15 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank my colleague, Senator Maria Byrne, very much for raising this important matter and, indeed, for her ongoing interest and work in the whole area of further and higher education. I enjoyed our recent visit to County Limerick and we are going to make progress on many issues, including the library in Mary Immaculate College. I look forward to coming back on that. I also enjoyed...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Grant Payments (15 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank the Senator and assure her I will work closely with her on this. I highlight the two schemes in existence not to suggest they are perfect or an alternative to reform but just to put that information out there for anyone following this debate as avenues that might be of assistance to a student with disability or students more generally in terms of the student assistance fund, because...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: An Garda Síochána (15 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank the Acting Chairperson and it is great to see Wicklow so well represented here. I thank Senator Crowe for reminding all of us of that fact and for raising what is an important matter. My colleague, the Minister for Justice, sends her sincere apologies and asked me to provide the Senator with this update. I will also undertake to follow up and provide the Minister, Deputy McEntee,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: An Garda Síochána (15 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank the Senator again for raising this important matter and I will pass on his comments and views to the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. The Government, which we both support and are members of, continues to prioritise unprecedented resource allocation to An Garda Síochána. This is about making sure the operating model ensures that those resources deliver in the best...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Programmes (15 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The Erasmus Plus programme is to support, through lifelong learning, the educational, professional and personal development of people in education, training, youth and sport in Europe and beyond, thereby contributing to sustainable growth, quality jobs and social cohesion, to driving innovation and to strengthening European identity and active citizenship. Centres, both privately and publicly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (15 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: Apprenticeship is a demand driven, employer-led offering based on a contract of employment between the apprentice and their respective employer. Therefor the number of apprentices in any specific sector is determined directly by employer provision. In 2021, a record 8,607 new apprentices were registered in the apprenticeship system. This is an increase of over 38% in comparison to 2020. 6,955...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (15 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will be aware that the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) scheme is a reduced points mechanisms for entry into higher education. The scheme is managed and operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) on behalf of the higher education institutions who are autonomous bodies. Admissions under the scheme are regulated by the higher education institutions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (15 Jun 2022)

Simon Harris: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table. Trinity College Dublin Full Time New Entrant Undergraduate Student Numbers Academic Years Ireland Northern Ireland Great Britain (Other) EU Non-EU Total 2020/2021 2,904 61 51 79 378 ...