Results 7,281-7,300 of 45,495 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Language Schools (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The information as requested by the Deputy is not readily available within the Department.   My Department is in the process of engaging with the agency in question and will revert with a reply to the Deputy directly as soon as it is received.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank the committee for the invitation to discuss our plans for the sustainable future funding of the higher education sector, the major reforms of technological universities and other important initiatives under way in our Department. I previously stated to this committee that the Government will not be found wanting when it comes to addressing the question of sustainable funding for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I echo the Deputy's comments on the apprentices. We need to hear more from apprentices. We hear a lot from agencies that represent good people, but the voice of the apprentice needs to be heard. It is good the committee invited them to attend today. On timelines, the Deputy's question is a valid one. We now have a shared understanding across the sector, and I think across the Dáil...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank the Senator. On the cost of living, there are measures the Government needs to look at specifically for students and their families. A number of the measures we have taken as a Government benefit students. In fairness to the Senator's party leader, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, one of the most impactful has been the change brought about in public transport costs. They have reduced...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank Senator Dolan for all her work in these areas. I am glad the Senator reminded me because one of the key objectives that I want to see from the €307 million of additional funding into the sector is that we do not talk about it as €307 million. What that roughly means to people is we are spending much more on everybody's education every year. That will achieve more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The point I was making about the annual debate and pensions and the like was that it seems to me peculiar that we went through a period of austerity and then a period of significant economic growth, and many areas saw improvements and upticks in terms of supports, grants, reductions in Government charges, yet this area did not. Up until the previous budget the grants did not increase, and up...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I think I agree with everything the Deputy said. I thank her for welcoming the positive changes that have been made. I would be the first to acknowledge that they are a start and there is much more to do, as the SUSI review shows clearly and comprehensively. The good thing about the SUSI review is that we now know what we need to do. For the first time, we have identified the real cost of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: Yes. I will not take up the time but the Senator is entirely correct. The €307 million is to fill the core now and get us where we need to get to. It does not include demographics or some additional pension requirements and it certainly does not include additional places.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The agreed policy direction of Government is to move from whta is often referred to as the two pot model to the one pot model. For example, in Limerick we have the Technological University of the Shannon and the University of Limerick. It cannot be right in one city to have students attending two universities where one university is getting more than the other. In terms of sustainable...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: That I cannot, truthfully, because the implementation group is meeting for the first time tomorrow, chaired by Professor Anne Looney, Professor Tom Collins and myself. No is the honest answer. It is something I would like to move on. I am talking about the progress we can make over three budgets. It is something I would not like to be isolated from that progress.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The Senator and I agree on much more than we sometimes like to pretend. He is factually entirely correct. Student accommodation is the biggest cost that students are facing. The SUSI review shows this. On borrowing, to be clear, I want to thank the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien for working very closely with us on the whole issue of student accommodation; the borrowing framework can now...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: There are two ways of doing this. One relates to whether we can open up student grants to part-time students. Let us be clear that the legislation allows for that to be done. That section of the legislation has not been commenced. On foot of the SUSI work, my Department will do a piece of work in respect of defining the rules and criteria applying to part-time students and, therefore, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: He was reading the Deputy's notes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The answer to the Deputy's final question is "Yes", the technological universities do have a legal ability to now access the borrowing framework. That is important. It is a new space for that sector to become familiar with and on which we can work with it. We have a clear message to the sector, however, that we are now in the business of receiving ideas and pilot projects in this space. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I felt bad because I had forgotten to come back to the Deputy on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: No, we are not trying to catch out anyone or set traps. We are trying to make sure that students are treated equally from a funding point of view. We are trying to apply a weight to issues such as access, research and engagement. It is about taking a consistent approach regardless of whether a university is traditional or technological. This is the destination we want to get to. How we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: Legally they can borrow now through the Housing Finance Agency. There is no legislative reason they cannot borrow. The officials have done work on this to clarify it. The legal position is they can access the borrowing framework. As I have said, and I say this for a reason, these are new institutions and potentially large capital projects. They need to build a collective sense of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: We have been very fortunate in this country with the calibre of people who have applied and become chairs of technological universities. The breath of experience they have between them is an important resource, not only individually to their institutions but to the Department, the Government, the sector and the committee. There is a lot of sense in what the Chair has said.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Future Funding of Higher Education: Discussion (Resumed) (24 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I was delighted we had the apprenticeship students in with us and I wish them well in the WorldSkills competition. I look forward to meeting them properly before they head off, hopefully, in October. I am conscious that apprentices are not in any way immune or insulated from the real impact of the cost-of-living challenges faced by everyone. A National Apprenticeship Office has been...