Results 7,361-7,380 of 45,495 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I am aware of the difficulties faced by students in relation to obtaining affordable accommodation. Fundamentally the underlying issue is one of the supply of housing generally and that there is a need to increase the supply of all types of accommodation including student accommodation. That is why Government launched Housing for All led by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: My Department is strongly committed to supporting the mental health of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health workforce, and support a range of clinical teams in our mental health services. Higher Education Institutions are governed by the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technologies Acts 1992 to 2006...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 177 together. Inclusion is one of the core strategic goals for my Department. My ambition is to ensure that we provide supports and opportunities for learning to all. This means recognising the needs of vulnerable learners, the most marginalised and those with special and additional needs. DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, the Minister for Education recently announced a programme of work for a reimagined Senior Cycle of education which will, in time, include changes in the final assessment procedure. These changes will be worked through with all stakeholders over a sustained period of time. Officials in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The importance of apprenticeships in society, both now and into the future, has never been more apparent than it is today. The ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeship more accessible to employers and learners. Expansion to date has widened the impact of apprenticeship to areas of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: In relation to funding, on May 4th I launched Funding the Future – the Government's policy response to the Cassells and DG Reform Reviews on the future of higher education. Funding the Future settles the question on funding Higher Education. The Government has decided that income contingent loans for fees will not form part of the future funding model. Instead, the Government is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I am very aware of the impact the cost of living has on students and the challenges students are facing. As part of Budget 2022, I secured an additional €15m to enhance the existing financial supports under the Student Grant Scheme for implementation in 2022. In this regard, I have already prioritised improvements to the income thresholds and student grant rates for the 2022/23...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: A key priority outlined in the framework are plans to consider options to address cost as a barrier to higher education. The Deputy will be aware that the principal support for students is the Student Grant Scheme, which assists more than 70,000 students annually to access third level education. The budgetary provision for the Student Grant Scheme in 2021 is €364.5m. The importance of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI to determine. As in any statutory scheme, a core principle of the student grant 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 with reference to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147, 163, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328 and 329 together. One of my goals as Minister is to ensure that potential learners have access to the educational pathways that allow them reach their potential in a way that meets the very broad and rapidly changing needs of our labour force, the economy and society. It is therefore my objective to ensure that there is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: A core objective for my Department is to ensure that individuals and businesses are offered supports and pathways to quality education, upskilling and reskilling opportunities. The National Training Fund supports initiatives including: Skills to Advance- an employee development policy framework which enables targeted support for vulnerable groups in the Irish workforce; Skills to Compete...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: One of the five overarching objectives of the ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ is "Apprenticeship for All". In other words, ensuring that the profile of the apprenticeship population more closely reflects the profile of the general population. By December 2021, there were a total of 1,535 female apprentices, up from 60 in 2016 and only 665 at the end of 2019. This...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: Inclusion is one of the core strategic goals for my Department, and my ambition is to ensure that we provide supports and opportunities for learning to all. This means recognising the needs of vulnerable learners, people who are most marginalised and people with special and additional needs. This means assisting people in accessing and progressing through higher and further education and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: A key government priority is to ensure that we have world-leading skills in the economy to ensure a sustainable and equitable economy in the future. The construction sector is no exception. We recognise the changes in the sector and the response needed to support innovation in construction, and the need for targeted, collaborative and industry- focused opportunities available across all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The principal support provided by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme, which provides means-tested financial assistance to eligible students in further and higher education. The scheme is administered by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), a business unit of CDETB (City of Dublin Education and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, Dundalk Institute of Technology is currently pursuing a trajectory to achieve technological university (TU) status and is receiving Transformation Fund assistance from the Exchequer to do so. In other practical terms the Institute is also availing of the services of a highly experienced special advisor from the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Dr. Ruaidhri Neavyn, to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: am aware of the difficulties faced by students in relation to obtaining affordable accommodation. Fundamentally the underlying issue is one of the supply of housing generally and that there is a need to increase the supply of all types of accommodation including student accommodation. That is why Government launched Housing for All led by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for his question on this important matter. Our higher education institutions have a duty of care to their students and staff, and a responsibility to foster a campus culture that is clear in the condemnation of unwanted and unacceptable behaviours, which act as barriers to their safety and their active participation in college life. Significant progress has been made...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 158 and 173 together. The 2022 provision of €16.83m approved by SOLAS for Local Training Initiatives (LTI) in response to ETB requests, is broadly in line with the €16.53m approved for 2021. This funding is expected to support almost 4,500 LTI beneficiaries and will be reviewed during the year. Training provision organised through LTI...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I would like to thank the Deputy for their question. Diversity is a key strength of Irish higher education. In recent decades our universities, institutes of technology, and colleges have been transformed, from predominantly national institutions catering primarily for school-leavers, to internationally oriented institutions engaged with an increasingly diverse student body, of all ages,...