Results 7,421-7,440 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

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

Simon Harris: 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. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are autonomous bodies as set out in legislation and as such the management of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (19 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department was established in August 2020 and commenced moving headquarters into existing State-owned office space in September 2021. I can also confirm that my Department currently has no cleaning or sanitising costs related to the roofs of the building under our control. Building works have been ongoing since our move into my Departmental HQ and as...

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

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 322, 323 and 330 together. Apprenticeships are employer led demand driven educational and training programmes, which aim to develop the skills of an apprentice in order to meet the needs of industry and the labour market. As apprentices are employees, the demand for and number of apprentices is primarily dictated by the employers in any area or sector. The...

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

Simon Harris: On 4thMay I launched the Funding the Future framework which includes the Government's policy response to the Cassells and DG Reform Reviews on the future of higher education and which sets out my intention to implement a progressive range of measures to address costs as a barrier to education, in the context of overall Budgetary decision-making. The policy sets out the vision and direction...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The programme to which the Deputy refers is a research-based, social impact initiative based at NUI Galway. It provides student-facing educational resources to nearly all Irish HEIs and staff training. Beginning in 2013, the programme scaled up between 2019/2023 with philanthropic donor support, to provide the HE sector with a robust, research-informed portfolio of interactive workshops,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: There is no quota placed on dental courses by my Department, and therefore the places offered are a matter for the higher education institutions, in line with their autonomy. However due to the high level of practical work involved there are material constraints on the number of students that can be accepted onto dentistry courses. My Department is strongly committed to supporting the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded 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. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: Enrolments in medicine by domicile for the 2020/21 academic year are available in the table below. Enrolment figures for 2021/22 are not yet available. These figures are taken from the HEA's student records system (SRS) which records the number of students as of 1st March of each academic year. Domicile Enrolments Ireland 3,382 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The Central Applications Office (CAO) is a not-for-profit company created by the Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It processes applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on the behalf of HEIs. Decisions on admissions are made by the HEIs who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. The CAO publishes information on Round 1 offers, including...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The Department is working with colleagues both in SOLAS, the HEA and other Government Departments to deliver an appropriate response to existing projections of skills needs in the construction sector. All new relevant reports and projections inform this response. This particular report is currently being peer reviewed by colleagues in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The number of apprentices on each programme in tabular form for end of March 2022 is attached, A breakdown of apprentices on each programme for April is not yet available as it is being collated by SOLAS. Craft apprentice registrations have experienced a marked increase in interest over the past 4 years. In 2021, a record 8,607 new apprentices were registered, this is an increase of nearly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: A key objective of the ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’is to ensure that the apprenticeship system will increase its contribution to meeting Ireland’s skills and human capital requirements by delivering on a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum by 2025. Craft apprentice registrations have experienced a marked increase in interest over the past...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: Universities and Institutes of Technology determine their own procedures for admission. The CAO process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on their behalf. Decisions on admissions are made by the Higher Education Institutions who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation of the CAO...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: Following a call for proposals under the FET College of the Future Major Projects Fund, I understand that a Strategic Assesment Report in relation to the Cavan Institute proposal has now been submitted by Cavan Monaghan ETB to SOLAS. The Deputy will be aware that it was agreed that the Cavan Institute project, previously part of the Department of Education school building programme, would be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I am committed to the progressive implementation of measures to address costs as a barrier to education, within the overall context of Government policy towards costs of living and other relevant strategies including those related to access and participation in education. It is important to highlight the very substantial financial support, currently well in excess of half a billion...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (18 May 2022)

Simon Harris: Under the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved full-time course at an approved institution. Part-time courses are not currently eligible for support under the scheme. In 2021 I approved a review of the Student Grant Scheme to ensure that adequate student supports are in place, alongside the sustainable funding model for the sector. One...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (17 May 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 559, 566 and 567 together. Concerns have been raised in relation to aspects of the governance process associated with UL’s acquisition of the former Dunnes Stores site in Limerick City Centre in 2019. The site acquisition in question was not grant-funded by the Exchequer. An independent review of the site acquisition process was commissioned...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (17 May 2022)

Simon Harris: The loans available for GEM students are private arrangements between the relevant lenders and the students applying for such loans. Notwithstanding this position my Department has been made aware of reports regarding the specific loan scheme for graduate entry medicine and is currently seeking further information on this issue. The fee payable by a student can vary depending on a variety...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Information and Communications Technology (17 May 2022)

Simon Harris: IT hardware (Servers, Storage, PCs, Laptops etc.) purchased by my Department has a lifecycle of 5 years at which point it is usually replaced. The annual appropriation account circular, which is issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), sets out the depreciation policy to be used by Government Departments in their annual appropriation accounts. The current...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (17 May 2022)

Simon Harris: Higher education institutions are autonomous within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. As such they are independent in relation to their policies in management of their student accommodation. Refund or cancellation policies in student accommodation should be set out in the license agreement...