Results 8,361-8,380 of 45,495 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (7 Dec 2021)

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 health services. My Department understands there is a longstanding arrangement in place under which the HSE, and indeed former Health Boards, recruit...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Further and Higher Education (2 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Senator for tabling this important debate today about Dundalk IT and crucially about ensuring we have a technological university for the north east of the country. I also thank the Senator for keeping this item on the political agenda and for all the engagement and discussions we have had on it. Let me be really clear. The north east is not going to be left behind. The...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Further and Higher Education (2 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank Senator McGahon. When people look back on 2021, they will see it as a very significant year for making progress for the north east in respect of education, including higher education and the future of DkIT. It will be the year in which there was an agreed plan based on the vision, in which funding was put in place and in which the expert adviser was appointed. I should have said in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (2 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: The information requested by the Deputy is not available. The key source of statistics is the HEA's student records system (SRS) which records enrolments as at March of every academic year, giving a single point of reference. Therefore data is not available on a national level on students who begin a course but leave before March. However representatives have stated that there was no...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (2 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: The National Skills Infrastructure provides a robust structure for engagement with sectors on areas of identified skills needs.  There are a range of programmes in place to support the home care sector which are delivered across the further and higher education system.  At further education level, there are currently 89 courses leading to a Level 5...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (2 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science was formed on the 2 August 2020.  Since that time my Department has occupied offices under a shared services agreement with the Department of Education. The table below displays the total the Department has expended on electricity, gas and oil/lpg in the calendar year 2020 and to date in 2021.  Please...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (2 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: The refurbishment of Government offices is the responsibility of Property Management Services in the Office of Public Works, which acts as an agent for all Government Departments.  With regards to air cleaning and/or purification, I can confirm that no systems have been installed in my Department's office buildings in 2021 and there are no plans to install same in 2022. I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (1 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: Education is an essential service and the Government has agreed that it can continue on-site, in line with Safe Return Plan published in June. The Safe Return Plan and the most recent guidance on the current approach advocate and support contingency planning to ensure that institutions remain flexible and adaptable in response to changes in the public health environment. The Department does...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: The table below sets out the number of persons that achieved an award at level 5 or higher on the National Framework Qualifications in childcare, early childhood education and care, or Montessori in each of the years 2018 to 2020 and to date in 2021.  This information was sourced from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Quality & Qualifications Ireland (QQI). The HEA has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (1 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: I am very conscious of the financial challenges faced by students in the current academic year, and I would hope that higher education institutions would show flexibility to any students who are facing financial hardship. However, higher education institutions are autonomous and therefore entitled to regulate their own financial affairs, including in relation to how outstanding debts are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (1 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: There are 62 apprenticeships delivered across the further and higher education sectors.  The number of places available in the majority of programmes is led by an apprenticeship consortia who determine the delivery structure and estimated registration numbers depending on employer demand and available resources in any given period. Craft apprenticeships account for 25 of the 62 existing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: Growth in education and training provision in green skills and sustainability is ongoing across the Tertiary Education sector. A range of options are available from short courses targeted at awareness building, upskilling and reskilling programmes to full and part-time academic and vocational programmes. The curricula of many other programmes will also include elements and modules targeted to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (1 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: The EO1 project is a co-funded project funded under the Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund.  My Department is contributing €6.6m in exchequer funding towards the overall cost of this project (€18.6m). The Investment Programme Tracker October 2021 focuses mainly on major projects and programmes with costs greater than €20 million.  The EO1 project at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy may be aware,  five projects were approved under the Higher Education strategic infrastructure Fund (HESIF). The five projects in question are at various stages, from planning and design to construction (see table below). Delivery of projects in the higher education sector is devolved to the higher education institutions.  Responsibility for the planning and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (1 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: Funding of at least €112m is being provided for infrastructure refurbishment and upgrades across the HEI sector under the Higher Education Upgrade and Refurbishment Fund.  This figure includes a number of large scale infrastructure refurbishment and replacement projects.  Currently 17 projects across the sector have been approved for funding under this stream.  Projects...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (1 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: Eight higher education institutions were approved for total funding of €6 million in 2020 to progress projects under the Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Programme (EEDPP) 2020. The programme is being co-funded on a 50/50 basis by my Department and SEAI.  The selected projects will test and demonstrate energy retrofit approaches,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (1 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: Higher education sector capital expenditure to date in 2021 is c.€75m with a further c.€8.5m envisaged to be drawn down by year end. The key Exchequer programmes funded in 2021 include the following: - Higher Education PPPs  - Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund - Higher Education Infrastructure Upgrade and Refurbishment Fund - Devolved Capital Grant - Energy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Project Ireland 2040 (1 Dec 2021)

Simon Harris: A revised National Development Plan (NDP) was published on 4 October 2021.  This confirms the capital ceilings for all Government Departments for the five year period 2021 - 2025.  The capital ceilings for my Department are as follows:  2021 - €m 2022 - €m 2023 - €m 2024 - €m 2025 -...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Education (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I am satisfied that we are beginning to make progress, but I am not satisfied that we are there yet, to be truthful. We need Youthreach to be much more prominent as an option for young people who have difficulty with school for a whole variety of reasons. We need to help them get to Youthreach, be made aware of it and have a better understanding of it. We need to get real about adult...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Accommodation (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89, 98, 100, 102 and 132 together. I thank the Deputy for the question on housing and student accommodation. The first thing this Government must and will do is to be honest that we need a new and better model for student accommodation. Yes, we have seen the supply - and I can ream off statistics - of purpose-built private student accommodation...