Results 8,381-8,400 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

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...

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

Simon Harris: First, we are looking at all options across the range. All colleges need to see the provision of accommodation as a core component of what they need to do, because otherwise, a lack of it will become an issue in terms of participation in education. In fairness to them, institutes of technology and technological universities, until the publication of Housing for All in recent weeks, were not...

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

Simon Harris: The short answer is "Yes". We came together on an Oireachtas cross-party basis on legislation passed by the Minister of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to ban that practice, so that no renter, student or otherwise, can now be asked to pay more than one month's rent plus a deposit. It was a huge issue that USI and others were highlighting last year. Students were wrongly being asked...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: It will be published on the record of the House.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy does not need to do that. The replies are published. That is how parliamentary questions are published. The Deputy has been in the House long enough to know that.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: That is exactly what we will do. In budget 2022 we have brought about a significant increase as a statement of intent. Nobody is suggesting it is the final destination, but we will also settle the question of a sustainable funding model for higher education.