Results 8,961-8,980 of 46,267 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The principal support provided by my Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme, which provides grant assistance to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed eligibility criteria, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is the single grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The decision on eligibility for student grant assistance is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. SUSI is mindful of the difficult circumstances affecting individuals applying for a student grant and implements arrangements to sensitively accommodate circumstances including but not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 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 eligible for support under the scheme. However, part-time students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). The SAF provides...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: Last Friday (4th Feb), I launched the stakeholder consultation on the next iteration of the International Education, Research and Innovation Strategy. All documentation is available on my Department's website. The legislative provisions necessary to facilitate the introduction of the International Education Mark (IEM) are contained in the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: On 1st February 2022 the Minister for Education announced that the Leaving Certificate examinations would be proceeding with no corresponding Accredited Grades process, but with adjustments to the examinations which take into account the disruption faced by students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Education and the State Examinations Commission have made a commitment that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: I am very conscious of the challenges faced by students in relation to student accommodation, and my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are working closely together to address these issues. This remains very much a priority for my Department. An important element of this is ensuring that higher education institutions have access to low-cost financing....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: Tackling sexual violence and harassment in our tertiary education system is and will remain, a key policy focus for me and my Department. I really want to thank students and staff across the country who took the time to engage with this survey and share their experiences with us. A total of 11,417 responses were analysed (7,901 students and 3,516 staff) and inform the findings. The survey...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: I am happy to give an update on the review of the Student Grant Scheme. This was a very important commitment in the Programme for Government, which will help shape decision-making on how we support students over the years to come. Following a procurement process, the review was undertaken by Indecon Economic Consultants, under the guidance of a steering group which included student and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The changes I announced in Budget 2022, to reduce the qualifying distance criteria for the non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant from 45km to 30km is a key support measure. This will significantly increase the maintenance grant rate for students, who were previously entitled to the adjacent rate of maintenance grant, due to the distance between their place of residence and their college...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134, 518 and 519 together. I am very conscious of the challenges faced by students in relation to student accommodation, and my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are working closely together on these issues. This remains very much a priority for my Department. The existing National Student Accommodation Strategy is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The National FET Strategy Future FET, Transforming Learning 2020-2024launched in July 2020 concentrates on the three core pillars of building skills, fostering inclusion, and facilitating pathways to deliver a more strategic and integrated FET system. Significant progress has been made to date across the three pillars. With regard to Building Skills, the range of upskilling and reskilling...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The Student Assistance Fund is a critical support which is allocated by my Department to higher education institutions. The fund has a dual focus. It is designed to support students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds with ongoing needs for financial support and also to provide emergency financial assistance for other students. Students can apply for supports from this fund...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: 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. The vision of the Third National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2021 (NAP) is that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The National Development Plan (NDP) provides for a step up in capital funding and a significantly more ambitious phase of capital investment in the FET sector. My Department, in conjunction with SOLAS, is undertaking significant planning work to build up the governance, strategic framework and delivery capability required to underpin and support this major programme of FET investment. I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: A Devolved Capital Grant is provided to the higher and further education sectors with an allocation of just over €48m in 2021 (€40m higher education and just over €8m FET). The purpose of the Devolved Capital Grant is to provide flexible capital funding to eligible higher education institutions and ETBs to support small-scale building works and equipment purchase or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: My Department is strongly committed to supporting the 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 already contributes significantly towards the fees for undergraduate degrees. Under my Department’s free fees...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: I am happy to give an update on the review of the Student Grant Scheme. This was a very important commitment in the Programme for Government, which will help shape decision-making on how we support students over the years to come. Following a procurement process, the review was undertaken by Indecon Economic Consultants, under the guidance of a steering group which included student and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: In December, a number of issues in relation to immigration and visa permissions were brought to the Department’s attention via our higher education institutions. As this falls within the remit of the Department of Justice, this was referred to that Department for action. On 17 December 2021, the Minister for Justice announced a further temporary extension of immigration and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: My Department's primary source of statistics is the HEA's Student Records System (SRS) which records enrolments of students, rather than planned places. First year enrolment data for occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level is available in the following table. The data is for the 2020/21 academic year, the latest available. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (8 Feb 2022)

Simon Harris: The Central Applications Office (CAO) is a not-for-profit company created by the Irish higher education institutions, who have delegated to the CAO the task of centrally processing Irish and EU applications for their undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses. The higher education institutions retain decision-making powers in relation to admissions, and instruct the CAO to make offers to...