Results 9,061-9,080 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Strategies (14 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has put in place a Disability Consultative Committee as mandated under Action 32 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021. The Committee held its first meeting in June, with the next meeting scheduled for September.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (14 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The Government has committed to planning for a significant increase in onsite attendance in the tertiary education sector in the next academic year. Following consultation with sectoral stakeholders and following Government approval, I published A Safe Return: Plan for a safe return to on-site Further and Higher Education and Research in 2021/22. The Plan reflects the essential...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (14 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The processing of US student visas, and the provision of appointments at US Embassies, is solely a matter for the US authorities. Officials in my department have brought this issue to the attention of officials in Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Department of Foreign Affairs have informed us that they have raised the issue with the US Embassy in Dublin, encouraging them to process...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The latest year for which the data is available is 2018 and is presented in the table below. - Primary level Post-primary level Total expenditure € 3,784,796,714 € 3,490,341,316 Annualized full-time equivalent* enrolment 562,331 416,410 Expenditure per student ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will be aware that the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) scheme is operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) who set the policy criteria for the scheme.  Admissions under the scheme are regulated by the higher education institutions themselves. Each institution determines its own admissions policy in relation to the schemes, the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are governed by the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technologies Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Within the meaning of these Acts, HEIs are autonomous with regard to management of their academic affairs. This includes the right to determine the procedures and criteria for the selection and admission of students....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reviews (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is an evidence based framework that allows my Department to more accurately analyse the demographic profile of its students, and other citizens who rely on its services, and to assess how they are impacted by its policy recommendations.  This framework significantly adds to the prevailing budgetary impact assessment structures administered by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 515 to 518, inclusive, together. Youthreach is an education and training programme delivered in out of school settings to young people aged 16 – 20 who have left the mainstream school system early.  It is a further education programme operated by Education and Training Boards (ETBs). The programme aims to provide young...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for SUSI to determine. For the 2021/22 academic year, student grant applications will be assessed based on gross income from all sources for the period 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020. Particular priority is afforded to those on the lowest incomes and social welfare dependents through...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Domestic Violence (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: Tackling domestic and sexual abuse and providing supports for victims is a priority for Government. On 1 January 2019, the Domestic Violence Act 2018 was commenced, which improves the protections available to victims of domestic violence under both the civil and criminal law. The Department of Justice is leading on the delivery of a number of commitments to make sure that we are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 521 and 532 together. The student grant scheme, administered by SUSI, provides maintenance grants to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.   Student maintenance grants are payable at either the adjacent or non-adjacent rate. The adjacent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research and Development (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The new North-South Research Programme recently announced with the support of the Shared Island Fund will be administered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA).  The HEA’s approach will encompass a portfolio of investment instruments to take account of the different types of nascent cross-border research opportunities.  The Programme will be structured along the following...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The Common Travel Area provides that Irish students in the UK will be treated on the same basis as British students for the purposes of higher education fees.  I understand that a small number of UK higher education institutions have not updated this information on their websites, which has led to misunderstanding.  We will raise these issue with the UK authorities as part of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will be aware that the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) and Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) schemes offer places on reduced points and extra college supports, to school leavers who are underrepresented in higher education due to their socio-economic background or whose disabilities have had a negative impact on their second level education. The schemes are managed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The current National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education covers the period from 2015 to 2021. The overall vision of the National Access Plan is to ensure that the student body entering into, participating in and completing higher education at all levels reflects the diversity and social mix of Ireland's population. The National Access Plan (NAP) identifies the target groups that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The further and higher education sectors in Ireland are supported by a range of EU funds.  The Horizon Programme plays a critical role supporting research and innovation in the sector, while the Erasmus Programme supports student and staff mobility as well as cross border cooperation projects. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) has also supported the development of research...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I am acutely conscious of the difficulties which are experienced by students and their families on low incomes and the critical role of the Student Grant Scheme in supporting access and participation in higher education. The eligibility criteria for student grants are reviewed annually by my Department and approved by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.  All...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for SUSI to determine. For the 2021/22 academic year, student grant applications will be assessed based on gross income from all sources for the reference period 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020. The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020 establishes the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: As the deputy will be aware, higher education institutions are autonomous bodies as set out in legislation and are responsible for the day-to-day management and operational affairs of the institution including the determination of postgraduate tuition fees.  The matter of fee rates is therefore an internal matter for Dublin City University. I am very aware of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (13 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The Student Grant Scheme is a critical financial support for students participating in higher education.  As of last week, SUSI had received over 80,000 applications from students. To date, almost 56,000 applications have been assessed with over 49,000 assessed as eligible for support for the next academic year. As in any statutory scheme, a core principle is that there is...