Results 9,201-9,220 of 46,267 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Costs (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for the question. Obviously, the support and well-being of students are a major priority for me and my Department. They are a major priority for all Members of the House and we have endeavoured to reflect that in the significant steps to increase funding for this purpose. Like the Deputy, I am very conscious of the pressures on students, including those arising from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I have engaged closely with student representatives on issues concerning the costs of higher education for students. It is important to be aware of the support available for students including state funding of the registration fee for an estimated 45% of eligible free fees students. In fact my Department will spend over €400 million on student supports in 2021 including the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, as part of Budget 2022, I announced the first major changes to Student Grant Scheme rates and eligibility in over a decade. These changes will take effect in the next academic year. These changes have allowed me to make early progress in addressing what I expect will be some of the themes emerging from the Review of the Student Grant Scheme. This includes ensuring...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: One of the five overarching objectives of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 is "Apprenticeship for All" by ensuring that the profile of the apprenticeship population will more closely reflect the profile of the general population. The Action Plan contains a number of key deliverable designed to secure significantly greater diversity by:- - including the voice of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cross-Border Co-operation (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I am very committed to the development of stronger North-South links across the third level education and research sector, including in particular in relation to Further Education and Training and this continues to be a major focus for my Department under its Statement of Strategy. There is good co-operation which currently exists between Education and Training Boards, and the Regional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme was established to ensure that apprenticeship plays a key part in supporting economic recovery following COVID-19. It was introduced in March 2020 and has supported a significant recovery of apprentice registrations in throughout the COVID-19 period, enabling registrations so far this year to exceed registrations for 2019. There have been 6,471...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The principal support provided to students is the Student Grant Scheme operated by SUSI. Under the 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. This statutory scheme is open to people have refugee,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The support and wellbeing of our students is a priority for my Department, particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the increased stress and pressure resulting from it. In 2020, I secured a comprehensive package of financial supports from Government for the higher education and further education and training sectors to mitigate the impact of Covid. This package included...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The Speak Out tool, launched last month, is an online anonymous reporting tool for incidents of Bullying, Harassment, Discrimination, Assault, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Assault, and is being led by the Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education Ireland group, with funding provided by my Department. Speak Out allows staff and students to report harassment across all equality grounds,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: One of the five key objectives set out in the Apprenticeship Action Plan is delivering the highest quality of work-based learning, supporting and demonstrating innovation to empower apprentices and employers to meet current and emerging skill needs. This objective will inform analysis regarding the appropriate duration for the completion of any apprenticeship training. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Strategies (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: Ireland has a developed national skills system across further and higher education and apprenticeship, lifelong learning and human capital development, under the framework of the National Skills Strategy, and underpinned by strong partnership with key stakeholders. It is firmly focused on responding in an agile and flexible way to priority skill needs, and to changes in the world of work...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I have engaged closely with student representatives on issues concerning the costs of higher education for students. It is important to be aware of the support available for students including state funding of the registration fee for an estimated 45% of students. In fact my Department will spend over €400 million on student supports in 2021 including the Student Grant scheme which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I expressed a view to Carlow College principals in August that in order to best position itself for engagement with any future technological university (TU) emerging in the region, the College should consider undertaking a further analysis of its educational provision, resources and student population that could form the basis for an engagement with the TU leadership post-establishment. I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: The new National Development Plan (NDP) provides for a step up in capital funding for the further education and training (FET) sector which will enable a transition to a more ambitious and strategic approach to the development of FET infrastructure. Significant planning work and capacity development is now required to underpin this major programme of FET investment. My Department is working...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 88 together. Cavan ETB has identified the development of the site of the former Army Barracks in Cavan as an opportunity to centralise further education and training provision and eliminate the need for various rented accommodation arrangements around Cavan town. To address immediate needs, plans were advanced by the ETB for interim temporary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 86 together. Education and training relevant to skills needs in the retrofitting and construction sector is delivered across the full remit of Further and Higher Education (through apprenticeship; non-apprenticeship further education and training (FET) and Higher Education (HE)) and through mainstream education and training as well as through...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 84, 93 and 94 together. The development and progression of technological universities (TUs) is an established policy objective of Government in the context of overarching national strategy on higher education landscape restructuring and this is underscored in the commitment in the current Programme for Government. At a time when the world is facing major...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 92 together. My Department’s agencies, the Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland, currently have initiatives in place to bring researchers closer to the work of the Oireachtas and to connect elected representatives with the world leading research that is happening in Ireland. In July 2018 the Irish Research Council...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: On 28 October, I announced that I was granting TU designation to the CUA consortium of GMIT, IT Sligo and Letterkenny IT. In this context, expressions of interest are being sought by my Department in a public process launched last week for key posts on the TU’s first governing body including that of chairperson. An open public process has also been launched by the applicant institutes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (30 Nov 2021)

Simon Harris: In Budget 2022, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science received the following additional allocations for further and higher education sectors: 1) Further education and training allocations increased from 2021 allocations by 6% to €661 million 2) Higher education allocations increased by 2021 allocations by 8% to €2,069 million For...