Results 9,201-9,220 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (6 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The purpose of the Student Grant Scheme is to provide additional assistance where parental income is below a certain threshold, or in the case of independent mature students, where the level of income of the student and his or her spouse warrants additional assistance by way of a grant. For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (6 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware the student support scheme for persons in the protection process or at the leave to remain (but not deportation order) stage is a scheme that provides supports to qualifying students which are similar to those available in the statutory based Student Grant Scheme administered by SUSI. The Student Support Scheme for Asylum Seekers is subject to an annual review at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (6 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (6 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: As part of Ireland’s National Skills Architecture, the EGFSN helps inform the work of the National Skills Council, which advises on the prioritisation of identified skills needs and the allocation of resources across the education and training system to address these needs. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the Higher Education Authority...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (6 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 427 to 429, inclusive, together. Ireland's National Skills Strategy 2015 recognises that technology is one of the key drivers of change and improved digital skills will be vital for Ireland’s future, both in higher-end dedicated ICT jobs and, more widely, as a basic core competence. While there is a focus on trying to future proof the labour...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (6 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The principal support provided by the Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the Grant 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. The decision on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (6 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 431 and 432 together. The Government has committed to a significant increase in onsite attendance in the tertiary education sector in the next academic year. Following consultation with sectoral stakeholders and on 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....

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

Simon Harris: The management and operation of DARE and HEAR are undertaken jointly by the IUA and the CAO. The IUA is responsible for both the criteria and HEIs participation in DARE and HEAR. The CAO is responsible for the operational aspects of DARE and HEAR (including the application, assessment and communications). The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science...

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

Simon Harris: 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 Plan identifies the target groups that are currently under-represented in higher education. These include entrants from socio-economic groups that have low...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 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 and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (1 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The main support available to assist postgraduate students with the cost of attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme and the Programme for Government committed to addressing the gap in postgraduate grants. From September 2021, the postgraduate fee grant will increase to €3,500 from €2,000. This increase will allay some of the costs for postgraduate study and would...

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

Simon Harris: While Ireland is operating on the Plan for Living with COVID all further and higher education institutions delivered the majority of their classes online with only essential activities held on site. I are keenly aware and appreciate that the COVID impacts and activities are disappointing for students who had hoped to have as much time on campus as possible, these measures are necessary to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (1 Jul 2021)

Simon Harris: The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has a Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM) which allocates core recurrent funding to institutions. The grant is allocated as a block recurrent grant and the internal allocation of this grant is a matter for each institution. In the case of nursing students, State grant and fees are paid separately from ring-fenced Nursing funding (i.e. nursing...

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

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 168 and 169 together. The Deputy will be aware that there are various income thresholds used depending on the type of grant, family size etc. While SUSI has statistics on those students who have applied for grant support and can estimate with some degree of certainty, what impact changes to the thresholds might have for those students on lower income levels,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Training Fund (30 Jun 2021)

Simon Harris: The National Training Fund (NTF) Act, 2000 provides for a levy on employers to be used to fund the development of and raising of skills amongst those in, or seeking, employment. The projected reserve surplus of the NTF by 2025 if expenditure remained stable is €1.4 billion, and €1.9 billion excluding Covid emergency spending. See tables below for further detail. Table 1 –...

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

Simon Harris: The Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme comprises a €2,000 payment when employers register a new apprentice, followed by an additional €1,000 payment one year later where that apprentice is retained. The scheme was initially approved under the July Jobs Stimulus and extended in Budget 2021 for apprentices registering between March 2020 and June 2021. The Minister announced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Jun 2021)

Simon Harris: The Department is working with the higher education sector and student representative bodies to develop a protocol with key principles of assurance to ensure that the arrival of international students for the coming academic year is managed safely and in line with public health requirements. This protocol will include all up-to-date public health measures and, in addition, will detail...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Harris: The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme where students are studying for the first time or are progressing to study at a higher level. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. Postgraduate students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 403 and 404 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. Under the statutory framework provided in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Visas (29 Jun 2021)

Simon Harris: Outward international travel by students is subject to the same guidelines covering travel as generally apply. These are set out on the Government's website at: . In general, matters relating to healthcare, including entitlements of EU nationals to healthcare in another Member State, and the vaccination programme are matters for the Minister for Health.