Results 9,541-9,560 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (13 May 2021)

Simon Harris: Students pursuing GEM programmes do so as second degree courses and consequently are not eligible for free fees funding or for student grants. However, in order to widen access to GEM programmes, and give assistance towards the financial burden on each student pursuing these programmes, the fees of participating EU students are partly subsidised by the State via the Higher Education Authority...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (12 May 2021)

Simon Harris: The National Student Accommodation Strategy (NSAS) was published in 2017 and is designed to support the delivery of an increased level of supply of purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) by reducing planning barriers for public and private sector developers of student accommodation and seeking to address financing barriers for our higher education institutions. The aim is to reduce the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (12 May 2021)

Simon Harris: Waterford Institute of Technology is autonomous within the meaning the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006. Under this legislation WIT is independent and is entitled to regulate its own academic affairs and administrative processes, including in relation to the awarding of degrees. It is not within my remit to intervene in these matters. WIT is a prescribed public body under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (12 May 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department expended €13,032.86 to date 2021 in respect of the "Covid-19 and young people" campaign, and €6251.24 in support of the "Keep it Small, Keep it Safe, Keep your Distance" social media campaign in 2020. These were social media campaigns and were serviced on behalf of the department by PHD media. No further spend on either campaign is currently envisaged by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Protected Disclosures (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: As independent corporate entities higher education institutions are required in their own right to comply with the provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. As legally autonomous institutions, it is a matter for each institution to ensure the provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act are fully implemented and adhered to within their own institution. The Higher Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous institutions within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Under this legislation the HEIs are independent and are entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes, including in relation to graduations. The manner in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Authority (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions via the recurrent funding model. Top sliced and ring fenced funding for specific Departmental or Sectoral strategic purposes is a component of the funding model in addition to the block...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (11 May 2021)

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

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Costs (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: The provision of funding for Higher Education on an annual basis is part of overall expenditure management and budgetary policy. Since 2016, as represented in the table below, there has been a significant programme of investment in higher education. Funding and policy developments taken in recent Budgets have taken significant steps to meet the funding needs of the sector including Covid-19...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Tests (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: The Government has confirmed that there will be a significant increase in on-site third level activity in September, and in June I will publish a plan for reopening in a significant way for the next academic year. The potential role of rapid antigen testing as one part of a package of surveillance measures to support this greater on-site provision is recognised, but the plan will not wholly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Oideachas trí Ghaeilge (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: Tá mo Roinn tiomanta do chur chun cinn na Gaeilge. Is colún lárnach de chur chuige an rialtais é an Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge 2010-2030 chun a chinntiú go ndéantar an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn agus a chothú ar fud an stáit. Mar is dócha gur eol don Teachta, tá tacaíocht shonrach tugtha d’fhorbairt Acadamh na...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research Funding (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: For the purposes of my reply, I will focus on projects funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the national foundation for investment in scientific and engineering research. There may be other work funded through other Government Departments. SFI funds research in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Every year the agency has a range of funding programmes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous institutions within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Under this legislation the HEIs are independent and is entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes, including in relation to examinations. Any policy around...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: Ireland is designated as a programme country under the Erasmus+ programme. As a programme country, Ireland is eligible to participate in all actions of the programme and has benefitted significantly from our participation. The policy of my Department, as national authority for the programme, has always been to strongly encourage participation in Erasmus+. The Department as national...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science was formed in summer 2020. Since formation, the Department has not made any payments to An Taisce, nor does it have any specific provision for an allocation directly to An Taisce in 2021. The information in respect of state bodies, within the scope of the Deputy’s question, is not held by my Department....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: I can confirm that Dundalk Institute of Technology has not purchased any property within the timeframe in question.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: On foot of the 2019 TURN report, Budget 2020 provided for new Technological University Transformation Fund of€90 million (over 3 years 2020- 2023), to assist the development and progression of TUs. The Transformation Fund supersedes the previous Higher Education Landscape Fund under which some €31 million was provided to advance TU proposals. Funding allocated under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: The information requested by the Deputy is available in the attached table. In each of the relevant years Irish students comprised more than 90% of EU students registered on medicine courses. First Year Medicine Students by Domicile, 2016-2019 Domicile Group 2016/2017 2017/2018 2018/2019 2019/2020 Ireland 673 666 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Fees (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: Under the Department's Free Fees Initiative, the Exchequer pays tuition fees on behalf of eligible first time undergraduate students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses (including medicine courses). In order to qualify for funding under the Department’s Free Fees Initiative, students must meet the criteria of the scheme including previous education attainment. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (11 May 2021)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science was formed in summer 2020. The funding allocated to my Department, as set down in the annual Estimates, is used to meet costs associated with the provision of further and higher education, labour market initiatives including skills, and Irish research and development. The allocation is provided both...