Results 9,561-9,580 of 45,539 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (18 May 2021)

Simon Harris: The complex nature of the student grant scheme means that there is a risk that some students receive grant payments for which they are not eligible, including for reasons beyond the direct control of SUSI. To mitigate the risk of overpayments, SUSI implements procedural and system-based controls within its application assessment and grant payment operations. A highly developed quality...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Social Media (18 May 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department's Corporate Services are largely shared with the Department of Education and our Irish language policy currently operates under the Department of Education and Skills Language Scheme 2020 - 2023, made under Section 15 of the Official Languages Act 2003. This document sets out what Irish language services should be based on. That is  i) the underlying level of demand for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (18 May 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 625 to 627, inclusive, together. 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...

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

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 361 and 364 together. Universities and Institutes of Technology are autonomous and determine their own procedures for admission. The CAO process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on their behalf. Decisions on admissions are made by the higher education institutions who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful...

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

Simon Harris: The principal support provided by my 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. Courses that are part-time...

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

Simon Harris: I am arranging for information to be collected on the numbers of students who would be encompassed by the question and will revert to the Deputy in due course.

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

Simon Harris: My Department is actively engaging with Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) about the demand for higher education places in 2021 and will take action as necessary to ensure the availability of a full range of further and higher education options for applicants in 2021 and beyond. However the HEIs are autonomous bodies under the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts...

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

Simon Harris: The information requested by the Deputy is available in the attached table.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (13 May 2021)

Simon Harris: As this report relates to 2020 Green Public Procurement, it is being prepared by the Department of Education on a shared service basis, and the report will be inclusive of both Departments. It will be submitted to the EPA and published as part of the Department's Annual Report for 2020 which will be available on my Department’s website. In line with the EPA Reporting on Green...

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...