Results 941-960 of 10,490 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Consultations (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I have not visited Maynooth University since my appointment as Minister. However, I intend to visit a number of higher education institutions in the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The below tables set out the requested information for each of the relevant apprenticeship programmes - Brick & Stonelaying, Plastering and Plumbing - for 2023 and up to the end of May 2024. Table 1 deals with registration, i.e. persons who have signed up for the programme in the given year, and population, i.e. persons in the process of completing the programme. Table 2 sets out the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: SOLAS regularly review the requirements for existing apprenticeship programmes through the Programme Advisory Board (PAB), and the matter of colour vision testing is kept under review as part of the PAB process. To that end, SOLAS sought out specialist organisations to carry out a review of the requirement for the use of Ishihara Colour Vision test for various apprenticeship programmes,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Currently there is only one undergraduate programme for Veterinary Medicine which is in University College Dublin, the annual intake of new entrants is 80 students per year. I would note that my Department does not place a quota on the number of places on veterinary medicine courses offered by higher education institutions. That is a matter for individual HEIs in line with their autonomy and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Planning is a regulated profession under the terms of Directive 2005/36 and the regulator in Ireland is the Irish Planning Institute (IPI). Five programmes are accredited by this regulator in Irish universities. The data attached was sourced from the Student Records System database of the Higher Education Authority. Student numbers are rounded to the nearest five for data protection purposes....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: As the Deputy may be aware, the objective of the statutory based 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 grants purposes, students are categorised...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible 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. In relation to support available for students studying abroad, the Student Grant Scheme provides...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The arrangement the Deputy refers to is with Queens University Belfast and has been designed to create additional capacity on the island to train doctors. It sees the creation of fifty medical places, twenty five commencing in September 2024 and a further 25 in September 2025. The expansion of medical provision in higher education is a key priority for my Department and the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Reflecting the importance of the Irish language in the higher education system, the Higher Education Authority Act 2022 includes in the objects of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) the responsibility of ensuring that higher education institutions support the promotion and use of the Irish language. It should however by noted that higher education institutions (HEIs) are autonomous in their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department is not directly involved in collaborations between individual post-primary schools and third-level institutions regarding the transition of students to further or higher education. However, to support the policy on Irish-medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht, my officials participate in the Steering Committee run by the Department of Education. This committee focuses on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department has not awarded any publicly funded contracts to the company referenced by the Deputy at any time since the creation of the Department in 2020.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Appointments (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The role of Government Chief Science Advisor was most recently advertised by the Public Appointments Service (PAS), with a closing date for receipt of applications of 16 May 2024. The PAS process is ongoing, and a candidate will be selected and appointed in due course. Reflecting international good practice, my Department has been working towards establishing the national Research and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Asylum Seekers (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am advised that the Department of Foreign Affairs is very limited in the assistance that it can provide to individuals in Gaza who are not Irish citizens or immediate dependents accompanying Irish citizens. The decision to permit or refuse exit from Gaza is made by the relevant authorities on the ground. In this context, the Department of Foreign Affairs was able to assist a small number of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Asylum Seekers (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: To avail of funding under the Free Fees Initiative (FFI) or the Student Grant Scheme, students must meet the criteria of the respective schemes including the residency and nationality criteria. In terms of residency, a student must be ordinarily resident in Ireland or the EU, the EEA, Switzerland or the UK for at least three of the five years before embarking on an approved third level...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (11 Jun 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Currently, my department provides a range of measures to help Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BoTPs) access further and higher education in Ireland. The Temporary Tuition Fee Support Scheme provides EU tuition fee funding for eligible students attending a full-time approved course in a publicly funded higher education institution (HEI). The scheme is aimed at eligible first-time...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (29 May 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Section 7 of the Student Support Act 2011 outlines the position with regard to approved institutions for the purposes of the Student Grant Scheme. As the education provider in question is an approved Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) centre it is comprehended within Section 7(1)(d) of the Act as an “education institution in the State in receipt of grants out of moneys provided by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Information and Communications Technology (28 May 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My Department has not made any direct capital investment in data or IT infrastructure since its establishment in 2020.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (28 May 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: A student attending a private college, such as the one referred to by the Deputy, which is not listed in the Student Support Regulations 2024 would not be eligible for funding under the Student Grant Scheme 2024. It is open to higher education institutions that operate on a 'for profit' basis to use their own resources to provide financial supports to any of their students that they...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (28 May 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: A pilot part time grant scheme will be introduced effective from September 2024. It will provide fee support to eligible part-time students attending specified publicly funded undergraduate courses leading to a major award. This is an important new initiative which will open the doors of higher education to many groups who cannot participate in full time programmes. The parameters of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Information and Communications Technology (28 May 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: As outlined in my previous response, the Department of Education provides IT provision and support services to my Department on a shared basis. As such, that Department meets any costs relating to the IT infrastructure, data maintenance and cyber-security. Thus my Department has not incurred any direct expenditure in these areas since its establishment in 2020. The information in respect of...