Results 9,741-9,760 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I am aware of the high number of CAO applications this year, and officials from my Department are engaging regularly with representatives from the higher education sector in relation to the 2021/22 academic year and demand for places. €18 million has been provided in Budget 2021 to deliver new undergraduate student places from September 2021 which will address demographic growth...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1109 and 1174 together. I am aware of the high number of CAO applications this year, and officials from my Department are engaging regularly with representatives from the higher education sector in relation to the 2021/22 academic year and demand for places. €18 million has been provided in Budget 2021 to deliver new undergraduate student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1110 and 1111 together. To date, 2,050 students who were initially awarded funding for academic year 2020/21 have since become ineligible for funding by SUSI. Please note, this number is subject to change as operations for academic year 2020/21 are ongoing. SUSI has sought or is seeking repayments from 237 of the 2,050 students. Please note that this number...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Under the terms of the Student 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. To satisfy the terms and conditions of the Student Grant Scheme in relation to progression, a student must be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Under the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is available to eligible students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the terms and conditions of funding, including those relating to residency, means, nationality and previous academic attainment.  The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for SUSI to determine....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Process (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I am responding to this question on the basis that it refers to Primary Legislation. As the Deputy is aware, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is a new Department, only in existence since August 2020.  There is one Bill in development in my Department currently, a reform of the Higher Education Authority Act, 1971, but it provides an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Hibernia College is a privately owned online third level educational company which delivers, inter alia, post graduate initial teacher education (ITE) programmes. The funding to which the Deputy refers is made available to those institutions that receive support under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). Private colleges operated on a for-profit basis are not approved...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an independent student (i.e. assessed without reference to parental income and address) if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Please find answer to PQ: 14635/21 in the table below.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Communications (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I have been informed by the Minister of State with responsibility for Skills and Further Education  that he has not directly or indirectly canvassed a higher education institution on behalf of a job applicant.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Language Schools (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Under current Level 5 restrictions, all activity in the English Language Education (ELE) sector should now be wholly online and providers have been advised that there is no basis for the recruitment of international students who might travel to the country. As part of the response to the pandemic, my Department has established a specific Working Group for the ELE sector comprised of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capital Expenditure Programme (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: The time taken from the submission of a proposal to my Department until construction commencement will vary significantly, and depend on a range of factors, including the status of the proposal, whether or not there is a clear funding pathway for the proposal, and the point in the project lifecycle at which the proposal is submitted. The five projects approved under the Higher Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health and Social Care Professionals Registration Boards (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1126, 1129, 1145 and 1153 together. I am aware that issues have arisen in relation to placement hours both for students of Social Care programmes and for placements more generally as the restrictions to combat the spread of Covid-19 have tightened. My Department is monitoring developments in this regard very closely. Since March 2020, QQI has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Under the Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate higher education students with students paying the student contribution. The student contribution applies to all students on an annual basis, who are eligible under the 'free fees' scheme. The current rate is €3,000 per annum. Currently in excess...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department is working to deliver on its mission to develop further and higher education to support people in reaching their full potential. We published our Statement of Strategy for the 2021-2023 period on March 8. It contains six strategic goals including a goal on inclusion which seeks to “support learning for all, recognising the needs of vulnerable learners and the most...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: The HEA publishes figures annually on the non-progression rate among students - i.e. the proportion of new entrants enrolled in first year who do not progress to second year. Non-progression data from 2010 up to the most recent year available (2016) is available in the attached table. The year given refers to the year in which the student entered third level so, for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: The most recent figures which are available, are for the 2019/2020 academic year, and confirm that 1,588 Northern Ireland-domiciled students attended Higher Education Institutions in the State, while 2,090 students from the State attended Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: The Government has a very clear ambition to expand and consolidate higher education facilities, to boost economic development across the country and to attract research funding. Technological Universities are central to delivering on this.  MTU will be a driver of regional development, and it will help to make higher education more accessible. Above all else it will provide more...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Transport (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy may be aware, my Department was established in July 2020. I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department does not lease or own any vehicles. The information in respect of state bodies within the scope of the Deputy’s question is not held by my  Department. Contact details for these bodies are set out in the attached document should the Deputy wish to contact them...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (24 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous and manage their own academic affairs including admissions procedures. The CAO process applications for undergraduate courses on behalf of the HEIs. Decisions on admissions are made by the HEIs who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. As such, neither I nor my Department have a role in the...