Results 9,801-9,820 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I will ask the Minister of State to respond on the apprenticeship matter. I will take up the issue the Deputy raised regarding Irish Sign Language. As she suggested, the Teaching Council is obviously independent of me and Government. I will, however, get a view from my officials regarding the course in Trinity College Dublin and revert to the Deputy with some suggestions as to how we might...

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I agree on the removal of barriers. I welcome the detailed debate we will start tomorrow on how to go about doing that. The first thing to do is to radically overhaul the CAO system. It is narrowing the conversation far too early. It is making FET and apprenticeships seem like the poor relation and something one only comes to if one does not get the necessary points. It is creating a...

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I had the pleasure of being Minister for Health for four and a half years. I will leave that meeting to the current Minister for Health but I would be happy to hear about its outcome. These matters fall to the different parts of the public service and different employers. Anybody doing work as distinct from being in a clinical placement should be paid. When I was Minister for Health,...

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: As to whether we have everything we need in terms of structures, the establishment of this new Department and the decision of the Taoiseach to facilitate that has been a good step. No longer are higher and further education a little bit of that Department and research, science and innovation located in another. Having a Minister, a Minister of State, a Secretary General and civil servants...

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I would be delighted to visit with Deputy McAuliffe. He has made some really valid points, including on the use of the word "further", which I am going to reflect on. I would be very happy to take him up on his offer.

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I have missed our question time so much. It is good to be back. The Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, can answer on apprenticeships. On the critical skills list, the Deputy made a really serious point. We now have a Department — mine — dedicated to the skills agenda. We are reviewing the skills infrastructure. We have a national skills council and regional skills...

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: We have no intention of privatising the role.

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: As someone who also comes from a working-class background, I agree with a lot of what the Deputy says about the importance of apprenticeships and trades and of helping people to have a livelihood in our country. On the TU Dublin issue, I would be very happy to take it up for the Deputy. I share his concern. If he forwards the correspondence to me, I will revert to him directly.

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for her questions. In regard to the action plans for dealing with sexual harassment and violence, she is right that they were due at the end of February. I am awaiting a submission from my officials in this regard. My understanding is that the plans are all, or almost all, in, and I expect to be in a position to give a public update in that regard this month. There has...

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Crowe for making me aware of these issues. I am very happy to engage with him, the local authority in Clare and other appropriate stakeholders in this regard. Expanding higher education is going to be a core requirement in terms of meeting demand and preparing for economic recovery. If there is no room for UL to expand in Limerick and it wants to look elsewhere, I would be...

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for her points on the issue of social care workers and for her correspondence with me on this matter. I checked it out today because I thought she might raise it with me. Obviously, it is a matter for the professional regulator, CORU, but I appeal to all those working through Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, to show flexibility. As we all know, there is a global...

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I will start with Deputy Ó Cathasaigh's question because it is time-sensitive. I want to acknowledge what the Deputy has acknowledged, but the last time TUI members were balloted on this matter, they voted overwhelmingly in favour of this project. That shows their commitment and the scale of their ambition. I would add that the only thing that has happened between 2019 and now is that...

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Cullinane. I thank him for coming to the meeting earlier and I genuinely thank him for not playing politics with this issue and for being constructive on it. I hope it sends a message to the people of the south east, when he and I are agreeing with such enthusiasm on an issue, that we see the real significance of this to the south east. This is a game changer for the south...

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, to expand on the apprenticeships but on the water and drainage systems, the Deputy has highlighted a very important issue. I would be very happy to meet some people from that sector with the Deputy and SOLAS over the next couple of weeks to see if we can make progress.

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for the constructive questions and points. Let me be clear at the outset: nobody believes students are commodities and nobody has a monopoly of concern for them. In the past two weeks, I have been meeting virtually with students in Cavan, Longford and in Donegal, with six student unions and in the Deputy's constituency in Ballinrobe. The Deputy is right that it...

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I am delighted to be here today again addressing Dáil Éireann on the work of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. We have been working very hard in recent months to establish a new Department. Indeed, the Department was only formally set up in law last August and we have tried to pursue an ambitious agenda of work since then. I believe...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: The HEAR scheme is operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) www.iua.iewho set the policy criteria for the scheme. Admissions under the HEAR scheme are regulated by the higher education institutions themselves. Applications to the scheme are submitted to the Central Applications Office (CAO) who coordinate the scheme for participating institutions. As such, The Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: My officials have spoken on a number of occasions with representatives from the higher education sector regarding any changes to the non-progression rate among students in this year. While precise figures on non-progression are not available at this time, the higher education institutions have indicated that there is no significant change either upwards or downwards in the non-progression...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Nursing Education (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: This is a matter for the Department of Health, who have advised that the deputy is referring to the sponsorship scheme available for support staff in the Irish public health service wishing to obtain a qualification in nursing or midwifery. To be eligible, applicants must be directly involved in delivering care to patients or clients in a nursing context. For example, healthcare assistants...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (10 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 661, 663 and 664 together. Continuity for the most part of further and higher education and research has been maintained throughout the pandemic. In the early phase when on-site activities were suddenly suspended this was achieved through a rapid shift to emergency remote learning. Over time a blended model of learning has become the dominant mode with...