Results 9,821-9,840 of 45,539 for speaker:Simon Harris

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

Simon Harris: Equity of Access to Higher Education continues to be a national priority for the Government and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The Programme for Government reflects the importance of supporting learners at risk of education disadvantage and learners with special education needs in higher education. The vision of National Plan for Equity...

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

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Connolly for her two very specific questions. With regard to the UL issue, I will honestly have to come back to the Deputy to see whether the HEA has now been made aware, and I thank the Deputy for the reminder on it because I want to know. My logic in my letter to the Deputy in December was that once the HEA had become aware, there was then a route from me to become aware...

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

Simon Harris: In the context of any governance legislation I bring forward to protect whistleblowers, openness and transparency will always be really important to me. I served on the Committee of Public Accounts. I saw the great lengths whistleblowers had to go to in this country and where they were not always protected and I accept more work is to be done. I am delighted people make protected...

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

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Niamh Smyth for her question and for coming along on my virtual visit to Cavan Institute. I am really looking forward to visiting the facility in person. I fully recognise the need to progress that capital project and I am very eager to work with the Deputy and her Oireachtas colleagues who represent Cavan and Monaghan in order to get that done. Cavan Institute is an example...

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

Simon Harris: I will certainly give consideration to the issue of re-establishing the educational disadvantage committee. If the Deputy wishes to communicate with me further on that in writing, I will be happy to look at what she has to say. Most importantly, I want to put money into tackling educational disadvantage and I am very pleased that we now have a ring-fenced fund for mitigating such...

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

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Costello for his paper and the proposal that he sent me and the amount of work that has gone into this. I will take up his offer to meet EPIC with him. I would welcome that opportunity. We want to break down barriers. We want education to be for all. I accept we have much work to do on that. Let us do that. The Deputy's proposal merits serious consideration. I wish...

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

Simon Harris: I will respond to Deputy O'Connor as well, if that is okay. I thank Deputy Dillon for his questions. I am really excited about the development of this new university for the west and the north-west. It will be transformational, not only in terms of access to education but also in creating a real powerhouse for jobs, investment and regional development. When one looks at the map of...

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

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Lowry for his questions. I also thank him for keeping in touch with me, the Government, Limerick Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology on this project. This is transformational. When we talk about Limerick Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology, people automatically think about Limerick and Athlone when the former obviously has a...

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

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy O'Dowd for his constant work with me, particularly on North-South issues on which there is potential to do an awful lot more. The Deputy is correct on the exchange of students between North and South as well. There is no reason people from Queen's University Belfast could not come to DkIT and vice versa. That is good on many levels, educational and otherwise. I am very much...

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...