Results 9,881-9,900 of 45,539 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Neither I nor my officials have met with the group in questions, and I am not aware of any correspondence sent by them to me or my Department. The national policy for managing COVID-19 is not a matter for my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: In response to the combined demographic and funding challenge, the then Minister for Education and Skills appointed an Expert Group to identify and consider issues related to the long term sustainable funding of higher education in Ireland and to identify funding options for the future. The expert group report, Investing in National Ambition: A Strategy for Funding Higher Education”...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (3 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cross-Border Co-operation (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I am strongly committed to exploring potential North-South dimensions of provision in the region. Last October, I had a virtual meeting with Minister Dodds, when we discussed a number of areas of interest for cross-border collaboration between our Departments. My Department's management board also had a bilateral meeting earlier this year with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: English language education (ELE) in Ireland is a broad and diverse sector with the vast majority of activity undertaken by private sector providers. I am aware of the important contribution made by this sector and of the challenges that are being encountered given the substantial impact that the Covid-19 outbreak has had on students, teachers and providers. As part of the response to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: Under the Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution as defined in the scheme. The definition of an approved institution is set out in Section 7 of the Student Support Act 2011 and Regulation 3 of the Student Support Regulations 2020. In the context of scarce resources, the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: The Student Assistance Fund provides financial support to full- or part-time students who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending higher education. The Fund can be claimed for expenses such as books, rent, food, medical costs, class materials, light and heat bills, essential travel and childcare. Students on full- or part-time courses leading to a higher education award...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (3 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. As a private company, Hibernia College determines its own annual student intake and the Department does not hold data on the information requested by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: 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 candidates. Therefore neither I nor my Department have a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: I am conscious of the challenges faced by students regarding student accommodation this year due to both financial pressures, and the blended learning format of the 2020/21 academic year. The Deputy will be aware that the university sector has been actively engaging with students on the issue of accommodation refunds. As a result of the decision to minimise on-site teaching, all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Freedom of Speech (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: The principle of academic freedom is a defining characteristic of high-quality higher education and research throughout the world. Irish universities are independent and autonomous statutory bodies established under the Universities Act, 1997 which guarantees the principle of academic freedom and puts in place detailed institutional level governance arrangements for the management, operation,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Broadband Plan (3 Mar 2021)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education Research Innovation and Science has not been directly engaged with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) but HEAnet, the Education sectors shared service network provider has attended several technical workshops with NBI over the past two years.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research and Development (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: Direct public expenditure on research, development and innovation is increasing and Government Budget Allocations on R&D (GBARD) amounted to €802m in 2019 (and an estimated €869.2m in 2020). This represents an increase of €83 million since 2016 and is the highest level of public expenditure on RDI since 2009.  While we have not yet restored investments to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health and Social Care Professionals (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: The data requested by the Deputy is not held by my Department nor the agencies under its remit. Placements are organised at the level of each individual Higher Education Institution (HEI), as part of their programme offerings to be delivered in conjunction with relevant placement providers. Where appropriate, each HEI will develop their programme offerings to meet the accreditation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: As was announced on 23rd February, the Government has agreed that Level 5 as set out in the Plan for Living with COVID-19 will remain in place until midnight on 5 April 2021. Level 5 measures designate higher and further education as essential insofar as onsite presence is required and such education activities cannot be held remotely. On 6th January I confirmed that further and higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: 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 candidates. Therefore neither I nor...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: The Programme for Government contains commitments to, among other things, review SUSI eligibility criteria, adjacency rates and postgraduate grant supports. The review of the Student Grant Scheme has just commenced and is due to report in Summer 2021. My Department is overseeing the implementation of the review through a steering group with student representation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: European Council Meetings (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: Education policy issues are dealt with at EU level as part of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport (EYCS) Council. Education policy issues can range from those related to Early Childhood Education and Care to Higher Education, and so representation at such meetings may be from either the Department of Education or the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department has not incurred any COVID-19 related spend that is based on contracts awarded under a negotiated procedure without prior publication procedure in 2020 or to date in 2021.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts (25 Feb 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department has not incurred any COVID-19 related spend that is based on contracts awarded under a negotiated procedure without prior publication procedure in 2020 or to date in 2021.