Results 10,121-10,140 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (16 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: My Department engages in social media, where appropriate, in order to draw attention to important issues in the Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science sector. The use of social media allows the Department to reach audiences that might not be as likely to see or hear traditional forms of media such as newspapers, television and radio, for example.  This allows...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (16 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: Entry to medicine in Irish HEIs is provided through both undergraduate and graduate entry routes. HEI are autonomous bodies and admissions to graduate medical programmes courses a matter for the institutions concerned. Although students are liable to pay a tuition fee for a place on graduate entry medicine programmes, the State via the HEA provides a grant per student to HEIs (€11,200...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (16 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: The statistics the Deputy refers to comes from data recently published by the HEA on the socio-economic profile of higher education institutions. This is the second year that we have this data and builds on a report the HEA published last year. The data is of significant benefit for higher education institutions in terms of supporting them to implement a more targeted approach in their access...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (16 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: The payment of student nurses and midwives is a matter for the Department of Health. As you know, student nurses and midwives were paid as healthcare assistants in the earlier part of the pandemic while clinical placements were suspended. An initial assessment of student placements for nurses and midwives has been conducted. The Minister for Health has also stated that a short, time-limited...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Fees (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will appreciate the sensitivity of this time. Obviously, we will need to see the final outcome of negotiations on an arrangement between the UK and the European Union. I have met the UK universities minister and the Northern Ireland Minister for the Economy, who has responsibility for higher education. I will also be virtually attending a meeting of the North-South Ministerial...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Technological Universities (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I echo Deputy Burke's comment that the establishment of MTU is the beginning of the journey. There will be expansion and additionality as the university grows. Deputy Ó Murchú is entirely right. When one goes to the dance but does not pick a partner and everyone is partnered off, one is left alone. We have two institutes of technology, both of which are excellent, namely DkIT...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Universal Support Ireland (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: During the course of 2020, SUSI has experienced, not unexpectedly, an increase in the number of applications for grant assistance as well as the number of students seeking a review, understandably, based on the change of circumstances provision in the scheme. This is primarily due to the negative impact that Covid-19 has had on the tenure of employment and income levels. For this reason I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Universal Support Ireland (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: Since taking up office I have made three changes to SUSI. The first was the €250 payment. The second was the change to postgraduate supports, both to the level of grant and the level of income allowed. The third, and perhaps most important, was the change to the student support scheme for people in asylum. Only five people in asylum were able to access financial support last year...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Universal Support Ireland (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I agree that not everybody can pack their bags and head off to college for four years, for a variety of reasons. That is not the way people learn in Ireland now and that is not the way we live in many ways and the system needs to be more flexible. I accept the Deputy's point that part-time rather than full-time learning is a much more viable option for some people and part-time students are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Student Universal Support Ireland (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I will make sure that this is considered as a core component. I note that some universities are now making a real effort to become autism friendly. We have some very bright students and very bright people in our country but they are not the challenge. Sometimes it is the institutions that are the challenge; they need to be more flexible and understanding of how people with autism learn...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Costs (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. I doubt she means it like this but with my Department or the Government, there was no attempt to mislead anybody. I remember getting a letter from the deputy chief medical officer on the Friday telling us we needed to bring in additional precautions, and this effectively moved much college activity online. That decision was made and published on that Friday, so it was...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Costs (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: We always engage but we do not make commitments I cannot stand over. The legal position with regard to the autonomy of our universities and the setting of postgraduate fees is a statement of fact. I always welcome the opportunity to engage, hear views and see how we can support people, and this is important. We have put in place a number of supports this year for students at undergraduate...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Technological Universities (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Burke, again not just for the question but for his very significant and sustained support for this project and his interest in the developments in higher education in the Cork area. We have had many conversations on this and I look forward to continuing to work with him on this and visiting Cork Institute of Technology, which will then be Munster technological university after...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Technological Universities (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: The Deputy has mentioned the work done to bring these institutions together and I was thinking that my political epitaph might be that I brought Cork and Kerry together. It is significant and this is a very important step. I thank the people who have been working at this for years in Cork and Kerry. I thank my predecessor, former Deputy and Minister of State, Ms Mary Mitchell O'Connor, and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Fees (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy O'Rourke for his question. I know he is interested in all these areas. In considering this issue, it is important to note that the State currently provides very substantial financial support to undergraduate students in higher education towards the cost of their studies. I have just announced a review of Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, this week. Currently in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Fees (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: That is a very valid question. Senior officials in my Department engage on a very regular basis - in fact it is every Friday morning - with representative bodies of the universities, the institute of technology sector, the Union of Students in Ireland and further education and training providers. I often attend as well. We continue to monitor and tease out issues in real time and consider...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Fees (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I think Deputy O'Rourke is a scientist so I will bow to his knowledge on that. I am sorry, I did not realise Deputy Conway-Walsh wished to speak.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Fees (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I am certainly not ruling that out. I think we are right to keep a watching brief on all of those issues. One figure that I do have, which is perhaps in some way indicative of the financial impact of Covid on economic well-being, is the SUSI figures. They are provisional at the moment. From memory, I think approximately 72,500 people were awarded a SUSI grant last year and the total is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Third Level Costs (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: I am pleased the Deputy mentioned medical graduates because I would not want to miss the Irish Medical Organisation too much due to the change in my brief. I am looking forward to meeting it in the new year on medical graduate training in Ireland. We need to have an important conversation about how we support medical students in this country. I look forward to coming back to the Deputy on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Data (15 Dec 2020)

Simon Harris: The further and higher education sectors have a number of key strategies in place at all levels to ensure we meet existing and future skills demands. These include policies designed to ensure a pipeline of suitably qualified higher education graduates and apprentices - I am pleased that the Deputy mentioned apprentices - and initiatives to equip young people and the working population more...