Results 10,261-10,280 of 46,368 for speaker:Simon Harris

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

Simon Harris: I wish to advise the Deputy that the college to which he refers, is an approved Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) centre which is managed and funded by City of Dublin ETB. Post Leaving Certificate Centres provide further education courses up to Level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). However, my Department has facilitated the provision of a visual media course accredited by...

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

Simon Harris: The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government contains commitments to, among other things, review SUSI eligibility criteria, adjacency rates and postgraduate grant supports. On foot of these commitments I gave approval to commence a review of the Student Grant Scheme. A Steering Committee has been established to provide direction for the external consultants undertaking the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Nursing Education (25 May 2021)

Simon Harris: The enrolment data requested is in the followingspreadsheet from 2005 to date. The courses, general nursing and psychiatric nursing, commenced in 2000, however enrolment data from 2000 to 2004 is not readily available from GMIT. Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Numbers of Students Studying at the Mayo Campus of GMIT GENERAL and PSYCHIATRIC Nursing (2005/2006 - 2020/2021) Programme ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (25 May 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. Neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation of the CAO. Queries...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (25 May 2021)

Simon Harris: My Department’s IT backup arrangements are that frequently-changing data is backed-up nightly, infrequently-changing data is backed-up weekly, and both types are also stored offsite on encrypted tape media. 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...

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

Simon Harris: The objective of the statutory based student grant scheme is to provide additional assistance where parental income is below a certain threshold or, in the case of independent mature students, where the level of income of the student and his or her spouse warrants additional assistance by way of a grant. For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Legal Services (25 May 2021)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science was legally established on 2 August 2020. In 2020 my Department has incurred €11,022 in legal fees. This figure constitutes costs paid directly to a barrister or solicitor by the Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cybersecurity Policy (25 May 2021)

Simon Harris: For operational and security reasons, it is not appropriate to disclose details, including any budgetary matters, of my Department’s cyber security arrangements, or those of State Agencies under my remit. Any disclosure of information in relation to cyber security matters could assist malicious actors in identifying potential vulnerability and potentially compromise my...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: I could not agree more with the Deputy. The Government is going to do two specific things. We are allocating the €20 million to provide extra supports, and if we need to do more we will do it. We have given it to the HEA and to SOLAS and they are examining what practical measures they can put in place to reduce the backlog. Second, and importantly, we have prioritised getting the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Apprenticeship Programmes (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for tabling this important topical issue. Indeed, it is most timely because I spent the afternoon in a training centre in Glasnevin with our electrical and plumbing apprentices. I engaged very directly with the apprentices, talked to them about their experiences and heard their insights in respect of the Covid pandemic. As the Deputy mentioned in her contribution,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: I certainly will do that and I fully agree with the Deputy in that regard. I have had some engagement with PhD researchers with disabilities and I would be happy to intensify that contact and do more. I thank the Deputy for acknowledging the fact that we have increased the stipend. That is a signal of intent and wanting to do more on research, which requires more researchers and an...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Institutes of Technology (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy and acknowledge her support and advocacy for the importance of a technological university for the north west, an issue that is also of concern to Deputy Conway-Walsh. I need to be careful in what I say because I understand a ballot of the Teachers' Union of Ireland, TUI, is about to conclude but, without pre-empting any outcomes of any ballots, I am hopeful that I will...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Institutes of Technology (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: I am certainly not being coy about the timeline for the application and what the Deputy has said tallies with what I know but I want to be respectful of the process. As soon as we receive the application, we will move quickly. I have had some excellent meetings with representatives of St. Angela's, including the president, and with the president of Sligo IT and others. I welcome the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Institutes of Technology (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: I will be careful in answering that question because of the sensitivities involved. Staff engagement and buy-in to these processes are vital. The Deputy is factually correct that, in the south east, the TUI ballot did not pass in Waterford but did pass in Carlow and the application was still submitted by the consortium. That would, ultimately, be a decision for the governing authorities as...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Institutes of Technology (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: I am committed to the GMIT campus in Castlebar. Under this plan for a technological university for the north west, Castlebar will become a university town and that is a massive prize for the people of Castlebar and County Mayo. It will be important for regional growth and development, and perhaps also for keeping young people in the regions. The Government has given a commitment, under...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: The short answer is that there are a couple of ways. We have the National Skills Council, which comprises leaders in the public service and industry leaders. That is the national umbrella structure through which we identify and pursue the skills needs of the country. Crucially, we have regional skills fora, and the Minister of State and I have been meeting with them across the country,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: Yes, even in a small country like Ireland there are differences in the regions. When I met the south east regional skills forum, it referred to the fact that it had engineering jobs that needed to be filled. What does one do? One brings together the local college, local ETB and local employers to find how to provide more courses in the region for that. I can provide the Deputy with more...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: That is not an oversight. The Bill relates specifically to how the Higher Education Authority will interact with the institutions, but I am happy to examine that with the Deputy in the pre-legislative scrutiny. Postgraduate programmes comprise a range of elements designed to further the training and development of students. PhD students, in addition to conducting research, participate...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: The Deputy got me back for my comments on the last question. On the issue of precarious employment, I addressed the Irish Federation of University Teachers annual conference virtually last week and I specifically highlighted how we intend to address precarious employment as part of our discussion on sustainable funding. As we invest more in higher education, and it is an investment, it is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Tests (20 May 2021)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, as he has done on a number of occasions. I want to assure him that like the whole of Government, I am absolutely committed to a significant increase in on-site attendance in the further and higher education sectors in the next academic year. We all know the reasons why students have had to attend online this year. They have been well rehearsed...