Results 10,561-10,580 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (20 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The HEAR scheme is operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) who set the policy criteria for the scheme. Admissions under the scheme is regulated by the higher education institutions themselves. Each institution determines its own admissions policy in relation to the scheme, the number of places they reserve and the allocation of those places. My Department does not have a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (15 Oct 2020)

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 challenges that are being encountered in the ELE sector and the substantial impact that the Covid-19 outbreak has had on its students, teachers and providers. As part of the response to the pandemic, my Department established a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Under the Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate Higher Education students with students paying the student contribution. The student contribution fee is currently set at €3,000 per annum and can be paid in instalments. The State pays the contribution in full or part, through SUSI, for approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Regional Aid (15 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The EU Regional Aid Guidelines (RAGS) provides for enhanced rates of State Aid in the least economically developed areas of each Member State. The 2014-2020 Regional Aid Guidelines entered into force on 01 July 2014. Under the terms of the 2014 -2020 RAGS, regions covering 51.28% of Ireland’s population are designated as ‘assisted areas’. Ireland, as a whole, has not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (14 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: On 18 September the Higher and Further Education system in Dublin committed to minimise on-site teaching and learning, in light of the deteriorating disease situation in the county. On 25 September the Acting Chief Medical Officer requested that consideration now be given to the introduction of similar measures to those introduced in Dublin for all HEIs nationwide to ensure safe...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (14 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Irish Universities have autonomy to borrow in their own name within a framework to be agreed with the HEA, the Dept of Finance and Dept of Public Expenditure and Reform. Section 38 of the Universities Act, 1997 states that: (1) A university may borrow money by means of bank overdraft or otherwise and may guarantee or underwrite a loan taken or borrowing undertaken by a person or a body of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (14 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Applications for free fees are assessed by higher education institutions. Under the Free Fees Initiative the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees of eligible students pursuing an approved full-time undergraduate course of study in an approved institution in the State. Eligible students must meet the terms of the scheme including the nationality and residency clauses. Students must...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (14 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Under the Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate Higher Education students with students paying the student contribution. The student contribution fee is currently set at €3,000 per annum and can be paid in instalments. The State pays the contribution in full or part, through SUSI, for approximately...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 349 and 353 together. 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. As such, neither I nor...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The principal support provided by my Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The decision on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The HEAR and DARE schemes are operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) who set the policy criteria for the schemes. Admissions under the schemes are regulated by the higher education institutions themselves. Each institution determines its own admissions policy in relation to the schemes, the number of places they reserve and the allocation of those places. Applications to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Springboard Programme (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The intention of Springboard+ is to enable the upskilling and re-skilling of the labour force in order to meet the identified skills needs. Eligibility for Springboard+ courses for those in receipt of DEASP benefits is based on their eligibility for those benefits, and is a matter for DEASP. For returners to the workforce or those in employment, in order to be eligible applicants need to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The CAO is a company established by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on their behalf. Decisions on admissions are made by the HEIs who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Therefore application and offer data is held by the CAO and the HEI in question, not by my Department and the data...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Citizenship Applications (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The principal support provided by the Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Following the conclusion of the review of the code used to generate Calculated Grades, improved Calculated Grades results were transmitted to the CAO on Saturday 3rdOctober. The CAO subsequently identified 485 students who were entitled to an higher preference CAO offer as a result of their improved grades. As of CAO Round 4, which was issued on Thursday 8thOctober, all of these students have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Insurance (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I am aware of the recent decision of the Court of Appeal in relation to health insurance provision for international students. The possession of adequate health insurance is a requirement of our immigration services, in order to protect the exchequer from potentially substantial additional costs for the public health system in managing the health needs of a large number of people from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Universities are autonomous institutions within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997 and the subject matter in relation to these cases is for the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) to manage. The legal costs in relation to these cases are a matter for NUIG. Under the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, the University is obliged to record relevant legal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The central grant awarding authority Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), a business unit of the City of Dublin ETB, administer the Student Grant Scheme on behalf of my Department. My officials have advised me that the awarding authority has been unable to identify the student in question based on the information provided. Enquiries regarding the status of an application on behalf of an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The National Student Accommodation Strategy (NSAS) was published in 2017 and is designed to support the delivery of an increased level of supply of purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) by reducing planning barriers for public and private sector developers of student accommodation and seeking to address financing barriers for our higher education institutions. The aim is to reduce the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (13 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The principal support provided by the Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the terms of the Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The decision on...