Results 10,581-10,600 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

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

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 365 and 366 together. The Government has provided additional funding in the amount of €168m to support the return of students to further and higher education. For the Education providers under the remit of my Department, the allocation includes funding towards Immediate ICT costs relating to online provision. My Department allocates recurrent...

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

Simon Harris: Higher education institutions (HEIs) are autonomous bodies and as such are entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes. Decisions on deferral of college places are a matter for individual institutions, and I have not been made aware of any HEI having a policy of requesting that students with disabilities or underlying health conditions defer their place. As...

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

Simon Harris: The once-off Covid-19 Grant to support disadvantaged students in the higher education sector in accessing ICT devices has issued to the higher education institutions. This grant funding is being used to procure devices which will then be lent to students in accordance with application and assessment processes managed locally by each institution. The equipment funding is complemented...

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

Simon Harris: While neither I nor my Department have a role in relation to financial supports for student nurses and midwives on clinical placements arranged by the relevant higher education institutions with health service providers, I am concerned at the difficulties faced by some students arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, I asked my officials to raise the matter directly with the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Since the discovery of the errors in the Calculated Grades algorithm, my officials have been engaging regularly with representatives from the higher education sector, with meetings held with representatives from the Irish Universities Association (IUA), Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) and TU Dublin on Wednesday 30th September and Friday 2nd October. I myself met with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: In order to help mitigate the impact of the changes to the grading system I announced the creation of an additional 2,225 places on high-demand courses in Higher Education Institutions. These places were provided in order ensure that as many students as possible could be accommodated on a course of their choice, given the unprecedented circumstances they are facing. 5 of these places were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The student grant scheme, administered by SUSI, provides maintenance grants to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. Student maintenance grants are payable at either the adjacent or non-adjacent rate. The distance to be measured is the shortest non-tolled most direct route from the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has not entered into any contacts with public relations agencies or consultants.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (8 Oct 2020)

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: Departmental Staff (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: A transfer of functions order will be made later in the month in respect of functions transferring between the Department of Education and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. Once the transfer of functions is completed and the formal transfer of staff has taken place an organisation chart...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Minister with responsibility for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I congratulate Deputy Kehoe on his appointment as Chairman of this committee, which covers not only education but also further and higher education, research, innovation and science. I am delighted to be here today and to be joined by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Collins. I am conscious that the most recent CAO offers, the so-called round four, came out approximately an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Minister with responsibility for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising these matters and for acknowledging that we have put many extra places into the college system. It is our job to keep those places as we know the demographic pressures that will come on this sector. I welcome his comments on apprenticeships and we could do with learning from the Deputy's expertise on the matter. The Deputy is correct in his comments on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Minister with responsibility for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I look forward to working with the Deputy as well. I am very conscious that this pandemic disadvantaged every peer group. The Deputy could quite rightly point to the students of 2020, who have gone through a very stressful year, as have the 2019 students. I will not use the Deputy's time but I took legal advice on the matter. It was not possible, according to that advice, to ring-fence...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Minister with responsibility for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I noted the Deputy's statement last week, when she rightly put it to me in a very reasonable and constructive way to provide places and ensure every student who was wrongly downgraded by the calculated grades error got a place. They did. Maybe we would have a different conversation if they did not. The Deputy is making a point that is not unreasonable, which is that some students got an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Minister with responsibility for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I do not want to use the Deputy's time but she has said people are sitting at home in a really bad state. We should focus on that. I say to people that there are so many routes to getting where they want to go. We need to be able to promote and highlight that. More people are starting university this year than in any previous year. On top of that, there are many other routes for students...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Minister with responsibility for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: My colleague, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, met with the Union of Students in Ireland, USI, on this important issue. I can assure the committee that the USI is also engaging regularly with me on this matter. There are two parts to the question and the answer. One cohort of students lives in college-owned accommodation. My very clear message to colleges is that I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Minister with responsibility for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I fully agree. I know the Deputy will agree that the private providers need to show a bit of decency. I will continue to work with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Minister with responsibility for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Appeals are a matter for the Department of Education and Skills, but I understand that process is due to conclude this month. I know everyone would like to conclude it as quickly as possible. I do not have a specific date but the Department of Education and Skills may be able to provide one. My job and that of my Department is to provide people with places if they make successful appeals....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Minister with responsibility for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank Senator Dolan. I feel a bit inadequate answering her question having been reminded of her impressive CV in these areas. I look forward to working with her. The Senator and I have spoken about the apprenticeship issue before. Finance is an important aspect and the funding has been widely welcomed, but it is only one piece of this. I accept that we need to do more. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Minister with responsibility for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (8 Oct 2020)

Simon Harris: Ireland is doing very well out of European research funding. In recent days we passed the milestone of €1 billion in net contributions from Horizon 2020. That is a real credit to the research community and ecosystem that exists in Ireland. I want to acknowledge that. Really transformational stuff is happening there. The Covid-19 pandemic made the benefits of research very...