Results 10,841-10,860 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The proposal for a High Energy X-ray Computed Tomography for Additive Manufacturing, Automotive, Aerospace, & Heavy Industry was submitted to SFI under the 2018 SFI Infrastructure Programme Call. The Infrastructure Call supports the research community in building and sustaining the required infrastructural capacity to accomplish high quality, high impact and innovative research in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: A fund for student devices worth €15 million was part of a €168 million package for further and higher education sectors to deal with the impacts of Covid-19. Funding of €10 million has been provided to the higher education sector and €5m to the Further Education and Training sector. The funding is being provided to eligible Higher Education Institutions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Civil Service (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) is currently running a pilot programme which is designed to attain the objectives which the Deputy sets out. The SFI Public Service Fellowship, which was launched in 2019, offers researchers a unique opportunity to be seconded to Government Departments, Agencies and the Oireachtas Library and Research Services, to work on specific research projects. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: UCC have received their allocation under the recently announced Once-Off COVID-19 Grant to support disadvantaged students in accessing ICT devices. UCC have opted to procure devices directly and it is anticipated that the procurement process will be completed in the coming weeks. Students should contact UCC directly for further information.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The process to secure a location for a higher education campus in Wexford, which is being led by IT Carlow, is ongoing. IT Carlow is, along with Waterford IT, a member of the Technological University of South East Ireland (TUSEI) TU development consortium, and it is envisaged that the Wexford campus would form part of a multi-campus TU in the event of its establishment. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: At the end of August, SUSI had received over 91,000 applications from students with over 67,500 students assessed as eligible for support for academic year 2020-21. In line with previous years, SUSI’s payment schedule is updated to coincide with college start dates. In accordance with legislation, to receive payment, students must be registered with their college and the college...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Policy (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The mental health of our students is a priority for my Department, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increased mental stress and pressure resulting from it. In this regard I recently secured a comprehensive package of financial support in the amount of €168m for the Higher Education and Further Education and Training sector to mitigate against the direct financial...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Mental Health Policy (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Student counselling services are dedicated mental health support services available in all higher education institutions. They provide psychological counselling to students experiencing personal adjustment, developmental and/or psychological problems that require professional attention. They assist students in identifying and learning skills that will assist them to effectively meet their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The development and progression of technological universities (TUs), including a TU in the Connacht Ulster region, is an important part of the Government’s higher education policy as underscored in the Programme for Government 2020. In this context the Government’s objective for the establishment of a university serving the north-west is being advanced through the Connacht...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I appreciate that entry to higher education is a source of anxiety to many students this year, and I have taken steps to increase the number of places available in higher education. 1,250 additional places are being offered on certain high-demand undergraduate programmes. These extra places are focused on programmes that attract students across a range of CAO points levels, and this will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The decision on eligibility for student grant applications is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I am conscious of the pressures challenges faced by students regarding student accommodation this year due to financial pressures and the blended learning format of the 2020/21 academic year. Throughout the last number of months my Department has been engaging with representatives from the higher education sector to address the challenges faced by students in this difficult time. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: There are approximately 20,000 applicants presenting in the CAO system who sat the Leaving Certificate in a year prior to 2020. Within this group there is likely to be a considerable diversity of applicants, many of whom may be catered for through different pathways - for example, those who deferred a place last year, those applying as mature students, those applying through access pathways...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (9 Sep 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The estimated cost of a decrease grant in adjacency rates from 45km to 30km is €13m.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Training Fund (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The projected additional yield from a 0.1% increase in 2021 in the national training fund levy would be €72.4 million. This is based on a projected NTF levy income of €724 million in 2021 at the existing 1% levy rate which would increase to €796.4 million if the rate was increased by 0.1% to 1.1%. It should be noted that in line with a Government commitment, the NTF...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Training Fund (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The following table sets out for the years 2015 to 2020 the national training fund levy; levy income; the projected yield at budget time of each 0.1% increase; the actual yield in the full calendar year following the increase. Year NTF Levy Rate NTF Levy Income Projected Yield for each 0.1% increase in NTF levy Actual Yield for each 0.1% increase...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (9 Sep 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. Students pay a student contribution of €3,000 per annum which can be paid in instalments. The state pays the contribution in full or part for an estimated 44 per cent of all students eligible for free fees funding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (9 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and as such are academically independent and are entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes. Therefore responsibility for placements, examinations and assessments rests ultimately with each individual institution. The national co-ordination group for tertiary education, which includes representatives...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (9 Sep 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...