Results 10,881-10,900 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 840, 846 and 852 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: 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.Applicants who do not meet the criteria to be assessed as an independent student for grant purposes, or who cannot supply the necessary documentation to establish independent living for the required period, may...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: In July of 2018, the Innovation District Advisory Group was established to develop and agree a vision for the Grand Canal Innovation District. The group included representatives of business, the universities in Dublin, the local community and the public service. The report of the Innovation District Advisory Group was submitted to Government in December 2019 and was published in January...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Functions (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: My Department will be situated in Dublin, Tullamore and Athlone. My functions will encompass responsibility for policy, funding and governance of the Higher and Further Education and research sectors and for the oversight of the work of the state agencies and public institutions operating in those areas. My Department will cover each of these areas. My policy responsibility as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: As part of a package of COVID-19 supports for the higher and further education sectors, my Department has allocated €15 million to higher and further education providers for a Once-Off COVID-19 Grant to support disadvantaged students in accessing ICT devices. This initiative addresses concerns regarding the digital divide in the context of the shift to online and blended models of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 851 and 871 together. I appreciate that students wish to know the details of the 2020/21 academic year in order to facilitate planning around accommodation, transportation and other commitments. I have been in contact with the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to request that this information be provided to students as soon as possible. All HEIs have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Unions (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I would like to thank USI for their detailed submission and proposals on Higher Education. The recommendations outlined in the submission along with other relevant submissions received in advance of budget 2021 are being considered as part of the overall budgetary discussions on higher education provision for 2021. To date significant progress has been made in increasing investment in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Functions (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The overarching vision in Innovation 2020, the current national strategy for research and development, science and technology, is for Ireland to become a Global Innovation Leader driving a strong sustainable economy and a better society. Within this, there is a focus on excellence, talent and impact. Innovation 2020commits research funding Government Departments to ensure that research,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Reform (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The development of a sustainable funding model for higher education is essential in light of the centrality of higher education - both in terms of human capital development, research and innovation - to underpinning the future development of Ireland as a knowledge economy against the backdrop of rapid technological change. In that context, a comprehensive economic evaluation of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Sustainable Development Goals (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The Programme for Government commits my Department to continuing to work towards the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aimed at ending poverty, reducing inequality, and tackling climate change. As set out in the SDG National Implementation Plan, a range of Department strategies will contribute to delivering Agenda 2030 including the National Strategy for Higher Education to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Costs (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The cost of each student enrolled as an undergraduate student will vary across institutes and disciplines. For example laboratory based disciplines ( science, engineering, etc ) will have a greater cost than non-lab disciplines (arts, business, etc). Health related disciplines (e.g. medicine and dentistry) will be significantly higher than non-lab disciplines. An average cost for an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 860 and 861 together. 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 of course aware of the contribution made by the sector and of the challenges that are being encountered given the substantial impact that the Covid-19 outbreak has had on students,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Nursing Education (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Details of the number of nurses graduating on 2017 to 2019 are included in the attached table. According to a survey of graduates carried out nine months after graduation, 89% of 2017 and 91% of 2018 nursing and midwifery graduates who were employed in Ireland went into employment in the Human Health and Social Work sector, which includes both private and public healthcare provision. Survey...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The mental health and wellbeing of students is of paramount importance to my Department. The additional 2020 allocation of €2 million in support of mental health services and wellbeing was made available to higher education institutions via the HEA funding allocation model earlier this year. Each institution has received a share, based on the number of students registered, with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: International Students (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Incoming international students are a matter for each institution. However, the sector has advised it has adopted a set of principles to manage the process of international students including managed arrivals at the airport and restricted movements for 14 days. The higher education sector has developed a protocol of assurance, to support the protection of public health, to safely manage the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The details requested by the Deputy on the numbers of students housed in certain types of student accommodation are not collected or held by my Department. The “Practical Guidance for Further and Higher Education for Returning to On-site Activity in 2020”, published by my Department in July contains some guidance for managing the risk of virus transmission in student...

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

Simon Harris: The Student Grant Scheme is administered by the centralised national grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), a business unit of CDETB (City of Dublin Education and Training Board), on behalf of the Department. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for SUSI to determine. If an individual applicant considers that he/she has been unjustly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The Once-Off COVID-19 Grant to support disadvantaged students in accessing ICT devices is part of the package of COVID-19 supports for higher and further education institutions funded by my Department. This initiative addresses concerns regarding the digital divide in the context of the shift to online and blended models of learning, which were identified by a range of stakeholders in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (8 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The Government’s objective for the establishment of a university serving the north-west is being advanced through the Connacht Ulster Alliance (CUA) TU development consortium composed of Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Galway Mayo IT and IT Sligo. CUA is working on plans to submit an application seeking an order for establishment as a technological university under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (8 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...