Results 10,921-10,940 of 45,539 for speaker:Simon Harris

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...

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

Simon Harris: The Department of Further and Higher Education; Research; Innovation and Science operates from accommodation provided by the Department of Education and Science and the response provided by that Department will incorporate this Department.

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

Simon Harris: In accordance with the terms of the Public Service Management Act 1997 I will be appointing two Special Advisers to assist me in carrying out my ministerial functions at the Department which will not be subject to a civil service secondment arrangement. The current salary scale applicable to the position of Special Adviser is as follows: Point Amount 1 ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (8 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. As providers, it is the responsibility of each higher education institution (HEI) to put in place appropriate supports to ensure that the needs of students of disabilities are met. Each HEI has an access and...

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

Simon Harris: Under my Department’s free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible full-time undergraduate students with students paying the student contribution which currently stands at €3,000. The Student Contribution, was introduced with effect from the 2011/12 academic year. There has been no increase in the contribution since 2014/15. In...

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

Simon Harris: I envisage that two special advisers will be appointed by my Department.

Back to School, Further and Higher Education and Special Education: Statements (3 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy and I will respond to him in writing on those issues. The Deputy is exactly right about the new appreciation we all have for teachers and other people working throughout the education system. I look forward to working with Deputy Carey on trying to drive investment. I saw some very positive investment in regard to the further education facility in Ennis in recent days...

Back to School, Further and Higher Education and Special Education: Statements (3 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. If we were in normal times, I would organise a briefing in the audiovisual room. However, I hope to organise an online briefing for Oireachtas Members on the SUSI grant system with SUSI officials. I know we are all getting a lot of queries into our offices, so I will arrange for that to happen very shortly. I want to make sure there is flexibility this year. SUSI...

Back to School, Further and Higher Education and Special Education: Statements (3 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I will send the Deputy a note on the technicalities in regard to how that is done but I believe it is working quite well. If the Deputy's belief is to the contrary, I will come back to him on that. On the issue of accommodation, there are two points. First, we do not have enough college-owned accommodation. There is an issue at present, as the Deputy will know from his own...

Back to School, Further and Higher Education and Special Education: Statements (3 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: There certainly should not be. Through the Higher Education Authority, we have effectively given a quota to each higher education institution. We have ordered almost 17,000 in bulk and they are distributed. Legally, I think they may remain in the ownership of the college but they are given to the student, and there absolutely should not be any fee associated with that.

Back to School, Further and Higher Education and Special Education: Statements (3 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: All institutions funded through the Higher Education Authority should have received funding from the mental health pot, if we may call it that, and from the digital pot. Those institutions in the further education space that have not received it should receive funding through the education and training boards, the ETBs. I am aware that the Deputy and I are due to have a meeting next week on...

Back to School, Further and Higher Education and Special Education: Statements (3 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I will ask the Minister, Deputy Foley, and will come back to the Deputy on the issue of engaging. It is always important that Government engages with people, so I hope that could happen. On the specific issue on lecturers and staffing, if people have underlying health conditions their health must be our priority. There are established protocols in primary, second level, and higher...