Results 11,681-11,700 of 46,456 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: To reply to Deputy Conway-Walsh's question, as the Deputy will know, on 5 August, a very detailed implementation advice regarding public health and the return to third level education was published. A huge amount of work has been undertaken by the sector, including by the Union of Students of Ireland, which sits on a group that meets every Friday that I attend also. It will meet again in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: 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 relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. To satisfy the terms and conditions of the Student Grant Scheme in relation to progression, a student must be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (17 Sep 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 have resulted in the highest ever number of applicants receiving a CAO offers, with 53,815 CAO applicants receiving round one offers on Friday. It is not envisaged that any places further to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Institutions (17 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Statistics of this nature have not historically been collected on a systematic basis from the higher education sector. However, in 2019 information was collected which highlighted the following data in respect of 19 institutions, where information was available.  The specific actions adjudged necessary and taken as a result of any such incident are matters...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (17 Sep 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, not by my Department, and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (17 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I would like to thank USI for it's submission and outlining student priorities. 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 Higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Briefing (17 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: My Department provided a briefing document to me on my appointment as Minister.  In line with established practise, the document will be published on the Department's website shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (16 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The CAO system is a system that works on the assumption that grades obtained in the Leaving Certificate by candidates determine their points. It is on this basis that the CAO system allocates places to applicants including those from different years. For the 2020 CAO system to proceed to pave the way for entry to higher education for the majority of applicants within the current...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (16 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: My Department does not collect figures on the number of students from Ireland who choose to pursue their third level studies abroad, and as such has no basis to make a prediction on the number of students choosing to do so this year. The number of students who accept CAO offers depends on a wide range of factors, such, and the full picture will not be known until all places are filled at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (16 Sep 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 have resulted in the highest ever number of applicants receiving a CAO offers, with 53,815 CAO applicants receiving round one offers on Friday. A summary of the additional places provided, by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund (15 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. The higher and further education providers will determine which individual students should be prioritised to receive a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (15 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 535, 540, 542 and 560 together. The CAO system is a system that works on the assumption that grades obtained in the Leaving Certificate by candidates determine their points. It is on this basis that the CAO system allocates places to applicants including those from different years. For the 2020 CAO system to proceed to pave the way for entry to higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (15 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 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 for approximately 44% of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland (15 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: Student Universal Support Ireland (15 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: Third Level Admissions (15 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: This year in the CAO Round 1 offers, 24,458 students received a first preference offer for a Level 8 course. This is in comparison to 23,129 students last year, an increase of 1,329 or 6% on last year. 28,677 students received a first preference offer for a level 7/6 course, an increase of 1,403 or 5% on last year. There is some overlap in these categories, as a student can receive a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (15 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are academically independent and have the right to determine the procedures and criteria for the selection and admission of students. The CAO process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on behalf of the higher education institutions. Admissions under the alternative routes and schemes, including places for applications under...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (15 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: I appreciate that this year has been a difficult one for students, and my Department has been working with representatives from the higher education sector to address the challenges faced by students. I understand based on the information available to me that students in university-owned accommodation have received pro-rata refunds if they have vacated their accommodation. I have indicated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (15 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are governed by the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technologies Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Within the meaning of these Acts, HEIs are autonomous with regard to the management of their academic affairs and as such retain the right to determine their own procedures and processes, including admissions. Neither the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions (15 Sep 2020)

Simon Harris: The Attorney General is the legal adviser to the Government and as such advice received by Government is legally privileged. Consequently, I am not in a position to share or release the advice concerned. However I have set out the substance of it in my media interviews and press conference last week.