Results 181-200 of 33,673 for speaker:Simon Harris in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (18 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: As Minister I have ensured an unrelenting focus on growing participation in apprenticeships. Underpinned by the measures in the Action Plan for Apprenticeship, the impact is very clear and positive, with significant growth of apprenticeship over the past number of years. Since 2021, over 27,000 people have registered as apprentices. Craft apprenticeship registrations for 2021- 2023 were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (18 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: The National Access Plan has called for more flexible forms of learning for target groups and those who are socio-economically disadvantaged. One of the priorities for Budget 2024 is reducing child poverty. We know that Education has the power to transform lives, lift people out of poverty and break down cycles of intergenerational poverty. I have been consistent in my position that we...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Employment Support Services (18 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: It is essential more than ever that our skills ecosystem has the agility and flexibility to adapt to changing priorities in the skills and workforce development landscape, with the backdrop of the accelerating and intensifying digital and green transitions. In this context, one of the key themes of the OECD Review of Ireland's National Skills Strategy published last May was the need to secure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Construction Industry (18 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: A key government priority is to increase the number of people employed in the construction sector. This is essential to the Government meeting its ambitious targets under Housing for All. The CSO Labour force survey of Q3 2023 shows when compared with pre-Covid levels of Q3 2019 the total employment in the sector has grown by 17,600. The Department works with sectoral partners such as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (18 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: The report as referenced from the Irish Federation of University Teachers does not seem to suggest that one-third of higher education teaching staff are planning to leave Ireland. This is not to say however that the report does not highlight some concerning issues and is a useful contribution to ongoing consideration of precarious employment. The issue of academic career precarity is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (18 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 348 and 352 together. The tertiary education system plays a central role in ensuring that our graduates from higher education, further education and training and from apprenticeship are equipped with the cognitive skills, the essential transversal skills, and the vocational and professional skills and competencies which will equip them for success in work...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (18 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: Increasing the number of apprentices and apprenticeships is crucial in meeting the targets this Government has set under Housing for All and the Climate Action Plan. A key target in our Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 is of 10,000 new apprentice registrations every year and we are very close to reaching that target with close to 9,000 last year. We expect to increase apprenticeship...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (18 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 350, 351, 353 and 357 together. The tertiary education system plays a central role in ensuring that our graduates from higher education, further education and training and from apprenticeship are equipped with the essential skills, vocational, professional and transversal skills and competencies that will equip them for success in work. These skills enhance...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (18 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: My officials are actively engaging with the Department of Health, the HSE and other relevant Health and Social Care Profession stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector. The availability of appropriate placements and placement supports is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Educational Institutions (18 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: The Deputy will be aware that there are a number of Programme for Government (PfG) commitments aimed at addressing bullying, including a commitment to commission surveys of staff and students in the areas of harassment, sexual harassment, and bullying in higher education. These surveys have now taken place and the findings published. Our higher education institutions have a duty of to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Education (18 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: Following on from improvements made to the Student Grant Scheme in Budget 2023, a range of further measures were announced as part of Budget 2024 to enhance the scheme and other supports. I am investing €31 million for improvements in Student Supports which will see students benefit from an increase in maintenance rates, the restoration of maintenance for eligible postgraduate students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (17 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1813 and 1814 together. My officials are reviewing the issues raised with Donegal ETB and a response will issue to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: The new engineering block at South East Technological University (SETU) Waterford Campus is a high priority project for my Department. It is one of five projects in the Higher Education PPP Bundle 2 project, two of which are for SETU; one at the Waterford campus and one at the Carlow campus. The SETU Waterford project is the largest in the Higher Education PPP Programme and will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (17 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: I would like to thank the Deputy for his question. Currently, 58 of the 73 statutory apprenticeship programmes have no qualifying criteria associated in regards to colour blindness. More generally, to support apprentices, information is sought at the point of registration on any additional supports that may be needed. Education and training providers offer learning and other supports to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Period Poverty (17 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1817, 1818 and 1819 together. As the Deputy is aware, matters relating to schools do not fall within my remit but that of my colleague Minister Foley. Regarding Education and Training Boards (ETBs), last year, a pilot called ‘Worryfree’ was rolled across further education and training colleges across six ETBs - see table below. The pilot...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (17 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: The National Access Plan has called for more flexible forms of learning for target groups and those who are socio-economically disadvantaged. One of the priorities for Budget 2024 is reducing child poverty. We know that Education has the power to transform lives, lift people out of poverty and break down cycles of intergenerational poverty. I have been consistent in my position that we...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Grant Payments (17 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: Improvements to the student grant scheme has been a key priority since becoming Minister, and I have already made a number of significant improvements to the Student Grant Scheme over past Budgets benefiting thousands of students. I have already started the process of increasing certain thresholds. From September 2024:-The Band 4 maintenance grantthreshold will increase from the current...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (17 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: PhD students who are awardees on Irish Research Council awards will each receive the stipend increase of €3,000 bringing the stipend amount to €22,000 per annum, effective from 1stJanuary 2024. Awardees on the Enterprise Partnership Postgraduate Scheme and the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme will receive the same increase.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (17 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has a statutory responsibility for the effective governance and regulation of the higher education system. In support of its mandate, the HEA exercises functions in respect of allocating the moneys provided by the Oireachtas for the core activities of the higher education institutions. It allocates over one billion euro in state funds annually to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (17 Jan 2024)

Simon Harris: In 2024, all of the PhD students who currently receive a stipend under Programmes funded by the Irish Research Council (IRC) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) will receive the stipend increase of €3,000 per annum, bringing the stipend amount to €22,000 per annum. The provision and level of stipend provided by PhD funders outside my Department is at the discretion of each...