Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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602. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider increasing the number of higher education places available through the HEAR and DARE schemes in order to provide students experiencing educational disadvantage the opportunity to obtain their preferred third-level places; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24853/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The HEAR and DARE schemes are operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) who set the policy criteria for the schemes. Admissions under the schemes are regulated by the higher education institutions themselves. Each institution determines its own admissions policy in relation to the schemes, the number of places they reserve and the allocation of those places.

Applications to both schemes are submitted to the Central Applications Office (CAO) who coordinate the scheme for participating institutions.

As such, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has no role in the policy criteria of the scheme.

All enquiries should be directed to the CAO, through the ‘contact us’ facility where the HEAR / DARE co-ordinator will respond directly and advise appropriately.