Results 421-440 of 1,116,005 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:Marian Harkin OR speaker:Catherine Murphy OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:Ruairi Ó Murchú OR speaker:Joan Collins OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Simon Harris OR speaker:Paschal Donohoe OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:Frank Feighan OR speaker:Marc MacSharry OR speaker:Francis Noel Duffy OR speaker:Michael Creed OR speaker:Brendan Smith OR speaker:Neale Richmond OR speaker:Chris Andrews OR speaker:Eamon Ryan OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:Mary Butler OR speaker:Christopher O'Sullivan OR speaker:Pa Daly OR speaker:Malcolm Noonan OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Darragh O'Brien OR speaker:Peter Burke OR speaker:Michael Lowry)

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Catherine Murphy: It makes no sense to me either. Do they have planning permission for anything other than their current use? Do they require planning permission if they are being used for something else?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Catherine Murphy: Okay. I now move to Deputy O'Connor.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I remind members to ensure their mobile phones are switched off for the duration of the meeting as they interfere with the broadcasting equipment, even when on silent mode. On behalf of the committee, I welcome the following representatives from the USI: Mr. Chris Clifford, national president; Mr. Bryan O'Mahony, deputy president and vice president, academic affairs; Ms Emma Monahan, vice...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I want to put a couple of questions, especially about students' working, which is something I am coming across more and more. When students are in college they should be in full-time education and focused on getting their degree or qualification but they are working one, two and three jobs in order to try to make ends meet. That is having a pretty severe impact on their education. Could I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Business of Joint Committee (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Apologies have been received from the Chair, Deputy Paul Kehoe. We will go briefly into private session.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: That should not be what we are aiming to do at all if people want to work over the summer months or even have a small part-time job. I remember working in a bar when I was in college. That was fine, as it did not impact on my studies. It was something like two evenings at the weekend. However, 40 hours a week is different. We have to accept that the primary job when in college is to get...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is the worst of both worlds, paying for accommodation that still involves travelling. There is no benefit to that at all.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I echo Deputy Farrell's comment about the great work that USI does. I thank the witnesses for coming and sharing their insights and experiences. It is extremely important to us as committee members to hear people who are much closer to the issues than we are. It has been very beneficial. We will suspend for a changing of the guard, to let the witnesses from USI out and the departmental...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: On behalf of the committee I welcome Mr. Keith Moynes, assistant secretary, higher education policy division; Ms Ann Gorman, principal officer, higher education policy division; and Mr. Éamonn Dunnican, principal officer, corporate services and capital division, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science; and Mr. Philip Connolly, director of services;...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank Mr. Moynes and call Deputy Jim O'Callaghan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I want to return to the issue of purpose-built accommodation. Mr. Dunican can remain in the hot seat despite his recent appointment. A key issue is around a borrowing framework for technological universities. All of the universities Mr. Dunican outlined are universities rather than technological universities. I am obviously speaking from a particular bias where South East Technological...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: We were given to understand, or certainly I was as a Member of the Oireachtas, that we were a lot closer. In terms of the process Mr. Moynes is talking about, are we still 12, 18, 24 months away from finding a way to a resolution?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: We have got those courses but there have been no build projects as of yet.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is very badly needed. SETU is a particular example in that it functions as the university for the south east. We do not have a second option. On the make-up of the 30% at below market rates, the term "cost rental" is thrown around to such a degree that it is difficult to understand what it actually means. I have heard it applied to purpose-built student accommodation. I do not know...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: There are concerns because, as we have seen with purpose-built student accommodation developed off campus, although perhaps not with that developed on campus, it can be much more expensive than standard accommodation. Very often, it is aimed at those coming here from abroad. The funding model in our third level institutions sees people coming from outside of the EU as the cash cow that pays...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I understand that. My time is running out, but I will allow myself a little bit of leeway. I want to speak about one of the issues the USI has raised. It arises when students have part-time jobs and, in particular, when they go away for the summer. In any earning situation, it is very difficult to limit yourself to a certain threshold. If I take a given number of shifts over three...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: In the work SUSI does with students, does it hear of this issue arising often? How often does SUSI run into this issue?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Financial Supports for Tertiary Level Students: Discussion (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the officials for coming here today. This briefing has been informative and beneficial. This joint committee is adjourned until 11 a.m. on Tuesday, 5 November, when we will meet in private session followed by a public session. I remind Deputies that a meeting of the select committee will take place this Thursday at 1.30 p.m.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: Let us take the OPW's estimate of €70 million, bearing in mind how inaccurate some estimates have proven to be within the OPW recently in developing much smaller developments. Does it not cause Mr. Conlon a great degree of concern that the OPW is proposing to spend €70 million, at a minimum, on a national children's science centre in the middle of Dublin, a very busy city,...

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2023
Vote 13 - Office of Public Works (22 Oct 2024)

Ciarán Cannon: It is not a question of it feeling threatened. I am suggesting it should become the national children's science centre, bearing in mind it is already there and is visited by up to 250,000 children every year. With an investment of a fraction of the €70 million of taxpayers' money we are proposing to spend, which I still think is a very conservative estimate, it could and should...