Results 441-460 of 1,168,057 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Eamon Scanlon OR speaker:Joan Burton OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Joan Burton0 OR speaker:Patrick O'Donovan OR speaker:Cathal Crowe OR speaker:James Browne OR speaker:Pat Buckley OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Denis Naughten OR speaker:Gerald Nash OR speaker:Seán Haughey OR speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue OR speaker:Paul McAuliffe OR speaker:Jim O'Callaghan OR speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn OR speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor OR speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett OR speaker:Alan Dillon OR speaker:Seán Sherlock OR speaker:Michael Ring OR speaker:Mary Lou McDonald OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Martin Heydon OR speaker:Hildegarde Naughton OR speaker:Niamh Smyth OR speaker:Eamon Ryan OR speaker:Brendan Smith OR speaker:Christopher O'Sullivan OR speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:Pádraig O'Sullivan OR speaker:Simon Harris OR speaker:Joan Burton6 OR speaker:Aindrias Moynihan OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Holly Cairns OR speaker:Joan Burton7 OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:Denise Mitchell OR speaker:Peter Fitzpatrick OR speaker:Pearse Doherty)

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)

Jim O'Callaghan: I welcome members of the Department before the committee this afternoon. In order for us to respond adequately to the financial challenges that are faced by students, we need to know how many of them are being forced out of third level as a result of financial pressures. Can Mr. Moynes tell us if there are any statistics on that or any way we can get that information?

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

Jim O'Callaghan: If a student drops out, is there any follow-up with them? What happens with regard to the Department’s knowledge of their disappearance?

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

Jim O'Callaghan: Does Mr. Moynes believe it would be beneficial if third level institutions were to automatically follow up with students who drop out? I am conscious they may not get a response but if we are trying to get this information, we need to look at third level institutions following up.

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

Jim O'Callaghan: The biggest financial challenge that students face and we have just discussed this with the USI, is the cost of accommodation, particularly for students who are not living at home. What is the Department doing to try to encourage third level institutions to consider the construction of accommodation on campus? Also, what can the Department do to ensure that such accommodation as is put on...

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

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank Mr. Dunican.

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

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank Mr. Dunican for that answer. There are about nine higher education institutions that offer courses through the CAO which are not approved for SUSI grants. Are there any signs that discrepancy is going to be addressed? How does Mr. Moynes think that is going to progress?

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...