Results 701-720 of 1,088,880 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Neale Richmond OR speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill OR speaker:Denis Naughten OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Thomas Gould OR speaker:Gerald Nash OR speaker:Matt Carthy OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Colm Brophy OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:Darren O'Rourke OR speaker:Patrick O'Donovan OR speaker:Réada Cronin OR speaker:Michael McNamara OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte OR speaker:Paul McAuliffe OR speaker:Michael Healy-Rae OR speaker:Jim O'Callaghan OR speaker:Joe Flaherty OR speaker:Denise Mitchell OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue) in 'Committee meetings'

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I would call it an organic process of engagement. Since the technological universities were established, we are cognisant we want to invest a significant amount of capital in them, which we have done, continue to do and will do in the near future. The mechanism to do it will not be arrived at by our Department in isolation. A number of Departments and entities will have a say in that,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank the Minister and officials from the Department for coming before the committee. I welcome the €1,000 reduction in the student contribution fee. What will happen to students and their families who paid the full amount prior to the announcement in the budget? Will they be reimbursed or will it be carried over? Do they have the option?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: It can be recovered.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: Do they have to apply for it or will it automatically be-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: They will be notified and it will automatically come back.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: There was a good announcement in the budget about the increase in the stipend paid to PhD students. I think it is up to €25,000. When will that commence?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Immediately. It is a provision for next year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: Do they have to apply or is it automatically-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: It is automatic.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: In terms of the corporate and financial oversight of the higher education sector and technological universities, the Minister will be aware some third level institutions have got into difficulty over financial decisions. Are there plans to review oversight arrangements or is the Minister happy with them?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: HEIs are autonomous organisations and come before the public accounts committee having had their accounts reviewed by the Comptroller and Auditor General. I have already told my officials and relayed to the Higher Education Authority that a number of these are running through. They are independent of the Department. There will be an opportunity for the Higher Education Authority to, for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: Is the Minister satisfied the existing legislation can give effect to the financial oversight?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: One of the things it does is allow us to do what we are doing and what we are seeing at the moment. In the absence of the HEA Act, we would not have had a section 64 process in any higher education institutes. On that basis alone, it is a huge improvement. We have to have regard, as a Government, to the fact that while most of the HEIs derive the lion's share of their funding from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: Grade inflation in the leaving certificate is primarily an issue for the Minister for Education but is the Minister concerned that in this and previous years we have seen students who got maximum points not able to get into the course of their choosing? Does he have any empathy for them? Is there anything he would like to see developed to ensure that does not happen in the future?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I heard my colleague, the Minister for Education, on the radio this morning talking to Claire Byrne about this. She laid out in easy to understand terms why grade inflation was introduced. She said the introduction of a cliff edge now would be equally difficult for students to bear for a variety of reasons. I support her in that but I also support her in the concept of moving away from...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: This committee was intimately involved in hearings in respect of Research Ireland and the resulting legislation. An issue arose in respect of the person appointed acting chief executive ending up in the courts. Will the Minister provide an update on the new agency? Is he happy with its direction?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: We gave legislative effect to Research Ireland and it was commenced on 1 August. Celine Fitzgerald has been appointed CEO on an interim basis and Michael Horgan is the chairman. It was not without its difficulties. I think everybody acknowledges that. However, the most important thing is that in the passage of the legislation through the Oireachtas, TDs and Senators were anxious to point...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I wish the interim CEO well. Whether it is her or someone else, when does the Minister expect to appoint a permanent CEO?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I do not have a date but can revert in due course. It is something we are anxious to do. We have to have a process but it will be during the calendar year 2025, there or thereabouts.