Ninth Level Ireland

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the additional provisions being made to ensure an adequate supply of graduates with appropriate qualifications in the sciences, innovation and research with particular reference to the need to enhance Ireland’s capabilities in these areas and to fill the posts currently required and likely to be required in the future given international progress in these areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 20 May]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects third and fourth-level student numbers to increase at academic and technical level in the future in line with demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 20 May]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he hopes to encourage participation in third and fourth-level education throughout the country regardless of socioeconomic background; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 11 March]

“Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael): I am delighted to be here today again addressing Dáil Éireann on the work of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. We have been working very hard in recent months to establish a new Department. Indeed, the Department was only formally set up in law last August and we have tried to pursue an ambitious agenda of work since then …” (more)

[Dáil debates, 10 March]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which he expects science to play an increased role in the higher education sector with particular reference to ensuring an adequate number of graduates to meet the demands of the workplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 4 February]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the number of graduates specialising in innovation, research and science is likely to increase annually in the future with particular reference to increased skills in their respective areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil debates, 15 December]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he hopes to encourage participation in third and fourth-level education throughout the country regardless of socioeconomic background; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 10 December]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he is satisfied that the budget for his Department is adequate to meet the anticipated requirements throughout 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 10 December]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which reform of the CAO system is contemplated with a view to ensuring increased interest by students in courses in which an increase in the number of graduates is required; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 10 December]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the proportion of students opting for third and fourth-level education on an annual basis over the past five years can be addressed in the future by ensuring an increase in third-level places most likely to impact positively on the availability of graduates where required most in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 10 December]

“Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael): I very much welcome the opportunity to update the House on some of the work of the new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science just under five months on from its creation and the formation of the Government. I very much appreciate the support and interest from all sides of the Oireachtas for a new stand-alone Department to place a renewed focus on the further and higher education sectors and enhance and develop research and innovation …” (more)

[Dáil debates, 19 November]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which bullying has been identified in academia; the actions taken in response; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 20 October]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of incidents, reports made or complaints received of academic bullying throughout all universities in each of the past eight years to date; the nature of such events whether professional, gender or race related; the actions taken arising from such complaints by each third-level institution involved; if the practice has ceased; if not, the reason therefor; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 24 September]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of incidents of bullying, intimidation or harassment including sexual harassment reported in each of the past five years to date in third-level institutions; the extent to which such allegations were investigated; the action taken arising therefrom; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 17 September]

“Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael): I move: ‘That the Bill be now read a Second Time’. It is a great pleasure to present to the House the Ministers and Secretaries and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Bill 2020, which passed all Stages in the Seanad yesterday. This Bill establishes, for the first time in the history of the State, a Department focused on further and higher education, research, innovation and science. We will now have a Department whose chief remit will be the further and higher education needs of our economy and our people …” (debate, resumed debate)

[Dáil debates, 24 July]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if applicants for higher education grants that worked during the Covid-19 emergency will not incur a reduction or cessation of SUSI grant entitlement in view of the fact that they worked as requested during the emergency; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 30 June]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he remains satisfied regarding the availability on an ongoing basis of sufficiently qualified young persons with the skill sets sufficient to meet the demands of the modern workplace, academically and technically; the degree to which corrective steps are needed to address deficiencies in this vital area in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 25 June]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he continues to be engaged with the concept of the publicly funded education programme, with particular reference to the need to ensure that the system continues to produce an adequate number of suitably qualified graduates to meet the challenges and competition of the workplace here and abroad; the extent to which he remains satisfied regarding the ability of each stage of the educational system to achieve maximum targets in both the academic and technical spheres; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 8 May]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which he remains satisfied regarding the extent to which the third and fourth-level educational sector here remains adequate to meet competition from overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 28 November]

“Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which innovation continues to be a feature of enterprise and investment here; if she remains satisfied that new enterprises have adequate access to innovation technology and-or appropriate assistance from the European Union; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 18 October]