Ninth Level Ireland

“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]

“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): … I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to present the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2020 to the House. The primary purpose of the Bill is to establish the new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The establishment of the Department is a major initiative of the new Government. It underscores our strong belief that the interface of knowledge, skills, innovation and access to educational opportunity at further and higher level is critical to our future prosperity and fairness as a society …” (more)

[Seanad debates, 23 July]

“The Higher Education Authority (HEA) today, Wednesday 22nd July, welcomed the publication of a high-level Government Roadmap towards the return to higher education in autumn 2020 by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD and Minister of State Niall Collins TD …” (more)

[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 22 July]

“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD and Minister of State for Further Education Niall Collins TD have today launched the National Further Education and Training Strategy. The strategy sets out a five-year roadmap for the sector which is built around three key pillars …” (more)

[Department of Education and Skills, 16 July]

“Returning to third level college in the autumn is going to be ‘exceptionally challenging’ says Limerick TD Niall Collins. The newly appointed Minister of State at the Department of Higher Education, Innovation and Science with responsibility for Skills and Further Education was speaking following the announcement by the University of Limerick of their plans for the new academic semester …” (more)

[Aine Fitzgerald, Limerick Leader, 9 July]

“Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins has tonight been appointed as a minister of state in the newly created Department of Higher Education. In a tweet tonight, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris welcomed Collins, saying that he was ‘looking forward to working with the new Minister of State as we create our new Department’ …” (more)

[Cormac Watson, University Times, 1 July]

“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the eligibility criteria for SUSI grants will be changed to take account of changed financial circumstances that parents of students are experiencing presently; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 9 June]

“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will engage with third-level colleges and universities that have to date failed to refund some students for their prepaid student accommodation not now being used; if he will request that students be fully refunded; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 3 June]

“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the Minister of State with special responsibility for higher education or officials on her behalf have ever directly or indirectly canvassed the president of a higher education institution on behalf of a job applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 17 December]

“Four years after the Limerick Leader first reported that two members of the UL finance department had been suspended after refusing the offer of a settlement package that included a confidentiality agreement, the employees known as Persons B and C have yet to have their situations resolved …” (more)

[Limerick Leader, 23 August]

“Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Trade Niall Collins TD has revealed that the number of students participating in the J1 Visa Programme has declined in recent years. The figures released to Deputy Collins reveal that the number of students heading to the US on the J1 Visa has declined from 4,347 in 2016 to 4,190 in 2017 to 3,522 in 2018 …” (more)

[Fianna Fáil, 21 July]

“Just €14.4 million has been allocated in Budget 2018 compared to allocations of €30.4 million and €14.4 million in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Ireland’s future economic prosperity is being put at risk by the apparent failure of the Government to adequately resource third level funding schemes, claims Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Niall Collins TD …” (more)

[Hot Press, 15 January]

“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount allocated to the programme for research in third level institutions in 2018 …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 14 December]

“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the Exchequer funding allocated to Science Foundation Ireland on an annual basis since it was established up to 2017; and the 2018 allocation …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 14 December]

“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the academic and non-academic staff employed in all universities, higher education authority designated colleges and the institutes of technology during the periods December 2014, December 2015 and December 2016 respectively in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 20 June]

“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on the latest findings by the EU’s research and innovation observatory (details supplied) which indicates that research and development funding here is largely focused on multinationals rather than SMEs and that research and development here is below that of average spends by firms in other EU nations; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 25 May]

“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she is satisfied with the level of funding allocated to the programme for research in third level institutions on an annual basis in 2017; and the amount of funding that has been ring-fenced for research and frontier research in 2017 …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 23 March]

“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on his meeting with the University of Limerick whistleblowers; the feedback provided to them; the course of action he now plans to follow; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 7 March]

“Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Jobs, Innovation, and Enterprise, Niall Collins has said that the future health of the Irish economy is being put at risk by the failure of Minister Mitchell O’Connor to adequately fund 3rd level research …” (more)

[Fianna Fáil, 26 February]

“Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the total amount of funding allocated to the programme for research in third level institutions on an annual basis from 2010 to 2016 in tabular form; the total amount subsequently expended in each year; the amount of funding that has been allocated in 2017; the amount of funding that has been ring-fenced for research and frontier research in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 23 February]