Ninth Level Ireland

“Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael): I thank the committee for the opportunity to speak to it as part of its consideration of the Department’s Revised Estimates. I am accompanied today by the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, who has responsibility for skills and further education and by officials from the Department. I am conscious that I have only five minutes to deliver my opening statement so I will be very brief and give an overview of the Revised Estimates for my Department for 2021. I can pick up on issues in the exchanges with members. The allocation for the Department’s 2021 Estimate was drawn up in late 2020 as part of the 2021 Estimates process, which allocated an additional €236 million …” (more)

[Select Committee on Education and Skills, 23 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]

“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris and Minister of State for Further Education and Skills Niall Collins have today launched a three-year strategy for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science …” (more)

[gov.ie, 8 March]

“A number of TDs have criticsed the chatter emanating from some quarters regarding the location of the headquarters of the new South-east university, saying it is not helpful. At the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills, chair Paul Kehoe said people were doing ‘a considerable amount of damage’ to the TUSE …” (more)

[Sam Matthews, Kilkenny People, 4 March]

“The minority of UL students who are flouting public health guidelines are ‘letting themselves, their families and their communities down’, Minister Niall Collins has said. The Minister of State at the Department of Higher Education was speaking following comments made by students on RTÉ’s Drivetime last week …” (more)

[Donal O’Regan, Limerick Leader, 1 March]

“Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein): It will come as no surprise to the Minister of State to hear me say that I believe in a publicly-funded model of third level education and moving towards the complete removal of fees. Universities and colleges have been underfunded for over a decade, forcing them to find money in the private sector or to charge international students huge fees …” (more)

[Seanad debates, 26 January]

“Sinn Féin Senator Fintan Warfield today called on the Government to directly intervene in cases where key components of university courses have not proceeded due to Covid-19, and to ask for reductions in fees for the next academic year. Speaking on the issue in the Seanad today, Senator Warfield said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 26 January]

“Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael): With the agreement of the House, I will share my time with the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins. I welcome the opportunity to update the House on the impact of Covid-19 on the further and higher education sector. I was a little disappointed that, for the first time in my political career, some Members of the Dáil actually voted not to have me here today for questions and answers. I find that a little bit regrettable, as almost half a million people in this country are in further or higher education …” (more)

[Dáil debates, 14 January]

“Annie Hoey (Labour): I am raising the need to address the issue around higher education funding being potentially lost to students who withdraw from their courses and the knock-on consequences that this will have not only for free fees – a term I use lightly – but also for their access to Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grants …” (more)

[Seanad debates, 15 December]

“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris today (Monday) welcomed the application to establish a new technological university in the Midlands and Mid-West from Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology …” (more)

[gov.ie, 23 November]

“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]

“Niall Collins, Junior Education Minister, talks to Cormac about the €50 million scheme launched today to help third level students …” (audio)

[RTÉ – Drivetime, 19 November]

“The State’s current policy on student accommodation and housing is ‘not working’, according to the Minister for Further and Higher Education. Simon Harris was speaking to the Oireachtas education committee with Minister of State Niall Collins to discuss the establishment of the Munster Technological University (MTU) …” (more)

[Jess Casey, BreakingNews.ie, 12 November]

“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD and Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins TD have today announced a series of new measures as part of Budget 2021. The package includes …” (more)

[MerrionStreet.ie, 13 October]

“Third-level students who have paid for accommodation up-front should ‘absolutely’ be refunded, says Fianna Fail TD and Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins. Third-level institutions were originally supposed to be offering a ‘blended’ experience to students with some classes taking place online and others on-campus. Thus, many students have moved to university, however, with new Level 3 restrictions it is unlikely they will be attending lectures in person …” (more)

[Ciara O’Loughlin, Independent, 11 October]

“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]