Written Answers Nos. 750-768
750. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health when the HSE is releasing the home care packages; how long it will take to clear the backlog of home care packages for those in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19527/24]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible
751. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in relation to the announcement in Budget 2024 that SUSI would pay fees of part-time students (details supplied) for the academic year 2024-2025, when he will provide guidelines to SUSI in order that this process can commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18752/24]
View answerI am pleased to inform the Deputy that a pilot part time grant scheme will be introduced from September 2024.
It will provide fee support to eligible part-time students attending specified publicly funded undergraduate courses leading to a major award.
The scheme is currently being finalised and the Department is working closely with SUSI on this. Details of the Scheme will be issued in due course.
752. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 493 of 7 and 208 of 23 March 2023, the current stage the process is at; the timeline for when it is proposed this matter will be concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18806/24]
View answerAs outlined in previous responses, officials from my Department have submitted a business case to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to support access to the single public service pension scheme for those researchers who are not currently able to join the scheme. The business case remains under review, and DFHERIS will only be able to progress this matter further when a response is received.
The Deputy may wish to note that my officials agreed with staff and management representatives to refer this matter to the national Public Sector Agreement Group established under Building Momentum prior to the expiration of that agreement. In light of the recent ratification of the new Public Service Agreement, it would be the intention to refer this issue to the new Joint Implementation Committee for their consideration.
753. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total number of copper communication lines within his Department that are currently in active operation and for which his Department is paying for on a monthly basis, inclusive of ISDN, PTSN and copper-based lease lines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18838/24]
View answerThe Department's communications infrastructure is provided and managed by the Department of Education as part of a shared service agreement. The Department of Education currently has 11 ISDN/PSTN lines and 42 DSL lines. The lines are predominantly in use by the Department's regional offices. The necessity for PSTN/ISDN and DSL technology is mainly due to the unavailability of fibre connections at that location. Additionally, these lines are required for FAX, franking machines and lift services. However, with the continuous expansion of fibre availability, the Department intends to transition as many lines as possible to fibre/SIP connections.
754. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of WTE staff employed by Kildare-Wicklow Education and Training Board for the teaching of the English language to persons with little or no speaking English in 2022, 2023 and to-date in 2024, in tabular form. [18913/24]
View answerAll of the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) offer English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training, as part of their adult literacy provision, to meet the day-to-day social, cultural and work-related language needs of migrants/refugees.
All ESOL provision is free, and caters for all competency levels of learners, from beginner, to intermediate, and advanced.
My officials are engaging with Kildare and Wicklow ETB to obtain the data requested by the Deputy. My officials will revert to the Deputy when this exercise is complete.
755. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the supports in place to assist Ukrainian refugees with the cost of third-level education (details supplied). [18975/24]
View answerFollowing the Government decision to ensure supports delivered to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) are aligned with those available to Irish citizens, my Department, in common with all other Departments, is currently reviewing supports delivered in the context of Further and Higher Education.
I anticipate that the outcome of this process will be concluded shortly, and updates will be communicated though the Government website at www.gov.ie/ Migration and Ireland
756. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of exams (details supplied) that have experienced computer glitches and therefore could not be completed by applicants in the past five years, in tabular form; what remedies have been taken to resolve these computer glitches; the steps that have been taken for the persons affected by these computer glitches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18977/24]
View answerThe HPAT is independently administered by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) on behalf of the universities’ medical schools and the RCSI. The selection criteria and process for admission to medical schools is a matter for those institutions in line with their statutory autonomy in relation to academic affairs. Neither the Minister nor the Department has a function in these matters and it is not within our remit to intervene in the HPAT examination process.
Complaints regarding the admission to the medical schools, including in relation to the HPAT, are best directed to ACER itself, or the universities medical schools and the RCSI.
It is stated on the ACER website that any technical issues during the test should be reported to the proctor immediately. Further information regarding the complaints and appeals policy of ACER is available at www.hpat-ireland.acer.org/complaints-and-appeals.
757. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of Ireland’s national supercomputer; the length of time remaining on its lifespan or if it has been decommissioned; when a new supercomputer will be available to academia, industry, and Government Departments and agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19088/24]
View answer758. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has approached the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment regarding co-funding for procuring Ireland’s new national supercomputer; if not, the reason therefor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19089/24]
View answer759. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how powerful Ireland’s current national supercomputer is; how powerful the new national supercomputer will be; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19090/24]
View answer760. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department has considered making the Irish centre for high end-computing a standalone State agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19091/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 757, 758, 759 and 760 together.
Since 2005 the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) has made high-performance computing (HPC) resources available to all researchers based in Irish third-level institutions. Their services are also available to users in industry and the public sector.
ICHEC’s current high-performance computer, Kay, was due to reach its effective end of life in November 2023. In anticipation of this and in order to maintain the existing level of HPC provision to the academic and enterprise community, an interim service was deployed to maintain the provision of a public HPC service, pending a strategic review of HPC provision in Ireland. A tender was published by ICHEC in July 2023 seeking compute resources with a similar environment and user interface as that provided by Kay. Subsequently this contract was awarded in November 20232 to LuxProvide, the HPC organization operating Luxembourg’s supercomputer MeluXina which is part of the EUs network of supercomputers. Irish researchers, assisted by the ICHEC team, now have dedicated access to MeluXina, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe.
All ICHEC national service projects will eventually be hosted on MeluXina with a gradual migration of existing projects from Kay through the first half of 2024. ICHEC have been running a series of roadshows with their academic community to orient users to the interim service. In addition, Irish researchers continue to use to a range of other EU supercomputers available to them on a competitive basis, due to Irelands membership of The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU).
Before Kay can be replaced, an independent review of national HPC requirements and a cost-benefit analysis of various options available is required. My Department in consultation with all stakeholders including the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has already initiated this process which is due to conclude later this year. This review is required, in part, due to the unprecedented cost of the new generation of HPC solutions which may require significant additional exchequer commitment and the level of due diligence required to justify such an investment.
761. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of an issue impacting upon non-EU citizens teaching and studying in Irish institutes of further and higher education whereby they are unable to secure appointments to apply for Schengen area visas; if he has engaged with his EU counterparts on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19125/24]
View answerMy department has not been made aware of any issues impacting non-EU citizens working in Irish further and higher education institutions in securing appointments for these types of visas.
As Ireland is not a member of the Schengen area, it therefore has has no role in setting the conditions attached to visiting Schengen area countries.
762. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to list all Acts and Statutory Instruments sponsored by his Department which became law from 20 February 2020 to date in 2024 and which were necessitated, either in whole or in part, to transpose or give effect to regulations, directives or other measures passed at European Union level. [19167/24]
View answerSince 2020 when my Department was established, it has transposed one EU Regulation, the details of which are as follows:
• S.I. No. 413/2022 - European Union (Regulated Professions Proportionality Assessment) Regulations 2022 was signed into law on 15 August, 2022. It transposed Directive (EU) 2018/958 on a proportionality test before adoption of new regulation of professions.
763. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of the work of the UCD Professional Academy; what routes to public funding are available for the academy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19314/24]
View answerThank you Deputy for your question. I understand that the UCD Professional Academy is part of University College Dublin (UCD) and has a particular focus on the provision of short industry specific courses.
As the Deputy will be aware, UCD is an autonomous body which is funded in a variety of ways including State grants; competitive funding; tuition fees and commercial/private income streams.
In terms of State grant funding, my Department allocates recurrent grant funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to HEA funded higher education institutions, including UCD. This grant is an allocation towards the ongoing running costs of the institutions and is part of their operating budget alongside other income. The HEA allocates the available funding through their recurrent grant allocation model (RGAM). Internal disbursement of the grant funding, including allocations across faculties or schools is a matter for the institution.
It is open to UCD Professional Academy to enter into partnerships with public sector bodies to provide industry specific training. It is also open to providers to apply for funding calls such as Springboard+ which is managed by the HEA.
764. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide the amount of grant-aid returned and or surrendered to his Department, by local authority in 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024, to include the heading of which it was intended for. [19362/24]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that no grant-aid has been returned or surrendered to my Department by a local authority in 2022, 2023 or to date in 2024.
765. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of people who begin apprenticeships in the construction trades but drop out before completion, broken down by apprenticeship type, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19434/24]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy of the number of people who begin apprenticeships in the construction trades but drop out before completion, broken down by apprenticeship type, in tabular form, from 2010 to present, is being compiled by SOLAS. An answer will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as the information is available.
766. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science where applications in relation to the use of the dormant funds accounts to support those young care leavers seeking student accommodation can be made; the guidelines for applying; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19465/24]
View answerI am committed to addressing the supply of more affordable student accommodation for priority group students, in line with policy commitments set out in the National Access Plan (NAP). The NAP aims to support inclusion and diversity in the student body, address the wider struggles and challenges for students, and deliver sustainable progress. It recognises the needs of vulnerable learners, the most marginalised and those with special and additional needs.
The plan targets and supports students who are socio-economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities and students from the Irish Traveller community. The NAP has, for the first time, recognised children in care/care leavers, as a target sub-group within the overall policy.
The Department's application for Dormant Accounts Funding to assist students from the Traveller and Roma Communities, and Care Leavers; with the cost of college accommodation was approved in November 2023.
The specifics of the scheme are in development with the HEA and representative bodies and once finalised the Department will publish details of the scheme including the rules of the scheme and how to apply. These details will be available by the end of Q2.
767. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will look into a situation where a person is waiting on wages (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19485/24]
View answerOfficials in this Department have contacted SOLAS on this matter, and they have advised that they are currently reviewing the invoice received with regard to compliance requirements for current public sector workers and will revert directly to the referred to person in due course.
768. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a person who was studying medicine at a university (details supplied) can continue their studies here in Ireland given the ongoing conflict in the region; how they can go about transferring their course to here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19519/24]
View answerAs autonomous institutions, admissions policies, including advanced entry through prior learning in a Higher Education Institution abroad, is a matter for each University.
