Vol. 1039 No. 5
81. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will outline his plans for student accommodation, in terms of both digs and vacancy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25327/23]
We are all aware of the serious housing crisis in the State at the moment. We know also how this impacts on students and their ability to attend third level institutions across the State. I recall years ago in Galway when students simply had to line up outside the offices of the Galway Advertiser on a Thursday waiting for the notices, but that is not the case anymore. Many students are finding it difficult to find accommodation. Will the Minister outline his plans in this regard?
I thank the Deputy for the question. I agree that this absolutely has to be, and is, a priority area. We need to, and we have, changed the policy on student accommodation. If the Deputy and I were having this conversation just before Christmas, or if we were talking about it last September, the factual position in Ireland was that universities had either decided, or not, to fund their own student accommodation and the private market had done that, and there had not been State intervention. I was very clear when I became Minister that this was not an acceptable position. Now, for the first time, we are using Exchequer funding to start trying to get student accommodation projects under way.
My Department is actively trying to address the availability of student accommodation, given the challenges in the wider rental market. Through Housing For All, the Government has approved the development of policy and provision of funding to increase the supply of purpose-built student accommodation. I am pleased this has resulted in the State directly supporting the recommencement of 1,071 new student accommodation units by our higher education institutions. These were the projects where planning permission existed but had stalled because they were viewed as not being viable. We have intervened to make sure it is possible to get them back moving. That is 1,071 units. I am also pleased to be able to tell the Deputy that my officials are also assessing a number of other projects with planning permission for delivery of additional supply. I specifically highlight UCD in that regard.
My Department is also supporting increased use of digs accommodation through the rent-a-room scheme. I am aware this might not work for everyone but it does work for some every year. The Government has approved the extension of the scheme income disregard for social welfare recipients or medical card holders. If a person has a spare room, the changes approved now will allow a local authority tenant to access the scheme for the first time. Perhaps an older person who is in receipt of the fuel allowance and the medical card has a spare room and would like to rent it out to a student but was worried that, in doing so, he or she would lose the medical card or lose the fuel allowance. That older person now will not lose those. A person can actually earn up to €14,000 per annum in rental income before any tax is due. The Government will launch a national media campaign to promote awareness of, and participation in, the rent-a-room scheme, targeted in particular at homeowners. The Government has also approved funding of €1 million to support the technological universities to help them begin to develop their student accommodation plans.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. We are aware that the whole accommodation situation at the moment is a complete and utter disaster. Unfortunately, that is also the case for students. I commend the UCD students' union on the survey it did over a two-year period, which was published a fortnight ago. It contained very interesting findings but they were also very difficult findings. It shows that for a lot of people who may have had access to third level education who previously had been locked out, are now being locked out as a result of the housing crisis. The survey showed that 71% of students had difficulties or extreme difficulties in meeting their monthly housing-related costs. The same percentage had difficulties in actually finding the accommodation. People were paying €750 to €900 per month. This is completely and utterly unsustainable.
I hear what the Minister is saying about the shovel-ready projects that are being progressed. How many of them with planning permission are still there that need to be progressed?
That is a very fair question. I was looking back at figures while the Deputy was asking the question. We have approved €59 million worth of taxpayer investment in student accommodation projects, just since last December - certainly we did some before Christmas and some after Christmas. This has allowed projects to move forward in Dublin City University, Maynooth University, University of Galway and University of Limerick. The next ones we are now looking at are another three potential projects: one each in UCD, Trinity College, and UCC. I hope to bring further proposals to Cabinet very shortly over the summer months. As the Deputy will be aware, UCD has planning permission to develop up to 1,254 beds. Trinity College has planning permission for 358 beds at Dartry. UCC has planning permission for 243 beds. These are the next three projects I am working on intensively.
It is not a funding issue. We have provided €59 million. We also must make sure, working with the Office of the Attorney General, that we comply with state aid rules.
That is actually a very interesting piece of information and I thank the Minister. On digs accommodation, it is very welcome that the scheme has been broadened, especially as I consider the likes of University of Galway and the Atlantic Technological University, ATU. The changing of the eligibility requirements to avail of using the rent-a-room scheme is very welcome, especially in and around the ATU, which is in the area where I live.
The issue is digs accommodation. Of course, they are not the ideal. When people go to college, generally they want to have the experience of living with their friends, and to do all of those things we were able to do at that age when housing was a different situation.
The other issue is the regulation of digs accommodation. We have all heard the horror stories about students who have not been able to cook, those who have not been able to lock their rooms, those who have been told at a moment's notice of room inspections and so on. When does the Minister expect regulation of digs accommodation to come in?
This is a sensitive issue. The Deputy is correct on one level in that we absolutely want to make sure that anybody who avails of any accommodation gets good and decent accommodation, and that students are protected and are in an environment where wellbeing and standards are respected. We also do not want to accidentally over-regulate the older person who might, for example, be living in a local authority house, has a spare room and is thinking, "Will I rent out that room or not?" Under our new scheme, that person can now do this while in a local authority property, but if the process become overly burdensome he or she may decide not to. It is a balance. I continue to engage with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and I will talk to the student unions more about this as well.
I have just seen that the latest figures we had for the rent-a-room scheme from Revenue are from 2019. In that year 9,810 people - not all students - were availing of the rent-a-room tax scheme. This suggests to me that thousands of students every year are actually availing of the scheme. It is about a mix of more purpose-built college-owned accommodation at affordable prices, a better rent-a-room scheme that works for homeowners and works for students and looking at the private rental market supply as well.
82. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how he intends to ensure that PhD students receive a living wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26969/23]
I would like to discuss the issues for PhD researchers.
The specific question is how the Minister intends to ensure that they will get paid a living wage as soon as possible.
I thank the Deputy for this question. It is a very important one because our greatest resource now for our future economic and social wellbeing is our people. We want to both retain and attract the best and the brightest to carry out research into areas that could make a fundamental societal, economic and educational difference. That is so important to our wellbeing.
Under pillar 4 of our national research and innovation strategy, Impact 2030, we have very clearly articulated the vision that by 2030: "We will be a global leader in nurturing, attracting and retaining talent to drive research and innovation in our higher education and research system, enterprises, communities and public services". I think this is what the Deputy's question is getting at. To do this, we have to better support our PhD researchers. As part of this commitment to achieve that vision, I announced a national review of State supports for PhD researchers. I was very pleased to appoint Dr. Andrea Johnson and Mr. David Cagney as co-chairs for the review. I am also pleased to inform the Deputy that the co-chairs have submitted their first report following a comprehensive round of stakeholder consultations and online submissions, with 35 stakeholder meetings, and they received more than 750 written submissions.
The increase in the cost of living, and career options and pathways for PhD researchers were issues that came across very strongly during this exercise. I am fully aware that the cost-of-living crisis is creating incredibly difficult challenges for PhD researchers. In an effort to bring some tangible and immediate relief, we increased the stipend paid to PhD students in receipt of Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, or Irish Research Council, IRC, awards by €500 in the budget to €19,000, tax free. It is worth noting that, in 2016, the SFI stipend was increased from €18,000 to €18,500 and remained unchanged until 2021. When I became Minister, I also equalised the stipends between the IRC and the SFI. Following careful consideration by me, my officials and, where relevant, other Departments, it is my intention to bring the PhD researcher report to the Cabinet in June. This will enable us to have an informed discussion about how we can better support PhD researchers in advance of the budgetary process, with the budget being in October.
That is excellent. It is very encouraging. I very much welcome that the review has been completed and the report is on the Minister's desk. That is good. He probably received the same emails and the same type of correspondence we all have. The requests by the PhD fraternity are quite reasonable. They are just looking for a living wage. They are looking to reduce the cost of tuition fees for non-EU students. The most reasonable request of all is just to have normal employment rights like everybody else from the point of view of maternity leave, annual leave and sick leave. I am very supportive of all of those proposals.
The Minister mentioned that the report is finished, which is good. He also mentioned that it is going to the Cabinet in June. If possible, could we get an indication as to whether the report will be published before the summer recess? I would be grateful to get the Minister's thoughts on that.
It would certainly be my intention to publish the report once I get Cabinet approval. I would like to get it out there pretty quickly and urgently. I would like people to see the benefit of their input because, just looking back, it has been very significant. An all-day in-person workshop was held on 8 March. Some 35 stakeholder organisations attended, including the Irish Research Staff Association, the non-EU EEA PhD Students Society-Ireland, the National Disabled Postgraduate Advisory Committee, the Postgraduate Workers Organisation, the Postgraduate Workers Alliance, the Union of Students in Ireland, USI, the Irish Council for International Students, the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability, AHEAD, and Women in Technology and Science. That is just an example of the level of people who loaned their time to this. Some 750 people made written submissions. It is my intention to bring this report to Cabinet this month. It is due now and then I believe I can publish it well in advance of the summer recess.
I do not think it would be any surprise to me or the Deputy if that report clearly recommends better financial support for PhD researchers. We will obviously have to work through that between now and the budgetary process.
That is again very positive and reassuring. It is better than I was expecting, which is good. As the Minister will be aware, it is not just about the fourth level students; it is about third level students and the downstream consequences. If we do not support our PhD researchers, there will be huge consequences for teachers at third level and also in regard to exam invigilation, the supervision of labs, exam correction and all of that good stuff as well. Currently, we are out of kilter with international best practice. As the Minister rightly said, if we want our best and brightest to go through PhD pathways, it is important that we support them.
I very much welcome the fact that the report will be published before the summer recess. I presume, based on what the Minister said, that the co-chairs have recommended very ambitious proposals. If they are in the right direction, I will be very supportive of them, and I would be very happy to support any Government proposals in that regard.
I appreciate the Deputy's support in this area. I want to do more to support PhD researchers. I think we all do. There are a couple of complexities that we must be honest about. For example, SFI and the IRC have a level of stipend, and there is an equalisation between them now. They did increase in the budget by €500, which is good but they need to go up further. That is okay; we will work through that.
A number of other researchers do their PhD through other funding bodies, some of which are not within the remit of my Department, such as the Health Research Board, HRB, and Teagasc. There are also other researchers who do them directly through the higher education institutions, HEIs, and there are some who may do them through industry or the likes as well. The whole tapestry of how PhDs work in Ireland is quite fascinating and interesting, as we work our way through this report.
The report obviously looks at the issue of stipends and financial supports. That is the most pressing issue in the context of a cost-of-living crisis, but the Deputy is also correct to mention issues such as career pathways and opportunities. No matter how well funded the HEIs are, not everybody who becomes a PhD researcher will get employment in a higher education institution and, therefore, pathways into society and industry are important as well. I am very happy once we publish the report to have an opportunity to discuss it further in this House.
83. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will outline his plans to increase the throughput of apprentices in the ETB system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25328/23]
This question in some senses leads on from the previous discussion that we had earlier on student accommodation and housing. We are all aware that as a result of the financial crash way fewer apprentices were coming through the system. We are also aware of the backlog as a result of Covid. Could the Minister outline the plans he has to increase the throughput of apprentices?
I thank the Deputy and I acknowledge her support for what we are all trying to achieve in terms of apprenticeships, and the huge potential that there is to expand the apprenticeship offering in Ireland. We now have 67 apprenticeship programmes. We also want to put it up in lights as another way of getting a qualification after school; getting a good well-paid job and trying to address the skills needs that we have in this country particularly around construction, housing, climate and the green economy.
ETBs play a pivotal role in the apprenticeship system and we recognise their importance, because they continue to be at the heart of the delivery model. In 2023, additional funding of €13 million was provided to support up to 5,000 additional training places across further and higher education and, as a result, almost 9,000 registrations are forecast for 2023. This is quite significant: if we can hit the 9,000, it will be the highest number ever of registered apprentices in Ireland. Some 6,500 of these places will be on the craft programmes. This again underlines the critical role of ETBs as key providers of apprenticeship training and craft training in particular.
Research published last December shows that 30,000 additional craft apprentices are required by 2030 to help achieve the goals under Housing for All, climate action and retrofitting. The apprenticeship growth being funded this year closely involves ETBs in delivering these goals.
In addition, significant work is under way to address the backlog in craft apprenticeships accessing off-the-job training, which built up during the pandemic. The majority of these apprentices are waiting to access phase 2 training, which occurs in ETB centres. SOLAS has worked with ETBs to increase training capacity via capital developments: having to physically expand workshops; additional instructors and innovative delivery models. They have made significant progress in reducing waiting times. I thank the instructors and staff in the ETBs. They genuinely went above and beyond and I am not sure that we fully appreciate how much they did to help us with additional sessions and the likes to get through that.
Progress does continue to be made as additional capacity comes on stream. It is expected that the phase 2 backlog will be brought in line with normal waiting periods by the end of 2023 and, therefore, the Covid lag should be gone by the end of the year. I am confident that the strong growth in apprenticeships will continue to be achieved in line with our overall objectives.
That is quite interesting. I think we are all aware of the important role that people who are going through apprenticeships will play and are playing in the future of our society, especially when tackling the infrastructural deficit we have, and the acute housing shortage. It is very important that we get the message out about how positive these jobs are and the availability of them. What does the Minister think is the biggest barrier to us increasing the throughput of apprenticeships and dealing with the backlog? I am aware of the additional instructors that have been hired since Covid whom I understand have been made permanent to ensure there is a third input. I am also aware of some of the new capacity that the Minister will be bringing on stream as well. I am contacted a lot by people, especially in electrical apprenticeships, who are concerned because they feel their lives are on hold as a result of waiting for their placements to come through. What does the Minister think the biggest barriers are and how can we address them? Do we need to increase the input of instructors?
We do. I again acknowledge the role of the instructors, as the Deputy has done. We are working in a sector where there is a real passion from people doing their job.
They stepped up and did a hell of a lot more than anyone could have asked of them and I acknowledge that today. Yes, we need to continue to expand the size of the workforce. If the Deputy is asking what I think the two biggest constraints are, truthfully, a big part of it is how we financially support our apprentices, for the reasons the Deputy stated. When apprentices qualify, they generally go on to well-paid jobs but it can be difficult during the period of the apprenticeship. I want to look at it and I am happy to work with the Deputy between now and the Estimates process to see how we can better financially support apprentices. The second constraint is physical capacity. I acknowledge that the number of instructors must continue to grow. For example, we have funding this year to develop two large training hubs dedicated to electrical training. Electrical, plumbing and carpentry programmes are being expanded. New electrical workshops are being developed with Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board. There is a new training facility in Donegal. There is a call for additional phase 2 capacity in craft programmes such as carpentry, plumbing and refrigeration and we are expanding the number of electrical apprenticeships in ATU, Donegal and Munster Technological University, Kerry. Due to the growth, which is a good thing, as a result of all the focus on apprenticeships and the fact that more people than ever before are now coming forward, physical capacity and financial supports for apprentices are my two priorities.
I thank the Minister. That is interesting. I will do a bit more research on the financial support of apprentices. On the capacity issue, I have spoken to as many people as possible since taking on this role. From what I understand, some capacity is not being used. Perhaps the Minister could investigate that. Sometimes it is necessary to pop into the centres and seeing for oneself whether capacity is available. People tell me capacity is available and is not being used. It is definitely worth looking at.
The Minister stated that bringing on more instructors is not the key issue at this point, but it is also something we need to look at. We are trying to get people to move into this from quite well-paid jobs. It involves a significant pay cut so that is something that needs to be looked at. Especially as people are getting older, if they are still working on building sites, they probably would not mind that move. On the different types of apprenticeships that need to be considered, such as modern methods of construction and offshore wind, what kind of apprenticeships are available for offshore wind? I know we have some for onshore wind. What plans are there for apprenticeships in the future?
I will definitely look into the issue of unused capacity. I would be pleased if the Deputy wants to share any details with me. I want to be clear. There will be a need for more instructors but we will also have to physically expand the capacity of the workshops alongside that.
The Deputy's question about new types of apprenticeship is key because of the jobs of the future. We have mechanics and that is important, but more and more people are driving electric vehicles, EVs. The curriculum has been updated so that anyone doing a mechanic apprenticeship now is being trained on how to service an electric vehicle. When they lift the bonnet of an EV, it is different from what they are used to looking at. We are looking at opening a centre of excellence for EV training in the midlands, for example. That is one of the key priorities.
On offshore wind, we have developed the first wind turbine maintenance apprenticeship in Kerry, recognising that there will be jobs in offshore wind and we must be able to provide the people to do them. I want people in the public and private sectors to know this. Our door is not only open; we are actively inviting people in to talk to the new National Apprenticeship Office. It takes an industry to come forward and say it needs an apprenticeship programme to be developed. It must partner with the education sector and bring forward a proposal. Some 67 programmes have been approved and many more will come on stream between now and the end of the year - probably the best part of a dozen more.
