Written Answers Nos. 75-100
78. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the work carried out by his Department to date to increase access for students with disabilities to postgraduate courses. [27380/21]
View answerInclusion is one of the core strategic goals for my Department, and my ambition is to ensure that we provide supports and opportunities for learning to all, recognising the needs of vulnerable learners and the most marginalised, and to assist people in access to and progression through higher and further education and training.
Considerable progress has been made in recent years in meeting the targets for students with a disability as a percentage of new entrants to higher education. The target of 8% that was originally set for the lifetime of the National Plan was exceeded by 2018 and a new target of 12% set for 2021. The latest data shows the percentage of full-time new entrants in higher education with a disability is 12.3% in 2019/2020.
A range of access supports and initiatives are critical to supporting progression to postgraduate study for students with a disability.
The Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) is a fund operating under the National Access Plan which supports students from targets groups including students with a disability. PATH 1 is supporting progression to the Postgraduate Masters in Education for students wishing to enter the teaching profession. PATH 2 1916 Bursary Fund support students with a disability who are the most socio-economically disadvantaged. Bursary holders who successfully complete an undergraduate course can renew their bursary for postgraduate studies for a maximum of 4 years. I secured an additional €1m in Budget 2021 to support the provision of postgraduate bursaries under the fund. Approximately 150 of 600 bursary awardees in the first three year since 2017 were students with a disability.
The Fund Students with Disabilities provides funding to further and higher education institutions to assist them in offering supports and services to eligible students with disabilities so that they can access, fully participate in and successfully complete their chosen course of study, including at postgraduate level. A total of 987 students in 2019/20 academic year were supported at Level 9 and Level 10. This was up from 818 in 2018/19.
I have put in place additional supports for postgraduate study and research, which are relevant to students with disabilities. As part of Budget 2021, I announced enhanced postgraduate supports and an increase in the postgraduate research awards stipend which will increase from €16,000 to €18,500 for 2021.
We have made significant progress in supporting students with a disability, but I want to maintain a high level of ambition, and this will be reflected in the next National Access Plan, which is currently being developed.
86. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of the Wexford campus for the Technological University of the South-East; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26938/21]
View answerThe IT Carlow Wexford campus has been in operation since 1995 and it is planned that it will become a campus of the future Technological University for the South East.
The campus has grown to accommodate 1,000 learners across disciplines including agriculture, business, education, social care, tourism and event management, art and design. There are 27 full-time staff and 61 part-time staff currently accommodated at the campus, with 15 full-time programmes and 53 part-time programmes offered to learners.
The current facilities in which the Wexford campus is based consist of two separate rented sites and offer little opportunity for expansion. There has therefore been a long term ambition to secure a more suitable site for the campus, an objective I strongly support.
I have discussed this issue with IT Carlow directly, and officials from my Department and the Higher Education Authority also have extensive ongoing engagement with IT Carlow on the issue. The Deputy will appreciate that the details involving any potential site acquisition must remain commercially sensitive; however, I can assure the Deputy that the acquisition of a suitable site for the Wexford campus remains a high priority for me and for my Department.
More broadly, it is a priority for my Department to support higher education institutions in their critical role as drivers of social and economic development in their regions. Within this overall context, the creation of Technological Universities represents a radical reconfiguration of the higher education landscape, which will deliver significant benefits for regional development.
88. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the measures in place to provide additional protection for those living in student-specific accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26961/21]
View answerI am very conscious of the many challenges faced by students this year, including in relation to student accommodation.
Following significant rent increases in some privately run purpose built student accommodation complexes in 2018, the Department of Education and Skills worked in close cooperation with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to support the enactment of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019.
This Act ensured that students residing under license in purpose-built student accommodation would have access to the same rent predictability available to tenants. The Act contained provisions designed to ensure that students residing in both private and university-owned student-specific accommodation in Rent Pressure Zones will see rent increase of no more than 4% per annum. As the vast majority of student-specific accommodation is situated in Rent Pressure Zones, these protections apply to almost all of those residing in student accommodation.
The legislation also granted access to registered student and licensors to the dispute resolution facilities provided by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). Student accommodation license terms including cost, duration, refund and cancellation policies should be set out in the license agreement signed at the beginning of the academic year. If these terms are breached, a student has recourse to the RTB to ensure that the terms of their contract are upheld.
The Deputy will be aware that since March 2020, the university sector has actively engaged with students on the issue of accommodation refunds. As a result of the decision to minimise on-site teaching, all universities have confirmed that students who opted to leave their university-owned student accommodation as a result of reduced on-campus activity will be offered refunds or rental credits. The processing of these refunds is a matter for the universities themselves, and any student who wishes to receive a refund for their on-campus accommodation should engage directly with their university’s accommodation office.
I appreciate that the past year has posed very specific challenges in relation to privately-owned student accommodation, and that students and their families have suffered financially as a result. I am urging providers to be flexible in finding solutions given the circumstances in which students find themselves.
My position on student accommodation is well known at this stage and we are working across Government on how we can build more on-campus student accommodation.
My Department is also actively engaging with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on how protections for those residing in student accommodation can be strengthened and I expect Minister O'Brien to make an announcement on this very shortly.
91. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the progress on ensuring broader access to third-level education for persons with intellectual disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25560/21]
View answerInclusion is one of the core strategic goals for my Department, and my ambition is to ensure that we provide supports and opportunities for learning to all. This means recognising the needs of vulnerable learners, the most marginalised and those with special and additional needs, and assisting people in accessing and progressing through higher and further education and training.
There is significant provision for students with intellectual disabilities in the further education and training sector where there were 2,821 learners with intellectual disabilities in 2019. There is also some provision in the higher education sector involving a comparatively small number of learners.
There are some excellent models of provision in both further and higher education. I want to see options expanded across the third level system based upon best practice to provide the correct learning pathways for people with intellectual disabilities to achieve their educational and training goals.
The Deputy will be aware that provision for learners with intellectual disabilities is a complex policy area involving many key stakeholders in areas such as: education; health; equality and choice; employment; and transport.
I have been clear with Ministerial colleagues that I want to work in a coherent way with their Departments and agencies to deliver on the ambitions of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy and to ensure that the tertiary education system is playing a full role in supporting and building relevant education and training offerings which support learners with intellectual disabilities to develop to their full potential. I also see my Department’s role in co-ordinating the European Social Fund as a critical way to support initiatives in this area across the wider Government system.
We are at an early stage of work in this area, but it is an area I am strongly committed to pursuing.
With this in mind I have asked my officials to engage with the HEA and SOLAS to see where we can play a stronger role, as part of a coherent whole-of-Government response. As part of this I will be looking to draw on expert advice and, critically, to hear from the learners themselves.
The first step is a mapping process and this is currently underway with the aim of developing a deeper understanding and coherent picture of the provision currently in place. This includes understanding the type of provision across different parts of the system, the factors which underpin successful programmes and to develop an appreciation of where barriers exist.
I also want to look at how we signpost provision for learners and look at ways to better promote and communicate what is on offer so that more students can engage in educational opportunities that suit their particular needs.
I will be placing a particular focus on transitions; how we can build on the outcomes of the school system and how best to support people with intellectual disabilities through coherent pathways which support their learning needs, develop their life skills and employability. This is work which I intend pursuing with colleagues across Government.
In the context of the next National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education I want us to make an honest assessment of progress we have made to date and to set out a strong ambition for the coming years.
I will be happy to continue to update the Deputy on progress in this area of shared priority.
92. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to increase the funding for mental health supports for third-level students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26982/21]
View answerThe mental health and wellbeing of our students is one of my priorities particularly against the backdrop of the intensified stresses and pressures impacting on our students arising from their experiences in seeking to pursue their studies primarily on an online basis during the pandemic.
In 2020, I secured a comprehensive package of financial supports from Government for the higher education and further education and training sectors to mitigate the impact of Covid. This package included funding of €3m to underpin wellbeing and mental health and student services in our higher education institutions (HEIs) which was in addition to the €2m funding that was allocated in Budget 2020 and funding that institutions already provide for these services.
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) requested that the HEIs distribute this funding in support of specific student engagement such as the recruitment of additional student counsellors, and implementation of the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework, which I launched last year.
This Framework is Ireland’s first ever national approach to address student mental health and suicide prevention. It recognises the many challenges students face, and sets out ways in which institutions can support and respond through working proactively to maximise mental health and wellbeing. The Framework provides clear guidance to higher education institutions regarding implementation of good practices in responding to student mental health difficulties.
In addition, a Working Group for Student and Learner Wellbeing and Engagement was established in January 2021 under the aegis of the Tertiary Education Covid Steering Group chaired by the Union of Students in Ireland and comprising representatives from across the higher and further education and training sector.
The main purpose of this working group has been to further reflect on the challenges facing student and learner wellbeing and engagement as a result of Covid and to identify existing and further measures to address these. The group examined key issues for students and learners including in relation to mental health and wellbeing, social engagement and strategies for retention. The proposals from this group are currently under consideration by my Department and individual providers, with a view to developing a further sectoral response appropriate to the needs of students and learners.
93. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to differences in funding support for clinical psychologists doctoral training compared to educational psychologists and counselling psychologists; the way he plans to address the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25447/21]
View answerMy Department is strongly committed to supporting the mental health of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health workforce, and support a range of clinical teams in our health services.
My Department understands there is a longstanding arrangement in place under which the HSE, and indeed former Health Boards, recruit Trainee Clinical Psychologists and sponsor their training in order to encourage employment with the HSE of suitably qualified professionals. This arrangement is made by the HSE and is not the responsibility of my Department. The question of whether similar arrangements should be put in place in relation to other psychological specialities in order to meet their workforce needs is a matter for consideration by the appropriate recruiting bodies.
Furthermore, my Department also understands that on the basis of the recommendations of the 2017 Report of Psychology Review Implementation Group the HSE introduced revised eligibility criteria for recruitment to HSE psychologist positions involving a combination of the consideration of qualification and placements or supervised work experience when determining a person's eligibility for employment. My Department does not have a role in relation to placement arrangements in organisations such as the National Educational Psychological Service or the HSE for students enrolled on these programmes.
In conclusion, issues arising from sponsorships and employment eligibility in relation to psychologists, and indeed more generally, are matters for relevant employers rather than the responsibility of my Department.
94. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of the technological university for the south-east; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26937/21]
View answerUnder the statutory framework detailed in the Technological Universities Act 2018, it is a matter, in the first instance, for the relevant Institutes of Technology participating in a TU development consortium to progress their plans and, when ready, to make an application to the Minister seeking the making of an order establishing a TU.
On 30 April 2021 I received such an application from the TUSEI consortium comprising the Institute of Technology Carlow and Waterford Institute of Technology. Approval is subject to the applicant institutes meeting the eligibility criteria set out in the 2018 Act and the relevant requirements to which I must have regard under the Act in my role as legislative decision-maker on the application.
The making of this application is of itself a significant milestone for the TU agenda in the South-East after a journey of almost 10 years. I wish to thank all involved in the TUSEI consortium for bringing their proposals to this important point in the legislative process.
I have directed the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland to make nominations to an advisory panel to assess the application. The advisory panel shall furnish a report to the HEA who will, in turn, assess the report, the panel’s recommendations and any other relevant information and provide me with their views. These legislative requirements are set out in the Act together with their prescribed timeframes.
I will consider all relevant information prior to making my decision on the application in due course in accordance with the relevant legislative requirements and timeframes.
As the assessment and decision making process under the Act is now in train, the Deputy will understand that it would not be appropriate for me to make any more specific comments in relation to the application until the process is concluded.
95. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on whether limiting access to higher and further education is anachronistic; if he will consider establishing open access to third-level education for all; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26996/21]
View answerAt the outset, I am determined that all students and learners are provided with the opportunities to acquire and develop the skills that allow them reach their potential in a way that meets the very broad and rapidly changing needs of our labour force, the economy and society. My objective is, therefore, to ensure that there is access into either further or higher education for each person who wishes to pursue educational options at third-level.
It is very important to acknowledge the diversity of pathways that meet both individual and wider educational and skills needs. In my role as Minister for Further and Higher Education, it has, therefore, been a priority for me to highlight and communicate the need for a balanced tertiary education system. Those countries that we seek to emulate in terms of the development of the full range of individual talents and the high skill levels of their workforce are those that have strong vocational educational systems including in relation to apprenticeship provision.
While fully recognising the critical role of the higher education system, we are also working to strengthen the further education and training system under a new strategy for that sector. This will help ensure that our tertiary education system as a whole equips our students with the knowledge, skills and expertise required to secure good quality, well paid and sustainable employment.
My Department and the Higher Education Authority will continue to engage actively with the higher education institutions on the availability of places in higher education and to build capacity in the higher education system including in particular at this time for the Leaving Certificate class of 2021. I am confident that there will be an increased range of places this year and an expanded range of options across further and higher education for prospective students to consider.
96. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the proposals he has to increase co-operation on an all-Ireland basis in the provision of further and higher education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26957/21]
View answerI am strongly committed to the promotion of collaboration between further and higher education institutions, North and South, and this is a major agenda on the strategic work programme of my Department, as set out in our recently published Statement of Strategy.
Both the New Decade, New Approach Agreement and the Programme for Government have been very clear on the importance of enhanced cross border collaboration.
The Taoiseach's announcement of the Shared Island Initiative is also very significant in terms of contributing additional progress in further and higher education, both North and South. My Department is working closely with the Department of the Taoiseach, as well as with the Department of Foreign Affairs, our colleagues in Northern Ireland and a range of other stakeholders North and South.
The key North-South initiatives which I am pursuing as a priority include:
- the potential for development of all-island research centres;
- capacity building in North-South research collaboration;
- examining the potential for development of Ulster University Magee Campus in the context of overall developments in the North-West;
- developing skills projects under the Peace+ Programme in close collaboration with the Department of the Economy;
- ensuring students in Northern Ireland can continue to avail of opportunities under Erasmus+.
It makes sense to ensure that we learn from each other's systems, and where it is possible that we maximise the delivery of teaching, learning and research resources efficiently. It is in the interests of all that we do so. This has been central to my approach on North-South matters and will continue to guide our work on this important agenda.
97. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the success to date of pre-apprenticeship courses in opening up opportunity to a wider range of possible participants. [25559/21]
View answerThe PLC Pathways to Apprenticeship Programme aims to provide opportunities for learners to gain experience in areas where they are considering undertaking an apprenticeship. In general, programmes run for between 8 and 12 months and lead to qualifications at QQI level 5. Initial planning data indicates that over 800 learners will participate in pre-apprenticeship programmes in 2021. The number of learners who completed craft related pre-apprenticeships increased from 34 in 2018 to 116 in 2020.
The Technological University Dublin Access to Apprenticeship programme is a 12 week programme which aims to support individuals who have experienced particularly severe social or economic barriers to access craft apprenticeship roles. The programme is funded jointly by employers, the Social Innovation Fund Ireland and the Higher Education Authority. Since 2018, 63 young people including eight women have secured a craft apprenticeship position through the programme.
I recently launched the Action Plan for Apprenticeship which sets out a five year plan which will make apprenticeship visible and available for all learners. Under the Action Plan the impacts of, and outcomes from, pre-apprenticeship programmes, the TU Dublin Access to Apprenticeship programme and other interventions across the sector such as apprentice bursaries will be examined to provide an evidence base for best practice and future interventions.
This also includes ensuring that information on access to apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship courses is more readily available, that this information is clearly linked to apprenticeships and that progression routes into and from apprenticeship will be clearly identified.
I am confident that this approach will help ensure that pre-apprenticeship courses are effective in opening up opportunity in apprenticeships to a wider range of possible participants.
98. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when the new technological university will be legally established to create Athlone and Limerick institute of technology; his views on the measures needed to ensure the towns of Thurles and Clonmel, County Tipperary will prosper as university towns; the regional assistance that will be needed to facilitate the new designations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26136/21]
View answerThere are a number of important statutory and administrative procedures to be completed as part of the process leading to the establishment of the new technological university (TU) made up of AIT and LIT. These include the approval of an order under section 36 of the Technological Universities Act 2018 by the Houses of the Oireachtas and the appointment of the first governing body of the new TU as well as a recruitment process undertaken leading to the appointment of the first president. These matters will be progressed as a matter of urgency with the aim of the new TU being established later this year.
The communities in areas where there are campuses of the new TU such as those referred to in the Deputy's question will, over time, benefit from the university attracting more students, the retention and creation of skills and employment in its regional hinterlands and acting as a catalyst for research, innovation and enterprise with a view to attracting increasing levels of investment including foreign direct investment, contributing to further regional and socio-economic development. It will be a matter for the governing body of the new TU to fulfil its functions under the Act, a number of which relate to regional development and community interaction. This will include delivery of these functions across the multi-campuses of the new university in concert with the university’s staff and students, external regional stakeholders and wider community interests.
As one of their legislatively required functions, TUs shall foster close and effective relationships with statutory bodies including those responsible for regional development, local authorities, Education and Training Boards and organisations representing the social, creative and cultural interests of the communities in the regions being served.
Funding from the Exchequer will continue to be provided as appropriate through the TU Transformation Fund, under which €90 million will be provided in the period to 2023, bringing total funding of the TU agenda to some €121 million since 2013. Significant capital development is also being provided or planned for TU campuses in line with funding available under the National Development Plan and subject to the public spending code.
99. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the name he plans to apply to the new LIT and AIT technological university; the process undertaken by the project team; the consultation process to arrive at the proposed agreed name which he rejected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26959/21]
View answerIn accordance with section 36 of the Technological Universities Act 2018, I am required to make an order appointing a day for the dissolution of Athlone and Limerick ITs and for the establishment of the new TU following my granting of the joint application of the two applicant institutes seeking the making of such an order.
The order, the draft of which must be approved by a resolution of each House of the Oireachtas in due course, shall include the name by which the TU is to be known.
The Institutes, my Department understands, undertook a consultation process to propose a name for the TU when established. Neither myself as Minister nor my Department played any role in that process and as such are not privy to the precise details of same.
The name put forward by the Institutes was “Technological University of the Shannon: Athlone and Limerick”, abbreviated to TÚS:AL. Whereas the Institutes proposed this name I also received a considerable range of representations from some who did not favour this name. Having considered the matter, I was also not convinced that, given the expanded regional mandate of the new Technological Universities, it was best to adopt a practice of referencing the constituent Institutes in the title.
I have written to the Institutes to advise them that the name I intend to include on the draft order is “Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest".
I want to thank all of those involved in giving detailed consideration to the name for the Technological University. While an important task, I am confident that the success of this university will be guaranteed by the quality of the teaching and research which it will develop, building on strong track record of both Limerick and Athlone institutes of technology, rather than the name by which it is known.
100. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to clear the backlog of persons on waiting lists for off-the-job apprenticeship training; when he expects the backlog to be cleared; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27000/21]
View answer111. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the actions he plans to take to tackle the backlog of apprentices on waiting lists to access the State provided training they need to advance in their apprenticeship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27001/21]
View answer138. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of apprenticeship trainees that have had their qualification completion delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic; the supports planned by his Department to assist with catch up for their apprentices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26782/21]
View answer150. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when the backlog of apprentices on the waiting list for off-the-job training will be cleared; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26989/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 100, 111, 138 and 150 together.
Of the 60 apprenticeship programmes, 25 are craft apprenticeships with a standardised seven phase programme of on-the-job and off-the-job training. Off-the-job training is delivered in phases 2, 4 and 6 of a craft apprenticeship.
COVID-19 related suspension of face to face training in Training Centres (Phase 2), Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities (Phases 4 and 6) has had a significant impact on the ability of craft apprentices to access off-the-job training in a timely manner. This exacerbated the pressure on craft apprentice off-the-job training facilities as a result of the 90% increase in apprentice population over the past 6 years, a situation which has impacted on waiting lists for electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery and motor mechanics in particular. End April figures indicate that over 3,500 craft apprentices had been waiting over 12 months for access to Phase 2, 4 and 6 off-the-job training.
To ensure that apprentices are facilitated in progressing in their programmes insofar as possible, the theory aspects of off-the-job training for craft apprenticeship has been delivered remotely since early January. Given the nature of craft apprenticeship, practical training and assessment forms a substantial and essential component of the programmes. Completion of practical training and assessment is required to allow apprentices to progress to their next phase of training and to complete their apprenticeship in a timely manner.
A phased return to face to face training commenced during April for those apprentices who had been undertaking remote teaching and learning or who were close to completion of phase 2, 4 or 6 when training was suspended in January 2021. All institutions with learners (including apprentices) onsite are operating on the basis of current public health guidance with face to face training operating at approximately 50% normal capacity.
€20M in capital expenditure has been allocated to SOLAS and the HEA to facilitate an additional 4,000 craft apprenticeship places across the system in the coming period in addition to €12M already allocated to support additional classes and teaching capacity to ameliorate COVID-19 measures. Spaces arising from these measures will begin to come on-stream in the second half of this year.
SOLAS and the HEA are also working with the education and training providers to identify additional solutions which will address the waiting lists for off-the-job elements of craft apprenticeship to ensure that apprentices are enabled to complete their training as quickly as possible.
