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Tuesday, 13 Jul 2021

Written Answers Nos. 505-524

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Questions (505)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

505. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the details of the redress scheme for survivors of mother and baby homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37850/21]

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Written answers

The Deputy will be aware that, as part of its response to the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes (and Certain Related Matters), the Government committed to establishing a Restorative Recognition Scheme for survivors of Mother and Baby and County Home institutions. This scheme will include a restorative recognition payment and a form of enhanced medical card. 

An Interdepartmental Group (IDG) was set up to develop detailed proposals for the Restorative Recognition Scheme, which must then be brought to Government for approval. While the IDG must take account of the recommendations of the Commission, its considerations are not limited to those recommendations. The work of the IDG is underpinned by a human rights focus and informed by consultation with survivors. 

To support and inform the work of the IDG, a public consultation process took place during March and April. The input from survivors to that consultation is invaluable in order to develop a scheme that will have their needs at its core. I was delighted with the strong response to the consultation process with approximately 450 written submissions received and 17 online meetings held. The report of the consultation process was submitted to the IDG on the 17th May. 

I am aware that the IDG are working extremely hard to ensure that they deliver their report to me very soon. On receipt of this, I will submit recommendations to Government for a decision on the Scheme.  The development of this scheme, and the work being undertaken on all aspects of the Government's response to the Commission's Final Report, is a priority for me.

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Questions (506)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

506. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 1241 of 21 April 2021, the status of the investigation into the leak of the report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation; the details of any report received from the Secretary General of the Department of An Taoiseach to date; the inquiries made by him to establish the source of and the reason for the leak; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37851/21]

View answer

Written answers

As previously advised, the Secretary General of the Department of An Taoiseach is leading the investigation into this matter. As part of the process, he has been tasked with examining the broader issue of unauthorised dissemination of documentation and other information related to the work of the Cabinet and its sub-committees.

This matter continues to be pursued as the leaking of details from the report before its publication was unacceptable. My Department has provided input to assist the Secretary General with his investigation.  Although it is not yet possible to say when the investigation will be completed, I can assure the Deputy that its outcome will be publicised.

EU Regulations

Questions (507)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

507. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way in which the requirement for new regulations accords with the requirement to disapply national provisions to ensure that EU law is fully effective (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37852/21]

View answer

Written answers

I fully acknowledge the difficulties created by the Health Access Regulations.  I and my officials have consulted with the Office of the Attorney General and the Data Protection Commission. Following that consultation, I am giving consideration to the making of new Regulations at an early date.

I have raised the particular difficulties encountered with the Regulations in respect of the health data in the Commission’s archives with relevant Government colleagues and I am working with colleagues to address the issue as a matter of priority.

Traveller Community

Questions (508)

Holly Cairns

Question:

508. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the details of his engagement with Travellers, Mincéiri and Mincéir and their organisations in County Cork since taking office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38034/21]

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Written answers

The Traveller and Roma Policy Unit of my Department engage with Traveller and Roma groups on a continuous basis with regard to projects funded and developments under the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS).

The NTRIS Steering Committee which I chair includes representatives of government departments, agencies and of Traveller and Roma organisations.   Progress on actions under NTRIS is monitored and updates are shared with the representative groups in advance of each Steering Group meeting.

Under NTRIS, my Department has allocated €4.9m to Traveller and Roma projects for the current year.  This includes funding in the region of €60,000 to EmployAbility Services Cork a service which works with Travellers and supports their access into employment and enterprise development. It also includes an allocation of €150,000 to Cork Traveller Visibility Group (Cork TVG). Cork TVG is a community development organisation which works to support Travellers in their day to day lives so they can participate in Irish society as equals.

Furthermore, under NTRIS, funding is provided to a number of national representative organisations including Pavee Point, the National Traveller Women’s Forum, the National Traveller Partnership and the Irish Traveller Movement who work in partnership with and support community groups around the country.

Over the last few months I have held meetings with a number of Traveller representative groups including the Irish Traveller Movement, the National Traveller Partnership, the National Traveller Women’s Forum and with Pavee Point. 

Rights of People with Disabilities

Questions (509)

Holly Cairns

Question:

509. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the progress made in the implementation of the access and inclusion model of supports for children with disabilities as outlined in the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021. [38035/21]

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Written answers

In line with the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021, my Department continues to make progress towards full implementation of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), supporting children with disabilities to access and meaningfully participate in the universal, free Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme.  

AIM provides a range of both universal and targeted measures, to support children with disabilities to take part in the ECCE pre-school programme in mainstream settings, and to help make pre-school services more inclusive – benefiting all children in those services. The degree of support provided through AIM depends on the needs of the child in the context of the pre-school service. The levels of support include:

Universal supports (Levels 1-3)

- Level 1, which aims to embed an inclusive culture in services, includes the national inclusion policy and guidelines for ECCE, the funding of the LINC training programme in Leadership for Inclusion, the establishment of Inclusion Co-Ordinator roles in ECCE settings, and a small increase in capitation for services with qualified Inclusion Coordinators.

- Level 2 involves provision of information for parents and providers on AIM, through the AIM.gov.ie website and information provided by County/City Childcare Committees.

- Level 3 recognises the requirement to continue to develop a qualified workforce that can confidently meet the needs of all children participating in the ECCE Programme. Supports include funding of training courses such as Hanen, Lámh and Sensory Processing E-Learning (SPEL).

Targeted supports (Levels 4-7)

- Level 4 addresses the needs of early years practitioners to have timely access to advice and support from experts in early learning and care (and disability in particular) to assist them meet each child’s needs.

- Level 5 recognises that some children require specialised equipment, appliances, assistive technology and/or that some early learning and care settings may require minor structural alterations to ensure children with a disability can participate in the ECCE programme. Supports include grants for equipment and some minor capital building works.

- Level 6 provides access to therapeutic supports where they are critical to enable a child be enrolled, and fully participate, in the ECCE programme.

- Level 7: Additional assistance in the pre-school room involves additional capitation for service providers where an application process has demonstrated that supports Level 1-6  have not, or will not, by themselves, meet the child’s needs. Funding can be used by the provider to buy in additional support, or reduce the staff / child ratio, supporting the pre-school leader to ensure the child’s optimal participation.

In total, 15,321 children have so far benefited from targeted AIM supports since AIM began in 2016. In the 2020/21 ECCE programme year, 4,245 children have benefited from targeted AIM supports.

The number of approvals for additional assistance under Level 7 of AIM rose from 3,011 in 2017 to 3,928 in 2018, and to a high of 4,657 in 2019. In 2020, the number fell to 2,868, due to service providers availing instead of Covid-19 financial support through the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS).

The number of Inclusion Co-ordinators (INCOs) in early learning and care services, supported through AIM, has increased year on year from 749 in 2017, to 2,378 in 2021.

An evaluation of AIM is currently under way. The final evaluation report is due at the end of the year.

Third Level Education

Questions (510)

Réada Cronin

Question:

510. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the cost per annum to the Exchequer of keeping teenage and young adults in third-level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37842/21]

View answer

Written answers

The latest year for which the data is available is 2018 and is presented in the table below.

 -

Primary level

Post-primary level

Total   expenditure

€ 3,784,796,714

€ 3,490,341,316

Annualized   full-time equivalent* enrolment

562,331

416,410

Expenditure per student

€ 6,731

€ 8,382

Note that data on total government expenditure for each level of education is compiled according to the rules and methodology laid out by the OECD.

*The full time equivalent includes full and part time enrolments and is derived as following: full time + 0.5 part time enrolments. 

Further and Higher Education

Questions (511)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

511. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the projected expenditure from the National Training Fund until 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37195/21]

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Written answers

The National Training Fund (NTF) was established by the National Training Fund Act, 2000, as a dedicated fund to support the training of those in employment, and those seeking employment.  The Act also provides for the funding of research to provide information on existing and likely future skills requirements of the economy.

The Fund is currently resourced by a levy on employers of 1% of reckonable earnings in respect of employees in Class A and Class H employments, which represents approximately 75% of all insured employees. The levy is collected through the PAYE/PRSI system and funds are transferred monthly to Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

The level of expenditure from the NTF will depend on the demand for services.  A total of €741.3 million has been allocated this year from the NTF.

While the NTF does not form part of the Vote of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the allocation for each scheme is generally determined as part of the annual Estimates process. The NTF is included as an annex to the published Estimates of the Department and such funding is included in the overall expenditure ceiling for its parent department.  Therefore unless the rate of the levy changes, fiscal rules mean that any increase in NTF expenditure would have to be offset by reductions in expenditure elsewhere.

Third Level Admissions

Questions (512)

Bríd Smith

Question:

512. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the criteria used to determine the six indicators for the higher education access route; his views on whether the rigid application of same can further exclude poor students; the numbers of applicants refused this term; and the breakdown of refusals by each indicator used (details supplied) in tabular form. [37274/21]

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Written answers

The Deputy will be aware that the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) scheme is operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) who set the policy criteria for the scheme.  Admissions under the scheme are regulated by the higher education institutions themselves. Each institution determines its own admissions policy in relation to the schemes, the number of places they reserve and the allocation of those places.

Applications to the scheme are submitted to the Central Applications Office (CAO) who coordinate the scheme for participating institutions.  As such, my Department has no role in determining the policy criteria or operation of the scheme. However, my officials have made some enquiries on your behalf to the IUA.

The Irish Universities Association has advised that HEAR eligibility is determined on combinations of six criteria, the details of which can be accessed at: www.accesscollege.ie and/or www.cao.ie. To be eligible for the HEAR Scheme, the only compulsory indicator is that of low income. Applicants must meet that indicator plus a specific combination of two of the other indicators. I understand that the IUA and participating institutions take expert advice from statutory and non-statutory bodies in relation to the criteria to be applied.

In terms of the statistics requested by the Deputy, the IUA publish an annual report outlining the broad data on the scheme.  I have attached a copy of the report for the Deputy’s convenience.

Table

Third Level Education

Questions (513)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

513. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will address a matter regarding students wanting to study medicine (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37275/21]

View answer

Written answers

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are governed by the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technologies Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Within the meaning of these Acts, HEIs are autonomous with regard to management of their academic affairs. This includes the right to determine the procedures and criteria for the selection and admission of students.

The CAO process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on behalf of the HEIs.  The HPAT (Health Professions Admission Test) 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 the universities and the RCSI in line with their statutory autonomy in relation to academic affairs. Neither I nor my Department have a role in these matters, and it is not within my remit to intervene in individual cases.

I know how difficult a time it has been for students and parents, and I appreciate how disappointing it can be not to receive an offer for your course of choice, but I would like to stress the range of options available in pathways in higher education. For those whose route into higher education may not be what they originally planned, once they have a place there may be a pathway back to their preferred option.

Departmental Reviews

Questions (514)

Holly Cairns

Question:

514. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the details of the social impact assessments carried out by his Department and public bodies and agencies under his remit since 1 January 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37295/21]

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Written answers

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is an evidence based framework that allows my Department to more accurately analyse the demographic profile of its students, and other citizens who rely on its services, and to assess how they are impacted by its policy recommendations. 

This framework significantly adds to the prevailing budgetary impact assessment structures administered by the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform (including Equality Budgeting), Finance, Employment Affairs and Social Protection and externally by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) alongside the annual Spending Review programme, details of which can be found at www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/7dc2b1-spending-review/. 

An overview of the Social Impact Assessments carried out across all Government Departments, including the publication last year of a study in relation to the Student Grant Scheme, is available at www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/615fe5-social-impact-assessment-framework/.

Further and Higher Education

Questions (515, 516, 517, 518)

Mick Barry

Question:

515. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on whether Youthreach is an independent autonomous form of education that works towards self-directed learning for students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37352/21]

View answer

Mick Barry

Question:

516. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the staff grade for Youthreach is pro-rata teacher grade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37353/21]

View answer

Mick Barry

Question:

517. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will engage with a union (details supplied) in relation to co-ordinators and resource person grades in Youthreach being allowed to convert to pro-rata teacher grade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37354/21]

View answer

Mick Barry

Question:

518. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on whether the co-ordinators workload in Youthreach is on a par with a principal's and that a resource person's workload is on a par with an assistant principals in second-level schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37355/21]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 515 to 518, inclusive, together.

Youthreach is an education and training programme delivered in out of school settings to young people aged 16 – 20 who have left the mainstream school system early.  It is a further education programme operated by Education and Training Boards (ETBs). The programme aims to provide young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to participate fully in society and progress to further education, training and employment.  Certification is available to all learners in Youthreach mainly at levels 1-4 on the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) Framework.  

In 2018 SOLAS appointed the ESRI to complete an independent evaluation of the national Youthreach programme.  The report can be accessed here: youthreach-evaluation-final-june-20019.pdf (solas.ie). Work relating to Youthreach, as recommended in the ESRI’s report, is currently underway and will involve consultation with stakeholders involved in Youthreach provision.

The staff cohort in Youthreach is made up of Youthreach Co-ordinators, Youthreach Resource Persons and teachers. Youthreach Co-ordinators and Resource Persons have their own terms and conditions, including rates of pay, which are set out in Youthreach-specific contracts. Youthreach Co-ordinators and Resource Persons are a separate and distinct grade to teachers.  Accordingly, they do not require to be registered with the Teaching Council, which is the body with statutory authority under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 for the professional regulation, including registration, of teachers in the State.  In addition, Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001 does not apply to Youthreach Centres as they do not fall within the definition of recognised school.

The Youthreach programme requires staff who are flexible, multi-disciplined and experienced. While relevant qualifications are desirable, no qualifications are specified for staff working in the programme.  This is intended to give ETBs maximum flexibility to recruit staff with the combination of personal qualities and professional skills most likely to meet the often complex needs of participating learners.

A union representing Youthreach Co-ordinators and Youthreach Resource Persons has submitted a claim in respect of both grades. Officials from my Department and the Department of Education are engaging with the trade union on this claim under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission. This is the most appropriate place for that engagement to happen.  

Question No. 516 answered with Question No. 515.
Question No. 517 answered with Question No. 515.
Question No. 518 answered with Question No. 515.

Third Level Education

Questions (519)

Steven Matthews

Question:

519. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to cases in which students who were previously in receipt of the special rate threshold SUSI grant are now ineligible for the same grant funding in 2021 due to their receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment pushing them marginally over the income threshold; his views on whether this may lead to an increase in students pulling out of courses for financial reasons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37398/21]

View answer

Written answers

The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for SUSI to determine. For the 2021/22 academic year, student grant applications will be assessed based on gross income from all sources for the period 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020.

Particular priority is afforded to those on the lowest incomes and social welfare dependents through the special rate of grant, which is payable at the higher non-adjacent rate of €5,915 or the adjacent rate of €2,375, depending on the distance travelled to the college attended. 

In assessing an application for the 2021/22 academic year, SUSI will have regard to the following qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant:

1. The student must qualify for the standard rate of grant;

2. Total reckonable income, after income disregards and Child Dependant Increase(s) are excluded, must not exceed €24,500;

3. As at 31st December 2020, the reckonable income must include one of the eligible long-term social welfare payments prescribed in Schedule 2 of the Student Grant Scheme 2021.

As in any statutory scheme, a core principle of the student grant scheme is that there is consistency of approach and an equitable treatment for applicants as part of the means assessment process. All applications are assessed nationally with reference to the terms and conditions of the relevant student grant scheme. The terms and conditions of funding are applied impartially to all applicants. 

The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020 establishes the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment as a social insurance benefit scheme separate from other social protection statutory schemes including the Supplementary Welfare Allowance and Jobseeker Allowance and Jobseeker Benefit schemes.

For student grant purposes the Covid-19 payment has been treated as reckonable income for the SUSI means assessment process since it was introduced in March 2020. This means that the Covid-19 payment is treated in a similar fashion to other Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection payments such as Jobseekers Benefit/Allowance, thus ensuring a consistency of approach and an equitable treatment of students and their families in the SUSI means assessment process.

However, the Student Grant Scheme also makes provision for combining periods of Pandemic Unemployment Payment, Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit and other eligible payments for the purposes of meeting the 391 days eligibility requirement for the special rate of grant.

Furthermore, a very important feature of the scheme that I would point to is the change of circumstances provision. If a student or party to their application experiences a change in circumstances that is not a temporary change and is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, they can apply to SUSI to have their application assessed under the change in circumstances provision of the relevant Student Grant Scheme. The income of all parties to the application will be assessed or reassessed on current income and applicants may also be asked to provide evidence of same.

Such a change in circumstances includes no longer being in receipt of a pandemic unemployment payment. Students will no longer receive the PUP from early September, in line with normal circumstances where students do not qualify for unemployment payments while at college.

The change of circumstances provision is a well-established procedure and it can also operate at scale.  For example, over 10,000 applicants declared a change of circumstance in the 2020/21 academic year and some 40% of these applications related to COVID-19. I am confident that the application of this provision will continue to allow the scheme to be flexible and responsive to people's circumstances.

Any student who believes his/her student grant application has been assessed incorrectly may also avail of the opportunities to appeal to SUSI and subsequently to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.

Apart from the Student Grant Scheme, students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Details of this fund are available from the Access Office in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.

Domestic Violence

Questions (520)

Holly Cairns

Question:

520. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the supports and information made available to universities, colleges and other institutions and bodies under his remit to deal with suspected and confirmed cases of domestic abuse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37422/21]

View answer

Written answers

Tackling domestic and sexual abuse and providing supports for victims is a priority for Government. On 1 January 2019, the Domestic Violence Act 2018 was commenced, which improves the protections available to victims of domestic violence under both the civil and criminal law.

The Department of Justice is leading on the delivery of a number of commitments to make sure that we are responding effectively to the needs of victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence. The development of a new national strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, which will place an emphasis on prevention and reduction, is to be agreed by Government before the end of 2021.

I recently launched National University of Ireland, Galway’s Domestic Violence Leave Policy, and I have also written to our publically funded third level institutions to encourage them to consider implementing such a policy to cover their staff.

Third Level Education

Questions (521, 532)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

521. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of SUSI recipients that have been moved from a non-adjacent maintenance rate in 2020-2021 academic year to an adjacent rate in 2021-2022 as a result of the SUSI altered systems and processes for measurement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37531/21]

View answer

Steven Matthews

Question:

532. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to cases of students who have not moved address or college who have been informed in 2021 that they do not qualify for the SUSI non-adjacent rate due to a new method of calculating the distance to their home; his views on whether this will act as a barrier in returning to third-level education this academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37792/21]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 521 and 532 together.

The student grant scheme, administered by SUSI, provides maintenance grants to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.  

Student maintenance grants are payable at either the adjacent or non-adjacent rate. The adjacent rate of maintenance grant is payable in the case of students whose normal residence is 45km or less from the approved institution which he or she is attending. The non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant is payable in all other cases.

The measurement of the distances relating to the award of adjacent or non-adjacent rates of student grant is a matter for SUSI, the grant awarding authority. The distance measurement for student grant rates is governed by Article 27(3) (a) and (b) of the Student Grant Scheme 2021. This provides that the relevant distance will be measured in line with agreed guidelines.

The guidelines require that the shortest most direct route between the applicant's normal residence and the institution being attended should apply. In determining the shortest most direct route, the awarding authority shall establish:

- the method for measuring a route; and

- the factors to be taken into account in establishing and measuring a route.

The distance is always measured from the student's normal residence to the campus the student is attending and never the reverse. The distance is always measured avoiding tolls. The 'depart at' time is set to 1am to ensure consistency by measuring each SUSI Applicant's adjacency at the same time, using Google Maps

SUSI undertakes annual reviews of its processes to identify improvements in accuracy and consistency and have progressively introduced a number of measures that are intended to make the Student Grant Scheme more efficient for students. One of these measures was the introduction of Eircode which has helped to reduce processing times for applicants.

Some reviews can have positive outcomes for students and some reviews can be triggered by a change of address. At all times SUSI strives to ensure that each applicant receives the best possible outcome based on their particular set of circumstances. The application process for 2021-22 is still open therefore, it is not possible at this juncture to provide the data requested by the Deputy. However, I can confirm that as of July 11, SUSI had received just over 80,500 applications and assessed just over 56,500 with just over 49,500 qualifying for grant support.

Research and Development

Questions (522)

Cian O'Callaghan

Question:

522. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the new €40 million North-South research programme will fund new PhD research projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37575/21]

View answer

Written answers

The new North-South Research Programme recently announced with the support of the Shared Island Fund will be administered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA).  The HEA’s approach will encompass a portfolio of investment instruments to take account of the different types of nascent cross-border research opportunities.  The Programme will be structured along the following three strands:

- Bilateral researcher-researcher projects

This will support individual researchers based in an Irish higher education institution (HEI) to collaborate with a researcher in a HEI in Northern Ireland on an identified research project.

- Emerging hubs of excellence

This strand will support research teams to collaborate on an agreed work programme.  Interdisciplinary collaborations will be encouraged.

 - Institutional strategic research engagement 

Higher education institutions will be supported to collaborate with each other on the basis of their respective institutional strategic research priorities. 

Strands II and II may involve funding awards up to a maximum of four years and, as such, may include provision for doctoral education if it aligns with the wider objectives of the proposal.  The HEA is currently developing the details of the Programme call and these will be available on their web site (www.hea.ie) before the end of Q3 2021.

Third Level Fees

Questions (523)

Joe O'Brien

Question:

523. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many Irish prospective students at UK universities have not yet received clarity on their eligibility to access UK home fees and tuition fee loans from UK universities for the forthcoming academic year; if he has engaged with his counterpart in the UK Government to advocate that this is clarified for Irish students as soon as possible given the particular relationship Ireland has with the UK under the Common Travel Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37605/21]

View answer

Written answers

The Common Travel Area provides that Irish students in the UK will be treated on the same basis as British students for the purposes of higher education fees.  I understand that a small number of UK higher education institutions have not updated this information on their websites, which has led to misunderstanding.  We will raise these issue with the UK authorities as part of our ongoing engagements. 

Apprenticeship Programmes

Questions (524)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

524. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if employers of apprentices receive any tax relief or incentives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37626/21]

View answer

Written answers

Currently during their three periods of off-the-job training (phases 2, 4 and 6 of a seven phase craft apprenticeship), craft apprentices are paid training allowances directly by the Education and Training Boards and are not paid by their employers. Under the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 this arrangement will continue for the 25 apprenticeships which are currently covered under this process. Actions set out in the Plan will see employers of all other apprentices become eligible for an annual base grant paid per apprentice. The level of grant will be announced by year end.

This will be supplemented by practical measures to support the employment of apprentices in SMEs, and additional financial and other measures to support the employment of underrepresented groups in apprenticeship and the delivery of skills essential to the economy. A new National Apprenticeship Office will make accessing information on, and engagement with, apprenticeship more straightforward for both learners and employers.  It will provide practical advice and support for the new consortia responsible for the delivery of apprenticeships at programme level.

In the meantime the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme has been extended to include all apprentices registered to the end of this year to ensure that apprenticeship will play a key part in supporting economic recovery at the reopening of the economy following COVID-19.  The Scheme comprises a €2,000 payment when employers register a new apprentice, followed by an additional €1,000 payment one year later where that apprentice is retained.  Since the launch of the Scheme, payments in respect of 4,307 apprentice registrations have been made to date with a current spend of €8.614m. Estimates suggest that between 4500- 5000 Unique employers will be supported by the scheme.

In addition, SOLAS offers a bursary of €2,666.44 to eligible employers, to encourage them to employ female apprentices in one of the craft apprenticeships.  Under the Action Plan this bursary will be expanded to all programmes with greater than 80% representation of a single gender.

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