Written Answers Nos. 166-179
167. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 191 of 10 November 2021, if he will provide a further breakdown of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56428/21]
View answerPlease see table attached outlining funding provided to Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) each year since 2008 as administered via the HEA.
168. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of students currently enrolled on undergraduate courses in a public higher education institution that are not eligible for the free fees initiative due to the fact that they have previously enrolled on a undergraduate course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56429/21]
View answerDetails on the number of students not currently eligible under the criteria of the Department's Free Fees Initiative due to previous attendance on an undergraduate course are not readily available.
Under the Department's Free Fees Initiative (FFI), the Exchequer pays tuition fees on behalf of eligible first time undergraduate students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses. In order to qualify for funding under the Department’s Free Fees Initiative, students must meet the criteria of the scheme including previous education attendance, progression and attainment.
Details of the free fees criteria are available at the following location: hea.ie/funding-governance-performance/funding/student-finance/course-fees/
The assessment of eligibility under the FFI in individual cases is a matter for each higher education institution to determine within the terms of the scheme. The institutions submit a tuition fee claim to the HEA (HEA designated) or the Department (not HEA designated) in relation to eligible students.
169. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total funding allocated to the innovation through collaboration fund; the projects funded, partners and funding allocated in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56430/21]
View answerThe first Innovation through Collaboration Call was launched in 2019 as part of the Skills to Advance initiative, which aims to equip employees with the skills to progress in their current job, or to take advantage of new job opportunities. The objective of the Innovation through Collaboration Fund is to provide Education and Training Boards (ETBs) with an opportunity to bid for additional funding to enable a major step-up in innovation in employee development supports and training opportunities for individuals and enterprise.
10 proposals were successful under the 2019 Call and funding of €3,268,406 was awarded as set out in the following table:
|
Lead ETB |
Project Title |
Amount |
|
CMETB |
Upskilling the Food Sector for the future through action learning |
€182,000 |
|
LMETB |
Advanced Manufacturing Skills - Development of Curricula and Flexible Delivery Methods |
€365,000 |
|
GRETB |
AquaFarm: Innovative virtual learning and game based approach to delivering Further Education and Training in Aquaculture |
€314,364 |
|
WWETB |
Step up and Grow Management Development |
€193,000 |
|
MSLETB |
Driving Success with Technology |
€355,000 |
|
MSLETB |
Employer Engagement CRM for the FET Sector |
€263,000 |
|
KWETB |
RPL framework for the Irish Hospitality Sector |
€492,000 |
|
KWETB |
M4-CPD (Manufacturing 4.0 - CPD) |
€340,000 |
|
WWETB |
Development of Innovative Delivery Modes for Existing and Future NZEB Curricula |
€295,000 |
|
DETB |
Validating Competencies of Care Sector Employees via RPL (VCCSE) |
€469,042 |
|
Total |
€3,268,406 |
Details of the proposals and partners have been published by SOLAS and are set out in the attachment.
A second call was opened in July 2021. In this call ETBs were invited to propose new, creative, and previously undeveloped ideas and were encouraged to collaborate outside the FET sector with innovative organisations to develop, test and access creative solutions to the challenges they face in engaging with workforce development. 7 proposals were submitted by the closing date of 7th October and it is expected that the successful proposals will be announced by the end of November 2021 and will commence from January 2022.
170. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if students from universities in Northern Ireland were able to register for Erasmus for the winter semester of the 2021-2022 academic year; if they will be able to register in the summer semester; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56431/21]
View answerOfficials from my Department were recently been advised by representatives from Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that their participation in Erasmus was extended to May, 2023, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. On this basis, they had secured funding to cover all NI higher education Erasmus mobilities for the 2022/2023 academic year.
In the light of this development, there is no need for any intervention on my Department's part for the 2021/ 2022 and 2022/ 2023 academic years.
My Department stands ready to re-engage with NI HEIs in October 2022 to put appropriate structures in place to support the continued access for NI HE students to Erasmus mobilities for the 2023/ 2024 academic year.
171. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide a report detailing the past five years Department expenditures clearly delineated between all capital and non-capital disbursements including research grants through the Higher Education Authority, Science Foundation Ireland and other agencies providing third-level funding supports which were provided to UCC, UL, UCG, UCD, Maynooth National University, Trinity College Dublin and DCU in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56442/21]
View answer172. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide a report detailing the past five years Department expenditures clearly delineated between all capital and non-capital disbursements including research grants through the Higher Education Authority, Science Foundation Ireland and other agencies providing third-level funding supports which were provided to all institutes of technology in the country in the period in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56443/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 171 and 172 together.
We are currently collating the information, and will revert to the Deputy with a response as soon as it is available.
173. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the measures he is taking to guarantee that there will be a greater number of third-level places created for the leaving certificate class of 2022 in view of the fact that there will be a higher than normal levels of CAO applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56445/21]
View answerThe CAO application portal for the 2022 academic year opened on 5th November. Information on how the number of applicants compares to previous years is therefore not yet available.
My Department will closely monitoring any potential impact that the level of applications may have on entry to further and higher education in 2022. A key goal of my Department is to ensure that all students are given the opportunity to pursue educational pathways which allow them to achieve their full potential. Budget 2022 including funding for additional capacity in the higher education sector, as demographics will continue to drive expansion in that area.
We are also working to promote a broader view of third level education, and to enhance the visibility of further education and training, and apprenticeship options for school leavers.
To help them make the most informed choice possible, school leavers are now able to explore all of the options across the third level system, whether in higher education, further education or apprenticeship options, from the CAO website. I encourage this year's Leaving Certificate students to consider all the paths available to them.
174. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a person (details supplied) is entitled to retain the special rate of maintenance grant for the 2021-2022 academic year based on income from 2020 which included the pandemic unemployment payment considering that they are under the income threshold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56490/21]
View answerThe decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for SUSI to determine. 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 of 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.
There are over 40 eligible long-term social welfare payments prescribed in the Student Grant Scheme that include such payments as the One Parent Family Payment, Carer's Allowance, Disability Allowance, Farm Assist and Jobseekers Allowance and Benefit where held for a specified period of time. A student may qualify for the special rate of grant provided that a party to the student grant application (which in the case of a dependent student it includes his/her parents and the student themselves) is in receipt of one of the prescribed payments and the applicant meets the other conditions of the special rate of grant.
The student grant scheme contains a number of qualifying thresholds for various grant values. Therefore, students who do not qualify for the special rate of grant may qualify for a different rate based on gross reckonable income.
The student referred to by the Deputy did not hold an eligible payment as at 31st December 2020.
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 institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.
In addition, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may also be available in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from a student's local Tax Office or from the Revenue Commissioners website, www.revenue.ie
175. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice if she has received or sent correspondence to the Sentencing Guidelines Committee of the Judicial Council; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56206/21]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Sentencing Guidelines Committee is the responsibility of the Judicial Council. As per section 6 of the Judicial Council Act 2019, the Judicial Council, subject to the provisions of the Act, is independent in the exercise of its functions. Neither I nor my Department has any role in relation to the operation of the Council or its Committees.
I am not aware of any contact between my Department and the Sentencing Guidelines Committee. In addition, there is no requirement for the Judicial Council to keep my Department appraised of any progress or work undertaken by any Committee under its remit.
176. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Justice the status of an application for a transfer under the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons 1983 in the case of a person (details supplied). [56247/21]
View answerI have been advised by my officials in the Irish Prison Service, (who are the competent body for the administration of the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Acts) that while they have received a number of inquiries in relation to this individual, they have not yet received formal communication from the Latvian authorities in respect of this case.
An important element of the transfer process is that the consent of the individual concerned is provided and on receipt of a fully complete application my officials will process it according to the provisions of the Acts. The agreement of the Latvian authorities is also an essential condition for a transfer.
177. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied); when it is expected to finalise the application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56270/21]
View answerAn application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy is currently being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
It is recognised that all applicants for citizenship would wish to have a decision on their application without delay. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that, for a broad range of reasons, some cases will take longer than others to process. In some instances, completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
In addition, the combined impact of the 2019 High Court judgment in the Jones case and the necessary health restrictions arising from the pandemic, has resulted in the processing time for standard applications increasing.
However, my Department is taking a number of steps to speed up the processing of applications and a number of digitisation measures have also been introduced to increase efficiency in the process, including eTax clearance, eVetting and online payments. The end result of the digitisation process will be to free up more staff to focus on processing applications in a timely and efficient manner, to improve service to our customers and reduce waiting times.
This year, we are on track to deliver approximately 11,000 decisions, significantly exceeding the levels achieved in the last two years. Additional staff have also been assigned to the citizenship team. Based on these measures, my Department's objective is to achieve an improved timeframe of 6-9 months for decisions on a majority of applications during 2022.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
178. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice if applications for visas can be treated with urgency in the case of a family (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56282/21]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that the applicants referred to created on-line Join Family (Non EEA national) visa applications on 29 March 2021. The supporting documentation and fee were submitted to the Visa Office on 10 May 2021. These applications are currently awaiting comprehensive examination.
In accordance with the provisions under Point 21.1 of my Department's Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification, processing of family reunification visa applications, such as these, may take up to 6 months to determine from the date documentation is received in the relevant Visa Office.
The Visa Office endeavours to have applications of this nature processed earlier than this, however, this is not always possible. In order to be fair to all applicants, as you will appreciate, applications are processed in order by date received in the Office.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie), which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
179. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Justice the number of community Gardaí attached to Swords Garda station, County Dublin in each of the past ten years by rank in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56425/21]
View answerI have requested the information sought by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána however it was not available in time to respond. I will write to the Deputy directly once the information is to hand.
