Written Answers Nos. 622-641
623. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of Dundalk Institute of Technology’s progress towards technological university status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39183/22]
View answerIt is a matter for the governing body of a higher education institution (HEI) as to the strategic positioning of the institution on the higher education landscape.
Dundalk Institute of Technology is understood to be currently pursuing a trajectory to achieve technological university (TU) status. The Institute is in receipt of Exchequer funding under the Transformation Fund and advice from a special advisor in the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Dr. Ruaidhri Neavyn, in support of its efforts to achieve TU status.
Given the network of TUs now established, it is more likely that the Institute's ambition to become part of a multi-campus TU will de facto require to be advanced under the legislative approach prescribed in section 38 of the Technological Universities Act 2018 which provides for the merger of an Institute of Technology with an existing TU.
The Department and the HEA will continue to support the Institute in seeking to achieve TU status as appropriate.
624. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the details of any engagements that have taken place in relation to workforce planning between his Department and the regional skills framework, other stakeholders and other Departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39184/22]
View answerIreland has a highly developed national skills system across further and higher education and apprenticeship, lifelong learning and human capital development, under the framework of the National Skills Strategy, and underpinned by strong partnership with key stakeholders. It is firmly focused on responding in an agile and flexible way to priority skill needs, and to changes in the world of work driven by technology, to ensure Ireland has a skilled and productive workforce.
The National Skills Council and Regional Skills Fora operating under the National Skills Strategy, foster engagement, dialogue, and collaboration between relevant Government Departments and agencies, the education and training system, the enterprise agencies, and enterprise representatives in relation to skills priorities.
The skills ecosystem also encompasses the labour market information entities including the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit in SOLAS and the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. This skills infrastructure informs and drives responsive and flexible forecasting, planning, and provision to meet skills requirements across all sectors of the economy. It has an important role to play in identifying skills provision shortfalls to be addressed by the education and training system and concerns relating to labour shortages in particular sectors that relate to other factors.
Through 2022, Ireland, in partnership with the OECD, is reviewing Ireland’s skills strategies, policies and approaches. This will be central to our economic and social sustainability against the backdrop of major trends impacting on the workforce and society including digitalisation and climate transition. The work of the OECD is firmly grounded in extensive stakeholder consultation, including specific engagements focused on the needs of regional enterprises and SMEs.
625. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans for increasing the number of courses, the number on courses and the range of courses for apprentices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39185/22]
View answerThe ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ sets out new ways of structuring, funding, and promoting apprenticeships to make apprenticeship accessible to employers and learners. The Plan seeks to deliver on a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum, across a wide range of programmes, by 2025.
The expansion of apprenticeship across all sectors has widened the impact of apprenticeship in areas of skills shortage such as engineering, retrofitting, technology and fintech. Under the Plan there will be increased online visibility regarding apprenticeship engagement and development processes for employers/sectors who wish to assess the potential for new apprenticeships. Applications for new apprenticeship development are open on an ongoing basis, allowing employers to progress the development of programmes in response to emerging skills needs on an as-needed basis in all sectors of the economy.
Development of new apprenticeship programmes has continued despite pandemic challenges. There are currently 65 apprenticeship programmes on offer: 25 craft programmes and 40 programmes introduced since 2016. Eight new programmes were launched over 2020 and 2021: arboriculture, equipment systems engineer, healthcare assistant, principal engineer – professional doctorate, recruitment executive, sales, scaffolding and supply chain associate.
So far this year, bar manager, wind turbine maintenance technician and transport operations & commercial driving apprenticeships have been launched. Programme development has been approved for programmes in areas such as farming, horticulture, finance, manufacturing, construction, cybersecurity and ICT, with several other programmes at the initial proposal stage. A full list of apprenticeship programmes available and in development is linked below.
Significant financial supports have been introduced this year under the Action Plan:
-The annual Employer Grant of €2,000 per apprentice means that, for the first time, employers of all apprentices now have access to financial support, either through direct payment of allowances to apprentices or through the grant. This will help to promote engagement with the non-craft programmes, including the development of new programmes.
-The gender-based bursary of €2,666 is available for those who employ apprentices in the minority gender on any national apprenticeship programme with greater than 80% representation of a single gender. It is an expansion of the ‘female bursary’ available to craft apprenticeship employers prior to 2022 and there are currently 42 programmes which meet the criterion.
Employer feedback during the consultation process of the Action Plan highlighted that non-financial supports were particularly important for SME employers. Recognising this, supports to be in place during 2022 include:
- The National Apprenticeship Office is linking potential consortia members, education providers, and supporting consortia members and/or provide supports to build in-company training capacity.
- A development plan is to be delivered for a user-centred apprenticeship management system to simplify employer participation within and across apprenticeship
- Proposed amendments to the Industrial Training Act, 1967, included in the Higher Education Authority Bill, 2022, will widen the scope for new apprenticeship programmes in an expanded range of sectors.
The increased diversity of new apprenticeships, many of which have off-the-job training delivered through online or blended learning provides a significant opportunity for widening of access to apprenticeship for rural businesses and learners. In addition, Education and Training Boards, Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities are spread throughout the country and play a very important role in ensuring apprenticeship provision has a strong regional dimension.
626. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans for increased levels of public service apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39186/22]
View answerA key commitment of the ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ is to grow the number of apprenticeship registrations across the public service, including local authorities, to reach 750 annual registrations by 2025. This represents a more than seven-fold increase on 2020 registrations and will support a long-term goal of 7% of the apprentice population being employed by public service employers.
Whilst it is not yet determined where the apprenticeship roles are best located, the diversity of the public service provides a wide basis for involvement with the range of existing apprenticeships and those programmes in development.
Apprenticeship provides an opportunity to target and widen the recruitment pool for both generalist and specialist roles within the public service.
My Department’s officials have undertaken a number of actions in order to make progress towards achieving this commitment:
- Several general and sector-focused information sessions on apprenticeship were held late last year.
- A Working Group has been established, representing Government Departments and agencies and local authorities, to develop a Public Service Apprenticeship Recruitment Plan by summer 2022. The Group’s work is based on surveying over 100 organisations in relation to their skills needs.
- More specifically, there has been extensive bilateral engagement with the LGMA to assist with surveying local authorities in relation to their skills needs.
There is also engagement with the HSE and Department of Health in relation to a commitment in the Action Plan to explore a healthcare assistant apprenticeship programme for the HSE and the options for how this might be piloted.
The results of the survey of Public Service organisations have now been analysed and a Public Service Apprenticeship Recruitment Plan, informed by the survey results, is being drafted.
627. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department has received the 2021 annual report from SOLAS; and when same will be published. [39274/22]
View answerMy Department has received the 2021 annual report and accounts from SOLAS for 2021 and the report will be published in the coming weeks.
628. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of students expected to enrol in Cork universities in September. [39281/22]
View answerMy Department does not produce projections of higher education enrolment on a regional level, and so the data requested by the Deputy is not available. The statistics section of the Department of Education produce national level projections of full-time enrolment in higher education, which are available at the link below.
www.gov.ie/en/collection/projections/
The number of new entrants in UCC and MTU, for the last three academic years available, are in the table below:
|
New Entrants |
2018/2019 |
2019/2020 |
2020/2021 |
|
Munster Technological University |
2,490 |
2,640 |
2,875 |
|
University College Cork |
3,608 |
3,702 |
3,893 |
629. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of purpose-built student accommodation units that will be available in Cork city in September 2022. [39282/22]
View answerThe Department understands that, across both private and HEI-owned purpose built student accommodation, there is currently in the region of 5,000 bedspaces is available in Cork City.
The Department is aware of a number of developments on site expected to add in the region of 1,000 further beds in 2022.
630. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost in a first budgetary year of increasing the recurrent funding to the higher education sector by 120, 220, and 320 respectively based on an academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39361/22]
View answerMy Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions via the recurrent funding model. The amount provided under my Departments B4 subhead and the National Training Fund (NTF) Enterprise Focused Higher Education provision are included in the overall recurrent grant to the sector.
Recurrent Funding is allocated on an annual basis rather than an academic year basis therefore any increase in the annual grant budget would represent the full year cost of such an increase.
In considering higher education funding it is important to note that public investment in higher education through my Departments allocation is on an upward trend, and now stands at €2.4 billion. Annual current expenditure has increased by 40% since 2015. I am committed to continuing the process of investing in our higher education system and to the development and implementation of a sustainable funding, reform and performance model for the sector. On 4th May I launched the Funding the Future framework which includes the Government's policy response to the Cassells and DG Reform Reviews on the future of higher education.
The policy sets out the vision and direction of higher education funding, our ambitions to drive reform and support agility and responsiveness in the sector, and the need to ensure that students are supported in accessing education and training. This includes:
- Planned additional investment of €307 million to address core funding challenges for our institutions, that will be made over a number of years through annual budgetary processes. This does not account for future demographic needs or new policy proposals for higher education.
- Plans to consider options to address cost as a barrier to higher education, and how we will pursue funding measures on these issues through the Estimates process, including in respect of reductions to the student contribution and enhancements to the SUSI grant in line with the Student Grant Review.
The provision of Higher Education funding on an annual basis is part of overall expenditure management and budgetary policy for Government. It is of course imperative that funding is made available to my Department to support these plans and I will be seeking to have the additional funding required to address the identified core funding gap and also to address costs for students of attending higher education as part of the annual Estimates processes over the coming years.
631. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average annual expenditure on apprentice accommodation allowances per apprentice in the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39362/22]
View answer632. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average annual expenditure on apprentice travel allowances per apprentice in the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39363/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 631 and 632 together.
The Education Shared Business Service (ESBS) which operates under the remit of the Department of Education act as a paying agent on behalf of Education and Training boards ETBs and accordingly, Apprentices are paid training allowances via the PeopleXD system by ESBS while they undertake off-the-job training.
All Apprentices are registered by ETBs on the SOLAS ACSS Apprenticeship system and this information is subsequently posted to the PeopleXD system for payment purposes.
The Deputy should note that ESBS took over the payment of Apprentices in Mar 2020 via the PeopleXD system. Prior to that, Apprentices were paid from the FAS TAPS legacy system.
Regarding the deputy’s question on average costs, there is not enough data available to determine average costs as the only full year figures available are from 2021 in which the total amount paid in craft allowances was €66.865m and due to the pandemic and the associated shutdown of educational and training facilities, these figures are not an accurate reflection of allowances paid to apprentices.
633. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the average spend from the Exchequer per student eligible for SUSI supports of any kind; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39364/22]
View answerThe main support to students attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the Student Grant Scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding, provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution and meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment (progression) and means.
Under the scheme, students must be attending approved full-time courses. All full-time undergraduate and post-graduate students who meet the criteria under the Student Grant Scheme are in receipt of a grant.
To date, the average spend per student in the 2021/22 academic year is €4,200. This includes maintenance, fees, student contribution or both depending on the award granted to the student.
Please note this figure may change as processing for 2021/22 is ongoing.
634. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated increase required to the income threshold for the SUSI bracket no maintenance 50% tuition fees or 100% student contribution to expand the number of recipients receiving support by €1,000, €5,000 and €10,000 respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39365/22]
View answer635. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated increase required to the income threshold for the SUSI bracket no maintenance, 50% student contribution to expand the number of recipients receiving support by €1,000, €5,000 and €10,000 respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39366/22]
View answer636. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost of increasing the maintenance grant associated with non-adjacent 25% maintenance by €50; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39367/22]
View answer637. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost of increasing the maintenance grant associated with adjacent 75% maintenance by €22; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39368/22]
View answer638. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost of increasing the maintenance grant associated with adjacent 50% maintenance by €50; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39369/22]
View answer639. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost of increasing the maintenance grant associated with adjacent 25% maintenance by €50; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39370/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 634, 635, 636, 637, 638 and 639 together.
The details requested by the Deputy for PQ numbers 39367, 39368, 39369 and 39370 are in the table linked below.
Due to the complex nature of the request in PQ’s 39365 and 39366, I am advised that SUSI, who are the awarding authority require some additional time to review and provide the information requested by the Deputy. They will endeavour to supply this directly to the Deputy in the coming weeks.
640. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has carried out an analysis of the required number of qualified graduates that will be needed to facilitate the offshore renewable energy sector; the results of such an analysis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39494/22]
View answerCurrent skills provision in this area covers the entire tertiary education system.
A dynamic and evolving economy will always have skills demands and challenges. Our imperative is to ensure agility and responsiveness in the skills ecosystem. Through 2022 Ireland, in partnership with the OECD, is reviewing Ireland’s skills strategies, policies and approaches to help us ensure that our skills system is future proofed. A core objective for my Department is to ensure that individuals and businesses are offered supports and pathways to quality education, upskilling and reskilling opportunities.
The National Training Fund supports initiatives including:
- Skills to Advance is an employee development policy framework which enables targeted support for vulnerable groups in the Irish workforce;
- Skills to Compete are a range of programmes to respond to the need for activation, upskilling and reskilling;
- Springboard+ provides free and subsidised upskilling and reskilling higher education opportunities in areas of identified skills need;
- Human Capital Initiative (HCI) range of programmes which seek to ensure that the higher education system as a whole responds to the constantly evolving skills needs of the economy;
- Skillnet Ireland provides subsidised training to business through learning networks operating nationwide and across all sectors.
The Green Tech Skillnet provides training opportunities in wind energy both for those working in the industry and for people looking to enter the wind industry. The Green Tech Skillnet is an enterprise-led network facilitating the workforce and development needs of the Irish renewable energy industry. It is promoted by Wind Energy Ireland (WEI), the representative body for the Irish wind industry, working to promote wind energy as an essential, economical and environmentally friendly part of the country’s low-carbon energy future. A number of renewable energy programmes are funded under HCI and Springboard+, among other Green Skills courses. This includes: a Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Energy Systems at DCU; a Postgraduate Diploma in Wind Energy at Dundalk Institute of Technology; Certificate in Energy Sustainability at South East Technological University; and MEng in Energy Infrastructure at Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest.
Sustainable green skills are embedded in the Further Education and Training Strategy, which provides that climate change and sustainable development are key components of Further Education and Training (FET) processes. FET will continue to contribute to the Government’s call of action to prioritise energy, building and the environment in its processes.
It is envisaged that the SOLAS Green Skills Action Plan will contribute to clean technologies and the acceleration of the use of renewables. It will contribute to a greater awareness of energy efficiency and the benefits of retrofitting both public and private buildings. The key skills areas to be addressed will include as follows:
- Creation of awareness of the Green Agenda through education;
- Increase of capacity in this area;
- Training and upskilling, which will contribute to green transition.
Currently, a number of ‘Green Cert’ training courses are being delivered by Education and Training Boards (ETBs). A ‘Green Cert’ training course refers to a list of land-based courses, which provides qualifications in Horticulture; Agriculture; Forestry or Equine Studies. Upon completion of the Green Cert training course, a qualified person will meet the requirements of a qualified farmer for the purposes of all Revenue and Department of Agriculture (DAFM) schemes. In 2021, there were 600 Learner Enrolments registered on ETB Green Cert training courses.
In May 2021, an agreement was reached on a pilot project to be launched this year between the Campus des métiers et des qualifications d’excellence international normand des énergies (CEINE), Dublin & Dun Laoghaire ETB, Kerry ETB, Laois Offaly ETB, Limerick & Clare ETB and Cavan & Monaghan ETB. These organisations will seek to build on their shared expertise in the field of Green Technologies Skills. ETB Further Education & Training will have a primary role in ensuring that Ireland’s workforce has the required skills to meet its ambitious energy targets. LOETB has attended two meetings on the pilot for Green Technology Skills CEINE to date. The most recent meeting took place in October 2021 and it was agreed that the initial focus of the Programme would be on offshore wind turbine maintenance in conjunction with Kerry ETB. Other programmes of interest to LOETB, which were referenced at the meeting as potential "start points" of French-Irish cooperation include: Digital Technologies; Sustainable Agriculture and the transition from Peat to Renewable Energy, to name but a few.
The Wind Turbine Maintenance Technician (WTMT) Apprenticeship was launched in March 2022. Kerry ETB is the coordinating provider for the apprenticeship. It is estimated that there will be in the region of 18 registrations by year end. It will run for a duration of 3 years and is offered at Level 6 on the NFQ. The rationale for this apprenticeship is that there is no current apprenticeship which provides the range of knowledge, skills and competencies needed for the role of wind turbine maintenance technician. This Apprenticeship is for people who wish to pursue a career in the maintenance of large scale commercial wind turbines. It is designed to meet the needs of the growing Irish Renewable and Sustainable Energy sector. This apprenticeship will create a pathway into this career for school leavers or those who do not currently possess any relevant qualifications.
Kerry ETB recognised the shortage of training and education opportunities in this area, and in consultation with a number of employers implemented the highly successful wind turbine maintenance traineeship. This traineeship typically lasts 39 weeks and includes a minimum of 30 percent on-the-job training. Upon completion, trainees may receive a City and Guilds Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Electrical Power Engineering. This has been run in Kerry ETB’s training facility since 2014 with very high placement rates for trainees involved. However, the entry requirements for this traineeship require potential trainees to hold one of the following:
- Advanced Craft Certificate (Electrical)
- Advanced Craft Certificate (MAMF)
- Advanced Craft Certificate (Motor Mechanic)
- BEng with related work experience
The Department of Environment, Climate and Communications has established a cross-Departmental Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce to drive delivery and capture wider and longer term economic and business opportunities associated with the development of offshore renewables in Ireland. This will include the identification of supporting infrastructure development and supply chain opportunities as Ireland’s offshore wind industry is developed.
A cross-departmental Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce has been established to accelerate delivery of offshore wind actions and ensure alignment of activities in progress across Government. One of the key objectives of the Taskforce is to ensure the longer term economic and business opportunities associated with the development of offshore renewables are captured.
Ireland has an ambitious skills agenda driven out by an advanced system of skills provision, across Further and Higher Education, lifelong learning and human capital development, which is agile and responsive to changes in the world of work, in order to address evolving skills needs.
641. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the amount that the State Claims Agency has paid out in compensation in mass action, lack of in cell sanitation claims in 2021, 2020 and for the first six months of 2022; and the number of claims the payments concern in 2021, 2020 and for the first six months of 2022, in tabular form. [39456/22]
View answer642. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the amount paid out in third-party legal costs concerning lack of sanitation claim cases in 2020, 2021 and for the first six months of 2022; the number of cases that the third party costs relate to; and the amount that each of the top five named legal firms received in 2021, in tabular form. [39457/22]
View answer643. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the amount paid out in first party legal costs concerning lack of sanitation claim cases in 2020, 2021 and for the first six months of 2022; the number of cases that the first party costs relate to; and the amount that each of the top five named legal firms received in 2021 in tabular form. [39458/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 641, 642 and 643 together.
I have sought the information requested by the Deputy from the Irish Prison Service; however, the information was not available in time. I will write to the Deputy once the information is to hand.End of
|
Year |
Number of Claims |
Damages Paid |
|
2020 |
386 |
€1,438,086 |
|
2021 |
732 |
€2,316,242 |
|
2022 YTD (to end June) |
62 |
€189,800 |
|
Grand Total |
1,180 |
€3,944,128 |
|
Year |
Number of Claims |
Plaintiff Legal Costs Paid |
|
2020 |
385 |
€708,983 |
|
2021 |
723 |
€967,975 |
|
2022 YTD (to end June) |
61 |
€1,054,490 |
|
Grand Total |
1,169 |
€2,731,448 |
|
Payee |
Plaintiff Legal Costs Paid |
|
Burns Nowlan Solicitors |
€184,450 |
|
KOD Lyons Solicitors |
€154,350 |
|
Michael J Staines & Company |
€97,250 |
|
M.E. Hanahoe Solicitors |
€87,450 |
|
Cahir O'Higgins & Company Solicitors |
€48,000 |
|
Year |
Number of Claims |
Agency Legal Costs Paid |
|
2020 |
232 |
€331,017 |
|
2021 |
765 |
€547,122 |
|
2022 YTD (to end June) |
74 |
€79,419 |
|
Grand Total |
1,063* |
€957,558 |
|
Solicitors Name |
Amount Paid |
|
Ronan Daly Jermyn Solicitors |
€241,441 |
|
Good & Murray Smith |
€90,497 |
|
McCann Fitzgerald Solicitors |
€71,477 |
|
Corrigan & Corrigan |
€48,565 |
