Written Answers Nos. 139-154
139. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to provide support to higher education institutions to deliver affordable student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50539/22]
View answerI will be bringing a paper outlining proposals to increase the supply of student accommodation before the Cabinet Committee on Housing shortly, including proposals relating to a new model approach whereby for the first time the State would assist directly in bridging the gap between development costs and rental affordability in relation to the provision of additional student accommodation.
Thereafter, I intend to bring a Memorandum for Government approval of the relevant proposals later this year.
The Deputy will understand that it is not appropriate to provide the House with the details of such proposals in advance of formal Government consideration.
140. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total number of apprentice in each type and phase; the total number of apprentices awaiting access to off-the-job training in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50543/22]
View answerApprentices waiting for Phase 2,4 & 6 at end of September 2022:
|
Trade Family |
Trade |
Phase 2 |
Phase 4 |
Phase 6 |
Overall Total |
|
Construction |
Brick and Stonelaying |
67 |
10 |
4 |
81 |
|
Carpentry and Joinery |
704 |
35 |
98 |
837 |
|
|
Painting and Decorating |
22 |
3 |
0 |
25 |
|
|
Plastering |
8 |
12 |
6 |
26 |
|
|
Plumbing |
936 |
97 |
111 |
1144 |
|
|
Stonecutting and Stonemasonry |
5 |
4 |
0 |
9 |
|
|
Wood Manufacturing and Finishing |
155 |
20 |
13 |
188 |
|
|
Total |
1897 |
181 |
232 |
2310 |
|
|
Electrical |
Aircraft Mechanics |
0 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
Electrical |
3250 |
105 |
254 |
3609 |
|
|
Electrical Instrumentation |
112 |
2 |
1 |
115 |
|
|
Electronic Security Systems |
30 |
37 |
1 |
68 |
|
|
Instrumentation |
18 |
1 |
16 |
35 |
|
|
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning |
169 |
24 |
1 |
194 |
|
|
Total |
3579 |
171 |
274 |
4024 |
|
|
Engineering |
Farriery |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
Industrial Insulation |
2 |
12 |
0 |
14 |
|
|
M.A.M.F. |
188 |
45 |
36 |
269 |
|
|
Metal Fabrication |
280 |
80 |
27 |
387 |
|
|
Pipefitting |
136 |
23 |
5 |
164 |
|
|
Sheet Metalworking |
29 |
4 |
3 |
36 |
|
|
Toolmaking |
1 |
3 |
4 |
8 |
|
|
Total |
639 |
167 |
75 |
881 |
|
|
Motor |
Agricultural Mechanics |
33 |
20 |
1 |
54 |
|
Construction Plant Fitting |
19 |
10 |
18 |
47 |
|
|
Heavy Vehicle Mechanics |
210 |
34 |
42 |
286 |
|
|
Motor Mechanics |
346 |
19 |
61 |
426 |
|
|
Vehicle Body Repairs |
7 |
6 |
13 |
26 |
|
|
Total |
615 |
89 |
135 |
839 |
|
|
Grand Total |
6730 |
608 |
716 |
8054 |
Trade by Phase - End of September 2022
|
Trade |
Phase 1 |
Phase 2 |
Phase 3 |
Phase 4 |
Phase 5 |
Phase 6 |
Phase 7 |
Total |
|
Construction |
2534 |
671 |
922 |
379 |
800 |
376 |
282 |
5964 |
|
Brick and Stonelaying |
84 |
38 |
59 |
16 |
45 |
12 |
31 |
285 |
|
Cabinet Making |
0 |
|||||||
|
Carpentry and Joinery |
974 |
258 |
314 |
139 |
332 |
174 |
133 |
2324 |
|
Painting and Decorating |
39 |
13 |
18 |
13 |
16 |
7 |
106 |
|
|
Plastering |
12 |
12 |
27 |
12 |
15 |
11 |
89 |
|
|
Plumbing |
1225 |
311 |
434 |
189 |
349 |
158 |
81 |
2747 |
|
Stonecutting and Stonemasonry |
5 |
8 |
4 |
11 |
28 |
|||
|
Wood Manufacturing and Finishing |
195 |
31 |
66 |
23 |
46 |
16 |
8 |
385 |
|
Electrical |
4617 |
989 |
1643 |
730 |
1407 |
726 |
277 |
10389 |
|
Aircraft Mechanics |
54 |
55 |
30 |
55 |
61 |
255 |
||
|
Electrical |
4096 |
905 |
1358 |
634 |
1210 |
597 |
195 |
8995 |
|
Electrical Instrumentation |
156 |
61 |
55 |
64 |
69 |
29 |
6 |
440 |
|
Electronic Security Systems |
60 |
23 |
51 |
16 |
19 |
16 |
3 |
188 |
|
Instrumentation |
20 |
11 |
25 |
3 |
59 |
|||
|
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning |
231 |
113 |
16 |
54 |
29 |
9 |
452 |
|
|
Engineering |
870 |
233 |
506 |
116 |
306 |
178 |
89 |
2298 |
|
Farriery |
4 |
7 |
3 |
7 |
21 |
|||
|
Industrial Insulation |
9 |
8 |
21 |
9 |
47 |
|||
|
M.A.M.F. |
242 |
80 |
126 |
32 |
123 |
64 |
14 |
681 |
|
Metal Fabrication |
381 |
83 |
206 |
48 |
110 |
64 |
33 |
925 |
|
Pipefitting |
159 |
26 |
79 |
5 |
16 |
285 |
||
|
Sheet Metalworking |
49 |
14 |
28 |
13 |
38 |
16 |
4 |
162 |
|
Toolmaking |
26 |
22 |
39 |
23 |
21 |
15 |
31 |
177 |
|
Motor |
888 |
251 |
453 |
168 |
436 |
221 |
124 |
2541 |
|
Agricultural Mechanics |
82 |
61 |
16 |
29 |
16 |
18 |
222 |
|
|
Construction Plant Fitting |
43 |
54 |
50 |
16 |
35 |
32 |
12 |
242 |
|
Heavy Vehicle Mechanics |
234 |
60 |
94 |
32 |
118 |
46 |
12 |
596 |
|
Motor Mechanics |
505 |
129 |
213 |
94 |
223 |
112 |
74 |
1350 |
|
Vehicle Body Repairs |
24 |
8 |
35 |
10 |
31 |
15 |
8 |
131 |
|
Printing & Paper |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Print Media |
1 |
1 |
||||||
|
Grand Total |
8909 |
2144 |
3524 |
1393 |
2950 |
1501 |
772 |
21193 |
The total number of apprentices in each type and phase of apprenticeship and the total number of apprentices awaiting access to off-the-job training as per the latest data available is attached in tabular form.
141. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total number of PhD researchers; the percentage of PhD researchers who will receive the €500 stipend increase; the total number who will likely receive the increase in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50544/22]
View answer145. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason that PhD students who are not funded by SFI and IRC have been excluded from receiving the bonus payment announced in Budget 2023; if this will be reconsidered and amended to include all PhD students given the current cost-of-living situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50662/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 145 together.
I was pleased to be able to allocate a once off payment of €500 in 2022 to PhD students currently supported by Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Research Council, and an increase of €500 to the stipend baseline of €18,500 for 2023 for PhD students currently supported by Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Research Council. Both agencies will make arrangements with higher education institutions for the increase to be paid to students funded through their awards.
Outside the remit of my agencies, the level of stipend paid by higher education institutions is a matter for the institutions themselves.
However, my Department is monitoring the issue of stipends and the views expressed by students and other stakeholders. I have met with PHD Workers Alliance representatives and the Union of Students in Ireland on the challenges facings students. Following on from the Budget and on foot of these engagements, I will be commencing a review of current PhD training provision, including supports for students such as stipends.
I have asked my Department to set out a scope for such a review, building on previous work in this area and with a view to framing practical actions that can be implemented within the resources available and competing needs.
142. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the engagement that he has had with Maynooth University regarding the cancellation of the student centre (details supplied); the obligations that are on the university to those who paid the increased levy now that the project has been cancelled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50545/22]
View answerMaynooth University recently informed my Department that its’ Governing Authority has taken the difficult decision to terminate the Maynooth University Student Centre contract.
My Department does not have any direct involvement in the project in question, as no direct exchequer funding was being provided by my Department for this project, which was solely being funded by European Investment Bank borrowings serviced by income from a student levy. However, all capital projects advanced by publicly funded Higher Education Institutions must comply with the provisions of the Public Spending Code. I understand following detailed consideration on a number of matters, including the risk associated with continuing with a project that would breach the Public Spending Code, the Governing Authority decided to terminate the contract.
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 bodies and are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs including dealing with policy and procedure in relation to any levy payable by students for services or campus facilitates.
The expenditure that has been incurred to date on the project will be met by the University from financial reserves. No financial contribution is being sought from the Exchequer and there will be no impact on the student levy collected from the MU student body. Maynooth University are considering the most appropriate means of meeting the need for additional student spaces on campus, in the short and long term, in the overall context of achieving value for money in any future investment.
I met with Student representatives on a range of issues on Thursday last the 6th of October. The Student’s Union from Maynooth University were represented at this meeting and I listened to their concerns about the Student Centre and the Student Levy. I would strongly encourage the University to continue engagement with the student representative body, on the next steps for this project and I understand a further meeting is scheduled this week.
143. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the reduction in fees for third-level students will apply to students attending part-time courses such as the part-time BA in Social Care in Galway University; and the supports that will be provided for part-time students. [50551/22]
View answerAs part of Budget 2023 I have secured a significant cost of living package for third level students including a once-off €1,000 state financial support towards the undergraduate student contribution fee for higher education students eligible for my Department’s free fees schemes.
Students attending part time courses are not eligible for the free fees schemes and therefore the once off student contribution support of €1,000 in 22/23 cannot apply to students undertaking part time study.
Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial difficulty can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. As part of the cost-of-living measures announced in Budget 2023 an additional €8 million has been invested in the Student Assistance Fund for the current academic year 2022/23. 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. It is open to both full and part-time registered students on courses of not less than one year's duration leading to an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification. Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis. More information on the SAF is available at www.studentfinance.ie.
Tax relief on tuition fees may be available for students attending part-time courses. Details in relation to this relief are available from the Revenue Commissioners.
144. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a student (details supplied) in a third-level institution can transfer courses while still availing of the free fees' initiative; if there is a certain timeframe in such instances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50558/22]
View answerMTU and UCC are autonomous bodies under legislation and the day-to-day operation of the institutions including the procedures related to the withdrawal from courses; the refund of any fees paid or enrollment on courses via transfer are matters for the institution.
In this regard students seeking to transfer will need to follow the procedures of the institutions and any student seeking to transfer courses should contact the admission office of the relevant institutions for advice appropriate to their individual circumstances.It is pertinent for students to consider the impact departing a course may have on their access to free fees as a repeat period of study is not generally allowable under the terms of the scheme. In a scenario where it is possible for the institutions to facilitate the transfer of a year one free fees eligible student during the current academic year 22/23 with the student beginning their new free fees eligible course during 22/23 it would be expected that a student should continue to be regarded as a free fees eligible student.
As referenced above, the actual position will be determined by the institutions capacity to facilitate the transfer in this academic year, and I recommend that any student seeking transfer courses contact the admission office of the relevant institutions for the most appropriate guidance on the options available to them.
Link to criteria: www.hea.ie/funding-governance-performance/funding/student-finance/course-fees/
146. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to some PhD students who have been deemed ineligible to receive the SUSI postgraduate grant due to their date of birth at the time of application, despite being financially independent of their parents in advance of the application and despite their turning 23 years of age in advance of beginning their PhD studies; and if this will be reviewed given the financial pressures experienced by PhD students. [50663/22]
View answerA student may be assessed as an independent student (i.e., assessed without reference to parental income and address) if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous 1st October. Otherwise, he/she would be assessed as a dependent student, i.e., assessed with reference to parental income and address. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal may be submitted to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board within the required timeframe. Such appeals can be made by the appellant online via www.studentgrantappeals.ie.
The Deputy will appreciate that the student grant appeals process has been established to investigate and address any issues concerning student grant applications. As there were no details provided for the student the Deputy refers to, I cannot comment on the application status of these students. If the Deputy has further enquiries relating to the specific application, they can be emailed direct to SUSI oireachtas@susi.ie. Staff in SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days.
147. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of appeals heard by the independent student grants appeal board in 2021; and if he will provide a breakdown of the number of appeals that were upheld, partially upheld, overturned and withdrawn in 2021. [50744/22]
View answerThe number of appeals heard the Independent Student Grant Appeals Board in 2021 was 724. Of those appeals, 424 cases were upheld, 244 were overturned, 44 were overturned and referred back to the awarding authority for further assessment. A further 10 appeals were withdrawn by the appellant in 2021.
148. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice when a certificate of naturalisation will be issued in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50400/22]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that the citizenship application of the person referred to was approved and their Certificate of Naturalisation was issued by registered post on 07 October 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.
149. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice the status of a case (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50401/22]
View answerA response was issued by my Department to this correspondence on the 28 March 2022.
This correspondence explained that the Afghan Admission Programme which was designed as a specific response to the evolving situation in Afghanistan closed for applications on the 11 March 2022. The applications continue to be assessed in a pragmatic and humanitarian manner with a view to issuing decisions soon. In addition, since the beginning of August 2021 to 26 September 2022, a total of 140 join family visas have been approved for Afghan nationals and 77 family reunification applications have been approved.
A significant number of Afghan people have also been allocated places under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP), which is under the remit of the Department of Children, Equality. Disability, Integration and Youth. My Department provides the visas to facilitate their travel to Ireland and almost 600 visa waiver letters have been issued to date. Priority has been given to those working on human rights issues, including the rights of women and girls, as well as those working with NGOs and European and international organisations.
Having made enquiries with the immigration service of my Department I am advised that, based on the information supplied, it has unfortunately not been possible to locate any immigration application for the person referred to. The number provided by the Deputy is a correspondence number and not an immigration application number. If more information can be provided in this regard I would be happy to ask my officials to re-examine the request.
150. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Justice if there are data available on the number of prosecutions for the illegal removal of a clamp under the Criminal Damage Act 1991 in each of the years 2019 and 2021. [50422/22]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, prosecutions are a matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions, who is independent in the exercise of her functions under Section 2(5) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1974 (as amended). As Minister for Justice, I have no direct role in prosecution matters.
To be of assistance, I have contacted the Court Service and asked them to provide the information requested.
I am advised that while the Courts Service do have offence codes for criminal damage, the type of property damaged is embedded as free text into the offence wording, and it is not possible to run a report to extract the specific information requested by the Deputy.
As such, the Courts Service does not hold complete statistical information on the illegal removal of a clamp and the statistics as requested by the Deputy, cannot be provided.
151. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if she will provide a schedule of the number of staff by grade who are assigned on a full-time basis to liaise and provide support to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in order for that Department to fulfil its areas of responsibility in respect of providing for the needs of those seeking international protection and persons categorised by virtue of the temporary protection directive by the European Union; and if she will provide a schedule of the services that her Department provides to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in that regard. [50454/22]
View answerAs of 10 October 2022, a total of 52,585 people have been recorded as arriving in the State from Ukraine. The vast majority of those arriving to date are women and children.
There is a coordinated whole-of-Government response to support people arriving in Ireland who have fled the violence in Ukraine. Government Departments and services are working together to implement Ireland's commitments under the EU Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC), which has been activated for the first time to grant temporary protection to displaced persons from Ukraine.
My Department is primarily responsible for issuing temporary protection documents to those who are eligible. Those granted Temporary Protection have immediate access to the labour market, social welfare, accommodation and other State supports as needed.
The Department of Justice does not have staff assigned to Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) on a full time basis. The support which is provided to DCEDIY is in the form of shared access to the airline alerts inbox which contains numbers of Ukraine nationals on an agreed number of flights. Staff from the Border Management Unit of my Department staff also continue to welcome and process new arrivals at Dublin Airport as part of their usual immigration duties. Other staff from my Department are onsite in Citywest to ensure that people receive their temporary protection permissions as quickly as possible.
This is in addition to staff operating from Rosslare Europort on sailing days and at the Ukraine Support Centres in Cork Street in Dublin and in Limerick City. Other Department of Justice staff are also involved in a range of associated legislative, policy and communications matters.
Responsibility for the coordination of the work of volunteers and the community response to the Ukraine crisis primarily falls under the remit of the Department of Rural and Community Development.
As the situation in Ukraine continues to evolve, it is difficult to predict with any degree of certainty the number of people that may arrive over the coming weeks. However, the immediate and overriding priority is to assist those who have arrived and continue to arrive in Ireland to find safety with access to state supports as needed, as part of a whole of Government response.
I can assure the Deputy that my Government colleagues and I will continue to work with our EU counterparts on any further EU-wide measures that might be needed to assist those fleeing Ukraine.
152. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice if an application has been received from a person (details supplied) for a transfer to a prison in this State; the current status of the application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50542/22]
View answerI am advised by officials in the Irish Prison Service, who are the competent body for the administration of the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Acts, that an application made on behalf of the person referred to is under consideration.
My officials have begun processing the application in accordance with the provisions of the Acts. The Deputy will appreciate that applications of this nature are complex and require legal advice, but I can advise the Deputy that all applications are progressed as quickly as is possible. Furthermore, each application received is dealt with on it's own merits.
All such requests are decided upon following the collation of a number of reports from various agencies setting out the consequences of such a transfer. The consent of all three parties in the process is required prior to any transfer, i.e. the sentencing state, the receiving state and the sentenced person.
The Deputy should be aware that the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons does not confer an automatic right on any prisoner to be transferred nor does it confer an obligation on any state to comply with a transfer request. However, I have been assured that the application is receiving the necessary attention afforded to all such applications.
153. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí who have left An Garda Síochána since the beginning of 2022; the number of retirements and the number of resignations and the number of resignations per district; the net total Garda number per district as of 30 September 2022; and the total garda numbers per district in 2021. [50547/22]
View answerI have requested the information from An Garda Síochána, and will respond to the Deputy when this is available.
154. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Justice if the Government remains committed to ratifying the optional protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; when the Attorney General will conclude his determination as to whether a small number of additional legislative measures may be required to ensure that the State is compliant with all of the extra-territorial jurisdiction requirements under Article 3.1 of the protocol; and if she is concerned for Ireland’s international human rights record as a result of the State’s protracted delay in ratifying this optional protocol. [50583/22]
View answerThe Government is firmly committed to ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, several legislative measures have been implemented which were necessary to ensure that Ireland is in compliance with the obligations of the Optional Protocol. Enactment of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 and the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017 were significant steps on the pathway to the ratification of the Optional Protocol.
Further smaller legislative amendments relating to the extra-territorial jurisdiction requirements under Article 3.1 will ensure that the State is in compliance with certain outstanding aspects of the Protocol. These amendments have been included in the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2022 which was approved for publication by the Government on 27 July 2022. Drafting of the Bill is currently underway and I have committed to publish it by the end of this year. Once enacted, Ireland should be in a position to ratify the Second Optional Protocol.
