Written Answers Nos. 275-284
275. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide an update on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55959/22]
View answerOfficials in my Department contacted Kerry Education and Training Board who have advised that one to one learning support, two afternoons each week, has been put in place for the learner concerned. Kerry ETB advise that the level of support being provided has been agreed with the learner. The ETB will monitor the progress of the learner on the course and review the learning supports provided if required.
276. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total amount of remuneration increase proposed to PhDs during this academic year and in the years to follow 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55979/22]
View answer277. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when the increases in budget 2022 in relation to PhD remuneration will come to pass; when PhDs can expect to see this remuneration increase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55980/22]
View answer278. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the range and scope of the proposed review of the salary scales and remuneration on offer to PhDs (details supplied); the proposed timing of when such a review might report; his views on what is adequate remuneration for PhD students and post-doctoral research and working in the public sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55981/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 276 to 278, inclusive, together.
The increases to which the Deputy refers are those announced as part of Budget 2023, namely a once off payment of €500 in 2022 for all PhD students currently in receipt of a stipend from either Science Foundation Ireland or the Irish Research Council, and an increase to the baseline stipend of €500 in 2023 for the same cohort of students. It is expected that the once off payment for 2022 will be paid this month or early December, and the increase to the baseline of €500 for 2023 will be implemented at the beginning of 2023.
PhD students who qualify for support under the Student Grant Scheme will benefit from a range of further measures to enhance the scheme as part of Budget 2023. Some of these cost-of-living measures will already commence in 2022.
As part of the Government's cost of living measures, every SUSI maintenance grant recipient will receive an additional once-off extra maintenance payment to be paid by the end of December 2022. This includes PLC, undergraduate and Postgraduate Students who are in receipt of the Special Rate of Grant.
Post Graduate Students who meet the eligibility criteria for a Postgraduate Fee Contribution Grant will benefit from a once off increase in this grant of €1,000 from €3,500 to €4,500.
On the issue of PhD supports in general, I also recently announced a national review of State supports for PhD researchers. The scope of the Review will include:
- Current PhD researcher supports including financial supports (stipends, SUSI supports and others);
- The adequacy, consistency and equity of current arrangements across research funders and higher education institutions, including equity and welfare considerations.
- The status of PhD researchers (student, employee) including a review of international comparators and models.
- Impact on the funding of research programmes of any adjustments to current supports.
- Graduate outcomes for PhD graduates including return on investment/benefits to the researcher.
- Visa requirements and duration for non-EU students.
The Review, informed by a robust evidence base, will be completed in early 2023.
279. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the progress that has been made to achieving the target he announced in 2022 of 750 public sector apprenticeships by 2025; the number of apprenticeships actually delivered in the public sector since announcement; the engagement that there has been between his Department and the local authority sector; if so, the commitments that have been received to date. [55996/22]
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.
280. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the progress he has made in relation to the commitment in the programme for Government to develop a long-term sustainable funding model for higher level education; the estimated timeframe for when such a model will be put in place in legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56022/22]
View answerThe Government agreed a sustainable funding model for higher education in May 2022 following an extensive economic assessment undertaken through the European Commission's DG Reform programme, Funding the Future, the Government's policy response, settled the question on funding Higher Education.
The Government has decided that income contingent loans will not form part of the future funding model. Instead, the Government is committing to a multi-funded model of additional Exchequer investment and employer contributions through the National Training Fund and student contribution. It is also my intention that in response to the cost of education and living on an ongoing basis.
Budget 2023 saw the first tranche of funding with €40 million allocated to address core funding. This investment is the first significant step in addressing core underfunding of the higher education system in a strategic and reformative way. By providing capacity building for key roles we are resourcing the sector to adapt and respond to key strategic reform measures. This progress has been expertly aided by the work of the Funding the Future Implementation Group which is co-chaired by myself, alongside Professors Anne Looney and Tom Collins, which will now continue its remit to develop reform recommendations to inform the implementation of these measures and development of future budgetary considerations.
In addition the work of Funding the Future and a recent Spending Review realised a 25% increase level of demographic funding per additional student for the 2022/23 academic year. Through Budget 2023 we also secured additional funding of €32.2m to build capacity for up to an additional 4,125 students. This significant allocation of public resources is a clear demonstration of the Government's commitment to meeting the funding needs of the higher education sector in order to more fully realise its potential in contributing to economic and societal priorities which are central to this country's long-term sustainability.
281. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the progress to date in the determination of a visa in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55918/22]
View answerI can inform the deputy that the visa application referred to was granted on the 7 November 2022.
Any non EU/EEA nationals who wish to remain for longer than 90 days must register with their local immigration office and apply for further permission to remain before their initial permission to remain expires. Full details of the Registration process can be found at the link below:
www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/how-to-register-your-immigration-permission-for-the-first-time/requirements-and-documents-needed/
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.
282. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice if there will be a separate Bill for the establishment of an environmental and planning division of the High Court; if she intends to hold pre-legislative scrutiny on this Bill and engage with stakeholders; if the proposals will be included in the proposed planning and development Bill from the Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55984/22]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, both the Programme for Government and the Government's Housing for All Strategy commits to the establishment of a new division of the High Court dealing with planning and environmental issues. The new court will be established on the same basis as the existing commercial court model.
On 2nd November 2022, I received Government approval to proceed with establishing a dedicated planning and environmental division of the High Court in line with this commitment. This approval followed on from work undertaken by officials in my Department who have been working with the Courts Service and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in advancing the commitment and who have put in place a Steering / Implementation group to progress this matter.
The resourcing of the new Court, along with its scope, how it will operate, and the steps involved in its establishment were examined by the group. In parallel, the Judicial Planning Working Group (JPWG), established by my Department in April 2021, is due to report in the coming months. The JPWG was set up in line with commitments in the Programme for Government and Justice Action Plan 2021 to "Establish a working group to consider the number of and type of judges required to ensure the efficient administration of justice over the next five years". Its recommendations will help inform any future judicial resourcing needs, including for the proposed new Planning and Environmental Law Court.
While primary legislation would be needed to allow for the appointment of additional judges, the actual establishment of the Court can be effected without the need for amending primary legislation. This work is expected to be completed as soon as possible. The manner in which any necessary proposals for legislative change are to be brought forward is to be determined following the outcome of the work of the JPWG.
283. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice if she will list all Bills for which either she, or former Minister for Justice, Deputy Humphreys, have sought and received Government approval from 27 June 2020 to date; the date on which approval was received; if she will provide a brief summary of the main aims of each piece of legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56020/22]
View answerSince my appointment as Minister for Justice, I have pursued an ambitious legislative agenda to progress my policy goals across civil and criminal justice. This momentum was maintained by my colleague Minister Heather Humphreys during her time as Minister for Justice. Since 27 June 2020, I have secured Government approval for 23 Bills. Of these, 14 have been enacted and the others are at various stages of the legislative process through the Houses.
The Deputy will be aware that I am committed to building a world class policing service in Ireland, to tackling domestic, sexual and gender based violence, to protecting and supporting the victims of crime, and to building a family justice system which is efficient, accessible and family friendly. These priorities are set out in Justice Plan 2022, and are reflected in the current legislative programme for justice which the government is prioritising for enactment.
The table below sets out the details requested by the Deputy.
284. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current position in relation to an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56027/22]
View answerBased on the information supplied by the Deputy, my Department has no record of a citizenship application for the individual referred to.
The individual concerned has permission to remain in the State on stamp 1 conditions until 12 October 2023.
To be of some assistance, I have provided some general information below regarding the citizenship application process.
Applications for naturalisation and general queries in respect of same are dealt with in chronological order by date received.
When applications for a certificate of naturalisation are received by the Citizenship Division of my Department, they are subject to an initial check/examination. Citizenship Division is currently completing initial checks on applications received in July 2022.
On completion of the initial checks, my Department will contact the applicant to assign them an application number and issue an acknowledgment to the address given at the time of making the application.
The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, and all applications are processed in line with the eligibility criteria as set out under the Act. Each application is assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act. A determination on whether an applicant satisfies the statutory criteria attendant to naturalisation can only be made after an application is received.
Applicants are required to have 5 years reckonable residence in the state prior to making an application, except for spouses of Irish nationals where the requirement is 3 years. In both cases, the final 12 months must be continuous residence in the State with up to 6 weeks allowed to facilitate foreign travel for business family or holiday purposes.
Detailed information on Irish citizenship and the naturalisation process, along with the relevant application forms and guidance notes, is available on my Department's Irish Immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/.
