Written Answers Nos. 723-736
723. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the Government expenditure on the free fees initiative contributes towards calculations of Government spending on research and development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21149/23]
View answerFree fees, together with the recurrent grant, collectively constitute the State’s contribution to the ‘core’ funding of higher education institutions (HEIs), that is, the funding of the key missions of teaching, learning and research. These are allocated as a block grant by my Department to the HEA for direct disbursement to the designated HEIs and, together with academic fees and other (non-Exchequer) sources of income, fund their core operations.
Core operations include the costs of academic staff, departmental expenditure, academic services and support services. On the basis that the HERD survey (Higher Education R&D) seeks to capture the totality of research expenditure funded by government, including indirect expenditure, it is appropriate to include funding associated with free fees, which support research activity as a government contribution, when calculating the proportion of block grant allocated to research expenditure. This is consistent with the guidelines of the OECD’s Frascati Manual, which is the internationally recognised methodology for collecting and using R&D statistics. The free fees proportion is not reported separately by the HEIs in the HERD survey.
The 2020 HERD survey was published recently and is available at the link below:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/5e329-higher-education-research-and-development-survey-2020-to-2021/
724. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will list all reviews of Acts carried out by his Department in line with the provisions of the Act in question from 2000 to date; if a summary will be provided of any substantive amendments of the Act in question that occurred on foot of each review and the amending legislation, if any, in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21185/23]
View answerSince it was established in August 2020, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has not undertaken any legislative reviews of the type referred to by the Deputy.
725. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in relation to the potential dangers of a commercially driven research system in the name of innovation in the Research and Innovation Bill 2023, if he considered that the national research funding agency will be solely driven by enterprise and industrial initiatives, which will lead to under-investment in all research other than those that may deem to have immediate commercial benefits and the potential for profiteering; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21271/23]
View answerIt is not true to say that the new competitive research funding agency, which the General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023 will seek to establish, will be solely driven by enterprise and industrial initiatives and lead to under-investment in research other than research which may be deemed to have immediate commercial benefits.
The General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill forms a key part of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy. Impact 2030’s objectives include the promotion and support of excellence in research and innovation across all disciplines, spanning fundamental research to applied research activity. The General Scheme also seeks to promote and support the contribution of all such research and innovation to Ireland’s economic, social, cultural and environmental development and sustainability, as well as strengthen the engagement between the research and innovation system and enterprise, Government and public bodies, the voluntary sector and society.
Ensuring that the agency will be inclusive of all research disciplines will be achieved by placing all disciplines on an equal and statutory footing. In order to ensure that Ireland’s collective research and innovation investments and activities make as big a difference as possible to as many people as possible, the new research and innovation agency must drive research and innovation excellence in all disciplines across the spectrum of Arts, Engineering, Humanities, Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences, Technology and others. It must develop capacity to respond to challenges using integrated approaches from scientific, behavioural, economic and cultural perspectives. Such support for all disciplines is essential in order to ensure that Ireland has a resilient and agile research base that can make a substantive impact on national challenges and opportunities.
726. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in relation to the Research and Innovation Bill 2023, if he considered the under-representation of research and researchers in the arts and humanities and social sciences, given that most western countries have specific funding agencies and programmes for social sciences and humanities research; the reason this Bill appears to have the intention of eradicating them altogether; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21272/23]
View answerThe Impact 2030 strategy clearly sets out the Government’s ambition for Ireland to be a research and innovation leader. The objectives of that strategy include the promotion and support of excellence in research and innovation across all disciplines, spanning fundamental research to applied research activity. Importantly, the strategy also highlights the importance of growing Ireland’s international offering and reputation in the field of excellent research and innovation. Far diminishing the role of any discipline, the new agency will put all disciplines on an equal statutory footing for the first time.
I might add that the Government decided that as a matter of policy there should be an Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Council within the organisational structures of the new agency. This recognises the distinctive nature of AHSS research and its importance in Irish society. The legislation will, therefore, enhance the role of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in contributing to challenge-based research, which is instrumental in addressing the complex problems facing society now and in the future.
727. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science given that the Research and Innovation Bill 2023 appears to place extraordinary power in the sitting Minister in appointing board members and directing public funds in research, and considering this Bill can lead to irrecoverable damages to the research and higher education systems the reason the decision was made to have no consultation process for such an important development in Irish research (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21273/23]
View answerThe General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill forms a key part of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy. Its main purpose is the formation of a new competitive research funding agency through the amalgamation of the functions and activities of Science Foundation Ireland the Irish Research Council. This represents a significant opportunity for all of us to reflect on the huge importance of research in Irish society and to further stimulate the creativity of that research.
The Heads of the Research and Innovation Bill provide that the new agency will have a board consisting of 12 members, including a chair. While I, as the Minister, will make the appointments to the board, members will be selected through a transparent Public Appointments Service process. This will ensure that the board consists of persons who have sufficient experience and expertise relating to matters connected with the functions of the new agency to enable them to make a substantial contribution to the effective performance of the agency. The agency will be compliant with the Code of Practice for State Bodies and the Guidelines for Appointment to State Boards.
The State’s financial resourcing of the agency will be, as is accepted practice, a matter for the annual Estimates process. It will be the responsibility of the agency to disburse its funding in accordance with the highest standards and norms, as part of the competitive processes it will oversee. The Heads of Bill provide an ongoing mechanism for me, as the Minister, to issue policy directions to the agency, in line with norms for other public sector agencies. This does not mean that I, or any other Government Minister, will be able to issue directions in terms of the awarding of research funding.
A programme of stakeholder consultation has been taking place since the development of Impact 2030 and was integral to the development of that whole-of-government strategy on Irish research and innovation. A number of formal structures have emerged to ensure the implementation of the strategy and these are playing an important role in supporting the establishment of the new agency. It is also important to note that the pre-legislative scrutiny process is currently ongoing, as managed by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and provides an avenue for consultation on the Heads of the Research and Innovation Bill. Furthermore, consultation with wider stakeholders, with particular regard to the research and innovation community, is being prepared in order to seek feedback on the operationalisation of the functions of the new agency and to keep them informed about progress. It is foreseen that this will be led by the CEO Designate of the agency, who will be appointed as soon as possible to assist the Department in undertaking the significant transitional and operational programme of work required to establish the agency. The Department will also continue its normal dialogue with external stakeholders on the research agenda as the Research Bill proceeds, including consultation as appropriate.
728. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of apprenticeships currently being undertaken in each local authority area; the disciplines in which those apprenticeships are being undertaken; the number of apprenticeships offered in each local authority area, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21595/23]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy in relation to details of apprenticeships in each local authority area has been compiled for the latest full year of data available (2022) and is set out in the table.
|
Employer |
Apprenticeship |
Apprentices |
|
|
Clare County Council |
Accounting Technician |
4 |
|
|
Cork City Council |
Accounting Technician |
3 |
|
|
Cork County Council |
Heavy Vehicle Mechanics |
7 |
|
|
Donegal Co Council |
Construction Plant Fitting |
2 |
|
|
Dublin City Council |
Plumbing |
25 |
|
|
Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Co.Co. |
Accounting Technician |
2 |
|
|
Fingal County Council |
Cybersecurity |
1 |
|
|
Limerick City & County Council |
Accounting Technician |
2 |
|
|
Meath County Council |
Cybersecurity |
1 |
|
|
Roscommon County Council |
Accounting Technician |
1 |
|
|
Westmeath Co Council |
Cybersecurity |
3 |
|
|
Wicklow County Council |
Accounting Technician |
1 |
|
Live apprentice population by trade and ETB religion (Up to end of April 2023)
729. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science about his policy in relation to internal transfers within the City of Dublin Education and Training Board, specifically in relation to (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21608/23]
View answerMy officials contacted the City of Dublin Education and Training Board regarding this matter. I understand that under CDETB's internal transfer policy a transfer will not be approved if the consequential vacancy cannot be backfilled leading to the potential cancellation of a course.
In the case in question, CDETB has advised that the subject department concerned had other staffing issues which did not allow the transfer to proceed however, the management of the two centres have recently agreed a solution and the transfer of the staff member in question is proceeding.
730. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason there have been no progress reports on the National Student Accommodation Strategy since 2019; if he will provide an update on progress since 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21637/23]
View answerThe National Student Accommodation Strategy was launched in July 2017 and was designed to further support the development of purpose built student accommodation. At this point there were c. 33,000 student accommodation beds in the country. The strategy runs until 2024. It complements the initiatives to increase supply under Rebuilding Ireland. A total of 21,000 additional PBSA beds to be delivered by 2024. These projections and targets were set prior to the unanticipated factors that have impacted supply.
From the time of the publication of the NSAS to end Q4 2022, a further 12,000 beds have been completed, bringing the total level of stock to 46,794.
I am actively working to address the supply of student accommodation. Increasing costs of construction and financing are impacting on viability, and as a result a number of Universities had to pause their projects. In responding to these challenges, on 29 November 2022, Government approved development of both short and medium term policy responses to activate supply.
These landmark policy responses will see the State providing financial support for the construction of student accommodation, and underpin the policy commitments set out in Housing for All and the National Access Plan.
Further measures to support the use of digs have also been approved by Government in recent weeks. This will all form part of a new Student Accommodation Strategy, which is under consideration by my Department.
In the short term, Government has approved funding to support development of 1,065 beds for students of the University of Limerick, Dublin City University, Maynooth University and the University of Galway which have planning permission granted or at an imminent stage, but are stalled.
My officials are also examining potential developments at UCD and TCD, and UCC also has proposals in development.
These proposals are in addition to the 1,806 student accommodation beds delivered in the last year, with a further 929 beds due to open in Cork and Galway before the start of the next academic year. There are also 2,057 additional beds currently under construction through private developments.
In addition to stimulating purpose built student accommodation by higher education institutions my Department is encouraging the bringing on stream of additional units through minor capital grants, promotion of digs accommodation and utilisation of the rent a room scheme.
The recent extension to the rent a room scheme means that income generated is disregarded for social welfare and student grant assessment purposes. Approval was also given to disregard this income for medical card assessment purposes and also to allow Local Authority tenants to access the scheme.
Support of €1m is also being provided to our Technological Universities (TUs) to conduct a needs assessment and my Department is examining the development of a TU Borrowing Framework in conjunction with other Government Departments, as part of the range of student accommodation initiatives underway.
Details of the Long Term Policy and Methodology will be drafted for approval by the end of June 2023. This will include the input of other relevant Government Departments and stakeholders with a view to stimulating additional supply of student accommodation in the third level sector.
The approach to the development of the policy and methodology will involve gathering evidence and data, stakeholder engagement, establishment of an advisory group and provision of technical guidance.
The policy and methodology will consider various options including: support for construction, acquisition or leasing of PBSAs by publicly funded HEIs, promotion of the Rent a Room scheme and support for the refurbishment of vacant stock for use as student accommodation.
731. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when applications for strand 2 for the community services programme will reopen for new applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21052/23]
View answerMy Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 420 community-based organisations, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager.
Qualifying organisations must be social enterprises capable of generating income from their activities in order to meet the full salary costs of the supported posts, for example, from income received from the public use of facilities and services.
A new call for applications under the CSP was launched on 6th March last with two pre-application support workshops provided to potential applicants under Strand 2 on 21st and 28th March, to ensure organisations were fully equipped with the information that they needed to apply for this funding.
Following the pre-application supports, organisations were invited to submit a short concept note to Pobal outlining their proposal for assessment against the objectives of the call and organisations will then be informed whether their proposal fits with the call. The deadline for receipt of concept notes under Strand 2 was 14th April.
Pobal have commenced their assessment of these and it is expected that their recommendations will be submitted to the department for approval in mid/late May. Following review by Pobal and the Department, successful organisations will be invited to participate in the formal application process. It is expected that organisations will receive notification of the outcome in June.
732. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if officials from her Department are using an application (details supplied) to conduct business; if her Department has had official meetings regarding the use of the application by officials; if her Department has assessed the risk of using the application by Department officials and the input of Government-related data into the application; if her Department is using or is considering using other forms of artificial intelligence; if her Department is considering banning the use of the application by Department officials; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21098/23]
View answerMy Department's ICT managed service is provided by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform through the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO).
The use of all applications on DRCD devices is strictly monitored by both my Department and the OGCIO. All staff of the Department must comply with our ICT Acceptable Usage Policy and other relevant policies, including, the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour.
The application concerned is not currently in use in my Department and there are no plans to use this or other forms of artificial intelligence at this time. My officials will continue to keep the position under review.
733. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development further to Parliamentary Question No. 654 of 25 April 2023, if she is aware that library staff received an email on 15 March 2023 (details supplied) which confirms that staff have never needed parental consent to place young readers in their appropriate age category, and that they used to have to check the child’s age with the parent before upping their category but never needed consent; if she will instruct local authorities, in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001, to reverse this decision, given that this change appears to be in response to pressure from anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21114/23]
View answerThe rules for children and young people borrowing age-appropriate books from public libraries are primarily a matter for local authorities, in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001.
Across all authorities, it has always been the case that parental consent is required for library membership for under 18s. The new library management IT system, which is used by all library authorities, includes functionality to reaffirm consent in line with age categories. The email shared by the library worker is information that has been communicated at a local authority level relating to the implementation of this procedure.
As stated in my response to Dáil Question 654 (PQ ref 19399/23), the introduction of the new Library IT system has been in process since March 2022 and bears no relationship to the recent issues in relation to LGBTQ+ reading material.
734. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will list all reviews of Acts carried out by her Department in line with the provisions of the Act in question from 2000 to date; if a summary will be provided of any substantive amendments of the Act in question that occurred on foot of each review and the amending legislation, if any, in each case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21190/23]
View answerMy Department has legislative responsibility in respect of the Charities Acts, as well as for the area of Dog Control and Dog Breeding Establishments in Ireland respectively.
In relation to charity legislation, I published the General Scheme of the Charities (Amendment) Bill on 29 April 2022. This General Scheme was subsequently submitted to the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands for Pre-Legislative scrutiny.
This Bill is to provide for a number of amendments to the Charities Act 2009. The aim of the proposed amendments is to improve the ability of the Charities Regulator to conduct its statutory functions, providing greater transparency, clarity and fairness in terms of the regulation of charities, leading to greater public trust and confidence in the sector. It is important that we strike the right balance between necessary regulation and proportionate governance, ensuring that a reasonable and fair approach is at its core.
Further to the publication of the Joint Committee’s Report on the Pre-Legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme in November 2022, my officials are currently working with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to finalise the draft Heads of Bill, which will then be presented to Government for approval.
I look forward to working with members of both Houses of the Oireachtas to enable the passage and enactment of this Bill as expeditiously as possible.
Regarding the area of Dog Control and Dog Breeding Establishments respectively, in July 2019, my Department published a consultation paper to inform a review of the current legislation in relation to Dog Control. Over 1,000 responses were received and a report on this public consultation was published in April 2022. The report drew a number of conclusions and identified areas that required further review and consideration.
In late 2022, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine was tasked with leading a cross-government review of legislation regarding dogs. Minister McConalogue and I held a meeting in early January and asked officials to convene a working group on the issue. The terms of reference of the group are published on www.gov.ie.
The working group examined issues related to dog control and made a number of recommendations for action which would require amendments to both the Dog Breeding Establishments Act, and to the Control of Dogs Acts. These recommendations are currently being considered. The report of the group is available on www.gov.ie. I look forward to engaging with stakeholders as we progress this important work
735. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development whether her Department has engaged with an organisation (details supplied) in relation to governance concerns raised by present and former members of its board and by many among its membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21198/23]
View answerMy Department has no role in the governance of the organisation referenced by the Deputy and has not engaged with the organisation in relation to any governance concerns.
736. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the steps she is taking to work with Tidy Towns committees locally and nationally to encourage the protection of nectaring habitats by restricting mowing and hedge cutting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21345/23]
View answerThe Supervalu TidyTowns competition is a unique community movement which has a huge impact on our communities throughout Ireland. It is an effective and important sustainability initiative both from an environmental and community perspective. It encourages communities to improve their local environment and make their area a better place to live, work and visit in line with the objectives of Our Rural Future, the national rural development policy. The competition has evolved in recent years, widening its focus to support the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The TidyTowns Unit of my Department supports the implementation of the All Ireland Pollinator Plan in towns and villages through the Supervalu TidyTowns competition. This plan encourages TidyTowns groups to take simple measures such as leaving wildflowers to grow alongside roadsides and field margins, reducing the use of pesticides, and using more pollinator friendly planting in parks and gardens.
The Local Authority Pollinator Award supports the All Ireland Pollinator Plan and is sponsored by the Heritage Offices and Biodiversity Offices of local authorities across Ireland.
In addition to this the TidyTowns Handbook has been recently revised by my Department with input from the National Panel of Adjudicators. Guidelines with regard to mowing and hedge cutting fall under the Wildlife Act, which prohibits cutting, burning or otherwise destroying vegetation including hedges between 1st March and 31st August and TidyTowns groups are encouraged to adhere to these guidelines.
