Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 January 2024
346. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the plans he has in place to ensure that one-third of higher education teaching staff do not leave Ireland (details supplied). [1922/24]
View answerThe report as referenced from the Irish Federation of University Teachers does not seem to suggest that one-third of higher education teaching staff are planning to leave Ireland. This is not to say however that the report does not highlight some concerning issues and is a useful contribution to ongoing consideration of precarious employment.
The issue of academic career precarity is and will remain an important element of the work of my Department, and measures are being undertaken that will directly help to combat any undue reliance on precarious contracts. Some €100m in additional funding has been secured under the Funding the Future framework. This is a significant step forward in funding higher education on a sustainable basis and will enable institutions to recruit the staff they need while helping to remove the temptation to rely on more casual arrangements for budgetary reasons.
In addition, a considerable amount of work has been undertaken to develop a revised staffing framework to replace the current Employment Control Framework (ECF). Work is continuing on this new approach which will better align with the realities that the higher education sector now faces. Furthermore, an uplift of some 1,500 core-funded posts under the current ECF was announced in the summer which will facilitate Higher Education Institutions in recruiting more permanent staff.
As part of the Department’s work on precarity, my officials engage with all stakeholders, including trade unions and Higher Education Institutions. At the same time, even as all stakeholders work to ensure that there is optimal security and stability for staff, there is a need to recognise the autonomy of universities and other institutions and their legitimate need for an appropriate staffing mix that supports a high-performing sector.
