Vol. 1039 No. 5
84. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department is forward planning to help to fulfil the provisions set out in Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2021, and in particular the objective that 20% of staff recruited to the public service by 2030 will be proficient in the Irish language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26680/23]
Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Is ceist í seo a mbeadh suim aige inti freisin. This issue is timely this week with the census figures being announced. Both good and bad stories are to be found in respect of the use of the Irish language in the State. What forward planning is the Minister's Department undertaking to help to fulfil the provisions set out in Acht na Teangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2021, in particular the challenging objective that 20% of staff recruited to the public service by 2030 will be proficient in the Irish language?
I thank the Deputy for this question. The Official Languages Act (Amendment) 2021 introduced a new system of language standards that will require adjustments across the public service. The Act brings forward a number of changes to Departments' obligations with regard to the Irish language and will see the imposition - that is a negative word - it will see the requirement to respond to an enhanced set of rules. Specific details of how these language standards, including the newly established competence levels, will be implemented are currently awaited, prior to taking forward work on the establishment of a new language scheme for my Department. It is a process I presume other Departments will also go through.
In this regard, I understand that my colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, established the Irish Language Services Advisory Committee in June 2022 in line with the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021. A wide range of stakeholders are represented on this statutory committee, including the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and the Public Appointments Service, which our recruits come through. I am advised that the committee’s primary focus for its initial two years will be the preparation of the first national plan for Irish language services, which is due to be completed by 19 June 2024. As part of this work, the committee is also considering approaches to the future recruitment of Irish speakers. This work will be important in supporting Departments, such as mine, to meet their statutory obligations. My Department does not hold a recruitment licence and all recruitment is conducted by means of the Public Appointments Service so getting it right centrally is key to success across Departments.
With regard to educational initiatives, the advanced Irish language skills initiative, funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, is intended to ensure the availability of qualified persons with Irish language skills to meet recruitment needs in Ireland and the EU. It supports a range of specialised third level Irish language courses in areas such as translation, interpreting and law, with eight courses now available in five different institutions, which is key. There are a lot of job opportunities here and in the EU. A broad range of courses are available in Irish in higher education institutions, with student returns statistics showing 106 courses available in higher education in Irish with 2,510 enrolments in the past academic year.
I thank the Minister. Anyone who is involved in the sector will know that there is a big difference between advertising a job and finding someone with the skill set to fill it. We have to consider the second part of the equation. There are two possibilities. The first is to train people from scratch, which I will address first, and the second is to go back to the people we have and help them to upskill in a particular area. I draw the Minister's attention to comments made by the outgoing Coimisinéir Teanga before the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach's committee, Comhchoiste na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus Phobal Labhartha na Gaeilge. He stated, "D’fhéadfadh ról a bheith ag an bhforas riaracháin agus institiúidí ardoideachais siollabas comónta a dhearadh ina gcuimseofaí dianoiliúint teanga agus modúil chuí sa pholaitíocht, eacnamaíocht, dlí agus riarachán poiblí." He sees a role for administrative and higher education institutes in designing a common syllabus that will not only focus on the necessary language skills but also on the other skills necessary to work in the public service. That is worth examining.
I agree. I am conscious that the Deputy and I discussed this during the passage of the Higher Education Authority Act 2022 when much of the debate he, the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and I had was around ensuring the obligation on the HEA and higher education institutions to play their part in respect of our first official language was, let us be frank, more strengthened and prominent than it was in the original draft legislation. I will not use up time here, but as we develop our education strategy, there are now clear responsibilities and legal requirements on the authority to promote the Irish language beyond simply providing a set number of courses, but embedding the language. I am happy to explore that more generally.
On the specific question regarding recruitment into the Civil Service, the answer lies with the advisory committee and the work it is doing at a central level to ensure that right across Departments, including mine, we can meet the requirements under the new legislation. On the education sector, I am satisfied that we are making a lot of courses available in Irish. There were 106 courses with 2,510 students last year. We will continue to work closely with other Departments to ensure we provide enough courses and opportunities to meet all the requirements under the legislation.
On that specific point, I will turn back to a local issue. We often forget that the South East Technological University, SETU, is a Gaeltacht university. We have a Gaeltacht in Port Láirge and SETU stands ready to provide those courses for public services and the Irish language.
I will also turn to the other part of the equation, which is a great untapped resource. According to the census, 1.874 million people report that they can speak Irish with 10% stating they can do so very well and a further 32% reporting they can speak it well. The Minister set a challenge for us to learn a new skill this year during the European Year of Skills. I set people the challenge of brushing up on an old skill, to go back to their Irish language skills, engage with the Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge, TEG and find out what level they are at. There is a huge untapped resource of people who have language skills and could build on them to be able to provide for the vacancies that will arise.
I studied in what is now the University of Galway. When I was studying, there were options for taking courses through the medium of Irish. One I availed of was French.
This allowed me to study French through Irish. The Minister stated that there were 106 courses. Is he looking to expand that number? Given the objective of trying to deliver public services to people who want to speak through the medium of Irish, are there specific types of course that need to be expanded?
The ambition of South East Technological University, SETU, never fails to amaze me. It is a good thing. We have the Waterford Crystal site, there are plans for student accommodation and Deputy Ó Cathasaigh has rightly indicated that there is a Gaeltacht within the university's catchment area. I am happy to have follow-up conversations with SETU. I am sure the Higher Education Authority, HEA, would be happy to receive proposals in respect of the points made by Deputies Ó Cathasaigh and Mairéad Farrell.
I respect the institutions' autonomy, but we have conversations from time to time about scanning the horizon and what work has to be done to meet our country's needs. I must reflect on how best to do it, but I would be happy to have a conversation about how to engage with the sector on horizon scanning as regards the provision of Irish language courses in the context of the legislation and of where we want to get to as a country with our official and native language.
Deputy Ó Cathasaigh is right. I am taking Irish-language classes. It is a good challenge for people to take up during the European year of skills. We are funding Conradh na Gaeilge, through the HEA, to promote an initiative around Irish-language clubs and societies in college so that, even if someone is not doing a course through Irish, he or she can still experience the Irish language at third level.
86. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will detail the work he is undertaking with regard to reducing the cost of third level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26755/23]
My question is on the measures the Minister is taking to reduce the cost of third level education.
I thank the Deputy for raising this question. It must be a priority for the House and we must continue to fund higher education properly. We brought a plan called "Funding the Future" to the Cabinet last year. There are two parts to it. Some people would like to discuss the first part, which is about how to fund institutions properly to deliver the education system we want. We are fully committed to that, but a second part was also agreed whereby, in advance of the budget every year, we will publish a cost-of-education paper. It is like what the Department of Social Protection has been doing for years and how we have been publishing tax options in advance of budgets. Our paper sets out what we can do to reduce the cost of education for students and their families. We published it for the first time last year. This year, we will publish it at an enhanced level. I attended a stakeholder forum last week where we brought together students unions, access officers and organisations like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to explore options.
The Deputy will remember that, last year, we secured a package of cost-of-living supports that led to a significant reduction in costs for third level students and their families. For example, we reduced college fees for full-time undergraduate students for the first time in 20 to 30 years by knocking €1,000 off those fees. We invested an extra €12.3 million in the student assistance fund, bringing its total for this academic year to over €20 million. It is sometimes referred to as a hardship fund, which people can apply for if they are struggling with bills or need additional support. It helps people with the cost of rent, food and childcare. The Deputy will remember that we also ensured that the rent tax credit was extended through the Finance Act - it was not clear on budget day - to cover student accommodation, including the rent-a-room scheme, of which many students avail.
Through the budgetary process, we have seen improvements in the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grant scheme, for example, an increase in maintenance grant rates by at least 10% above the rate of inflation and an expansion of the grant's remit in order that more undergraduate students than ever before are eligible. We also made a reduction in the fees permanent by having a new student contribution grant of €500 for anyone earning between €62,000 and €100,000. In other words, if someone's household income is less than €100,000, he or she will get €500 off his or her fees this year. We will do more in the budget.
The Minister's response is appreciated, particularly his remarks about how this is a priority for everyone in the House, including the Government parties. I welcome the cost-of-education paper that the Minister mentioned. It is an opportune moment to assess the ongoing cost-of-living and cost-of-education issues that obtain. The Minister rightly pointed out the significant investment in institutions, but the people are almost more important, given the increasing cost of living and parents' ability to fund the fees associated with third level education, notwithstanding the significant grants. Reverting to my colleague's earlier question, the issue of accommodation is so inter-related with the third level experience that its cost can be prohibitive.
The Minister has outlined some welcome measures. The SUSI review, which is ongoing, will examine the changes made in recent years in particular. The expansion of those grants have been welcomed by students.
I thank the Deputy for his support for this area of focus. We will publish the cost-of-education paper well in advance of the budget. I had hoped to publish it around the time of the summer recess, but I will certainly do so before the House resumes in the autumn. There will be plenty of opportunities for the Government, Opposition, students unions, media, citizens and everyone else to scrutinise what options the Government could choose in terms of grants, fees and student accommodation if it had X amount of money. Let us debate them. There will be a menu of options. We will not be able to choose all of them, but let us try to pursue some of them together. I will be meeting students unions again in July, having met them last April, and we held the stakeholder forum last week.
The Deputy is right to reference the cost of accommodation. It is the main cost that many students face if they have to move out of home to go to college. We have brought universities into the regions. Every region bar the north east now has a technological university, and work is under way on that in the north east. We are also using taxpayers' money for the first time to subsidise the building of college-owned accommodation. Any euro the State invests has to be reciprocated by a euro below market rents.
That has been a clear and positive development in recent years and the Minister outlined some of the figures relating to planning permissions granted to third level institutions.
Whatever decisions are made by the Government following the debate on the cost-of-education paper, I will be keen to ensure that whatever investment is put in place, particularly in support of students, is ongoing and sustainable. Sustainability is key to ensuring a level playing field and allowing people from all backgrounds to access education. In my time 25 years ago, there were students in receipt of grants who might not necessarily have needed them because of a rather obscure way of evaluating their household incomes versus the household incomes of individuals living in cities, who could not qualify despite the extraordinary cost of third level.
I cannot stress enough that the issue of accommodation is one of the main constraints. In recent days, we heard of a student who had to travel nearly five hours per day and did not get home until nearly 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. I believe he was from rural Longford. The plea of such students is for us to double down on the provision of affordable student accommodation.
An Teachta Farrell eile.
I thank my namesake for raising this important question. It boils down to the issue of access to education and the barriers to same, including financial ones. We are now aware that the student accommodation crisis is acting as a another barrier. When I was involved in college politics, fees were a hot topic - they still are - in terms of being a barrier to accessing education.
The Minister referred to a €500 grant for those earning less than €100,000. We will have to wait and see what decision is made on fees in the budget, but I hope that last year's decision will be maintained and there will be an added step in the direction of getting rid of student fees once and for all.
To answer the Deputies Farrell, I have a clear view on the cost of education and how we can never let it be a barrier. This will involve the reduction in fees, improvements in grants and engaging on both issues through normal budgetary processes. I have been clear in the Funding the Future paper that we published last year that fees and grants should be considered each year in the round in terms of how we can best support students.
Deputy Alan Farrell spoke about the SUSI grant scheme. It needs to be overhauled. When it was introduced approximately a decade ago, it largely met the cost of going to college. The world has changed since then, though, and there are still poverty traps. My priority with SUSI and student grants is to eliminate those traps. For example, we tell people to study part time, but if they do, we do not let them access SUSI.
You could be a lone parent, trying to go to college and hold down a job and the only way college works for you is part-time. We need to make sure such people can access SUSI. It is about trying to get that part-time students' access to SUSI; alongside student accommodation. In the Deputy’s own area, Dublin City University, DCU, has approval for more than 400 student accommodation beds, which thanks to taxpayer investment of over €40 million, will make a real difference.
87. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to ensure there will be sufficient student accommodation ahead of the next academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26589/23]
On the same theme, what are the Minister’s plans for student accommodation in the coming year?
My plan is to make sure we use some of the resources available to the country to pitch in to meet the cost of building it. I was clear when I took office that I did not think the student accommodation policy where it is either left to the market or to the universities’ volition to decide whether to build student accommodation was adequate to the scale of a challenge that society, students and their families face. That is why since last year to date, we have approved about €59 million of taxpayer funding towards student accommodation. It means we have been able to give the go-ahead to over 1,070 student accommodation beds that otherwise would not have happened. These were beds that had planning permission that had stalled due to inflation, market failure or whatever you want to call it. These are beds in DCU, the University of Limerick, UL, Maynooth and Galway. There are a number of other projects left. One is in the Deputy’s part of the world in UCC where there is planning permission for over 240 beds. There are some in UCD and some in Trinity. Trying to move those three on is my focus between now and the summer recess.
Alongside trying to invest more, I am also aware of the immediate issue. When you press go on a project now that does not mean that it will be ready for September. What we need to do now is make the rent-a-room scheme a more viable and sustainable part of the overall accommodation offering. The last figures available showed that over 9,000 people availed of the rent-a-room tax scheme. There is obviously a lot of interest in it. If it works it can work well. You could have a constituent with a spare room who would not mind a little bit of extra income and now, thanks to the decisions this Government is taking, they can take in someone, rent out the room, not pay tax on the income on that room up to €14,000 and keep any medical card and social welfare payments and not have it alter their student grant entitlements. It is making sure that people do not lose out on any access to State supports if they help. The Government will run a major public awareness campaign over the summer months to make homeowners aware of how they can avail of the rent-a-room scheme and to make students and others aware too.
The €59 million investment is very welcome. I will refer to some statistics in a recent UCD student union survey. Approximately 14,500 campus beds are in place across the country. That accounts for about 6% of the total student population. There are about 250,000 students in this country. Not all would need on-campus accommodation and many do stay at home but the figure gives an idea of the task that lies ahead to meet the demand. Unfortunately there are pressures there, given the crisis in private rented accommodation across the board, compounded by the pressure on accommodation from migrants and refugees. There is a very difficult task ahead. Something like a two-tier student experience is emerging. People get to have the full experience on campus but then, as Deputy Alan Farrell just noted, many students have to travel long distances. It is reminiscent of what happened in the boom times when people were travelling into Dublin for work and so on. Will the Minister expand on any further initiatives he is taking?
I read that UCD Students Union survey. It is a very good piece of work. One practical thing we did for students and their parents with the cost of accommodation, which the survey also focused on, was extending the rent tax-credit. A student renting this year was eligible for the €500 for 2022 and for 2023. That is per student in the accommodation. That will have made a real difference and I have met students and their parents for whom it has done so. Anything we do to help any renter with the cost of rent must also apply to those availing of student accommodation.
The Deputy is correct to say that not every student place in a college requires a student accommodation bed. In my part of the world, many can and do commute to Dublin, for example, but it varies on the college experience people desire and where they live. For many people it is not an option. Between now and the summer we will approve more student accommodation projects. I already mentioned one in Cork. We are also providing funding of €1 million to the technological universities to draw up their accommodation plans. It is the first time they have ever been given the opportunity to start developing student accommodation in the regions, which will make a big difference to Munster Technological University, MTU, and so on.
I welcome that. One fifth of the respondents in that survey said they had no written agreement or formal lease with their landlords or the place they have digs or a room-share arrangement. Are there any plans by the Minister or in any other Department to regulate digs-style accommodation? Is giving those people security something that is being examined? They are in a rather precarious position in the absence of any written agreement.
Deputy O’Sullivan mentioned the level of accommodation that accommodates approximately 6% of our students. Has the Minister a view on whether it should be a priority, not only to reduce costs, but to dramatically increase that figure specifically for the purposes of recognising that our population centres in Dublin in particular are not the only places in the country that are growing? In fact, the regions outside Dublin are growing faster. Therefore the universities and third level institutes up and down the country might need an ongoing specific budget for the very purpose of providing accommodation to students and therefore reducing the costs of third level education in future years.
Yes, I do. I have had many conversations with university presidents where I have pointed out that student accommodation needs to be a core part of their offering because it affects their ability to attract or retain students, students’ mental health and well-being and their overall education experience. I am not saying it is widespread, but there is an idea that “we are a university; we do education and you do housing”. No, student accommodation is a core part of the university experience and the students' well-being and is part of the universities’ contribution to the national effort to maximise housing supply. That message has landed well with universities. My message to them is that they should not tell me there is a student accommodation problem without coming forward with what the universities can do on their lands. We will not simply say that it is a great plan but will support them with money from the people of this country to help make those projects a reality.
Deputy O’Sullivan asked about regulation. It is something I am considering. I am engaging with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage but it is a careful balance. I do not want to overly regulate somebody’s spare room or put off someone renting out a room if it becomes overly burdensome but it is something I am looking at.
We will change the order for the next questions and take Question No. 90, by agreement.
90. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of apprentices currently enrolled in Cork; and the number targeted for 2023-24. [26653/23]
Will the Minister update the House on the number of apprentices enrolled in Cork and the target for 2023-4?
There were 3,011 apprentices enrolled in Cork Education and Training Board, ETB, across a large range, including plumbing and electrical, wind-turbine maintenance and insurance practitioner.
A key strength of the apprenticeship model is that it is a demand-led approach to meeting workforce and skill requirements in our economy and country. As apprentices are employees, the demand for and number of apprentices is primarily dictated by employers in any area or sector. Having 3,011 enrolled in Cork is very significant given the overall national figure and I pay tribute to Cork ETB. I was in Bishopstown recently for the opening of a new retrofitting centre. It is a very progressive ETB that works very proactively to develop pathways.
We continue to work through the Action Plan for Apprenticeship, 2021 to 2025 to achieve a national target of 10,000 annual registrations by 2025. The positive impacts of the plan includes increased supports to employers. For the first time, we are providing financial assistance of some sort to every employer who takes on an apprentice. The principal aim is to encourage more small and medium businesses in Cork and elsewhere to take on people.
There are now 67 national apprenticeship programmes, of which 25 are craft programmes and 42 are new consortia-led apprenticeships. This shows there are huge opportunities now, be it in crafts, trades, plumbing, electrical and carpentry but also now in ICT, retail and biopharmaceuticals. Many of the new programmes have off-the-job training delivered through online or blended training. There are, therefore, a huge number of opportunities for people to take up apprenticeship opportunities across a wide range of areas regardless of their interests. Again, I want to express my thanks to Cork ETB for its work in this area.
I know the ETB in Cork does great work but there are serious constraints with the MTU campus, which is a great campus. Deputy Ó Laoghaire and I met the university's representatives last year. Capacity is an issue. We need additional capacity in order that we can deliver the apprenticeships that are needed. There is an opportunity.
We have derelict and vacant buildings around Cork city, particularly on the north side. I have advocated for an apprentice hub or campus from MTU to be located on the north side to specifically concentrate on apprenticeships. I also want to mention that there is a great opportunity for young people now to progress in education who might not want to go to third level. I recently spoke to a student from Switzerland who was in Ireland for the year and was going back home. They have a completely different structure to their education when it comes to apprenticeships. We also see that in Germany where apprenticeships are virtually on a level playing field with different types of third level education. That is a model I would like to see. I would like to see more opportunity.
I fully agree with the Deputy on his passionate contribution around apprenticeships. While "snobby" may or may not be the right word, we have had too narrow or elitist a view towards educational opportunities. It is this idea that if people go directly from school to university, they are a success, and another pathway is somewhat lesser. That is, of course, not true at all.
Apprenticeships are third level. They are just another way of getting there. People can get paid as they learn; they can earn and learn. They can get practical experience as they are based in the workplace for some of the time and are based in the college or an early education setting for others. It is working for thousands of people every year and it works for employers too. We are with the Deputy on this.
The CAO website has now been changed. It used to be kind of hidden away. People were not told about apprenticeships. The apprenticeships are now up on the CAO website. There is a dedicated guidance counselling helpline for anyone who wishes to find out more, be they parent, teacher or student. We will keep at this and keep promoting them together.
On the MTU campus and capacity issues, I am happy to look into that further. We are obviously investing a lot of capital in our technological universities. MTU has been doing a really good job since it started. Now that it has started, it is about growing it further and improving its facilities. I met its representatives relatively recently on this and I will keep engaging to see what the opportunities are.
Mayfield Community School, Cork, has teamed up with John Sisk & Son to offer apprenticeships to young people who are leaving school, which is a great initiative. The Minister should perhaps consider engaging with secondary schools and other builders to deliver more types of these apprenticeships.
The Minister has a targeted figure of 10,000 apprenticeships per year. Is there a breakdown of how many of them will be in the building trades? I talk to builders and people in the construction industry. I just came from a meeting of the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage before which industry representatives are appearing at the moment. There is a huge shortfall in apprenticeships. I speak to young people who tell me about the terms and conditions for young apprentices to go in. There is actually an opportunity now for young people to do different jobs. If we want to get young people into apprenticeships, we must improve the terms and conditions, especially in the building trade. If we are going to build the houses we need to build, we need the apprentices to build them.
I do not have that breakdown off the top of my head but from memory, approximately 6,000 of the current apprentices are in the craft area. That is roughly speaking where I would imagine we will land. There is a big push on developing craft apprenticeships and working with the construction and retrofitting sectors and the green economy because there are really key and acute issues there. I will definitely take up the Deputy's invitation to visit schools. I visited 80 secondary schools in the last 12 months. I feel really passionate, as I know the Deputy does, about getting into schools and showing these to young people as an opportunity. I am very pleased that taster apprenticeship courses, if I may call them that, have now been introduced in transition year in a number of schools. That should be happening in all schools as quickly as possible. I am very pleased to hear about that initiative with John Sisk & Sons, to which I pay tribute in that regard.
Yes, I want to do more on the terms and conditions and pay and support for our apprentices. Against that I would say that we have seen more people than ever before effectively now put their hands up to become apprentices. Apprentices are not in any way immune from the cost-of-living crisis, however. I am very eager to engage with them and their representative bodies between now and the budget to see how we can further support them.
I thank Deputy Brendan Smith for allowing me to come in before him. It is much appreciated.
We will go back to the question sequence now.
89. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is satisfied that sufficient courses in cybersecurity are available in the further and higher education sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26397/23]
Cybersecurity and the protection of IT systems, data systems and communication networks are vitally important to the economy and all of society. The trend towards an increase in the use of digital and cloud technologies in both the public and private sectors has been under way for some time. As we all know, however, Covid-19 has accelerated this trend, transforming much of how we live and work. We need to have the trained personnel and, indeed, infrastructure to protect these systems. The risk of failures in cybersecurity can lead to massive disruption to critical infrastructure. The necessity to address this risk rises as the extent to which society relies on digital technology increases.
I thank Deputy Brendan Smith for raising this issue. He is absolutely right. The whole area of cybersecurity is a major issue of growing concern to both the public and private sectors and to modern life. We are seeing more and more crime now move from physically happening in a business place or in terms of a burglary in a home to online cybersecurity issues and cybercrime.
The cybersecurity sector is absolutely vital in both underpinning and securing much of our modern society. I very much recognise the importance of ensuring sufficient provision across the further and higher education sector, which is why I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this issue.
Last year, more than 1,600 learners took part in cybersecurity and related programmes in the further education and training sector. The planned number of learners on these programmes this year is now over 2,000, which is quite a significant increase. Courses include e-college courses such as IT specialist in network security, post-leaving certificate courses such as software, coding and cybersecurity and skills to advance courses such as cyber awareness. Skillnet Ireland also provides a wide number of enterprise-led cybersecurity upskilling programmes to businesses within the technology and broader sectors. This is where Skillnet will go into a workplace and provide upskilling opportunities to its employees. In 2022, 14 Skillnet business networks provided cybersecurity training to more than 1,400 businesses and 2,400 participants in the further education sector.
Across the higher education sector, there were 38 courses available in cybersecurity in ten different universities throughout Ireland in the 2021-22 academic year. Under Springboard+ and human capital initiative, HCI, pillar 1, 16 courses in cybersecurity were available in 11 different institutions for the academic year this year. Springboard+ and HCI pillar 1 programmes will be launched in the coming weeks, and I am pleased to assure Deputy Smith that further cybersecurity and related courses will now be available for the next academic year starting in September. The HCI pillar 3 cyber skills project, which is led by Munster Technological University, will enable unprecedented collaboration between higher education institutions at a national scale. This has the potential to be transformative for the cybersecurity domain.
I thank the Minister for his reply. He is probably well aware of the initiative of the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, LMETB, particularly led by Mr. Martin O'Brien as chief executive. It will be rolling out a specific course in the whole area of cyber information technology and also cyber operational technology for manufactures. I want to compliment our colleague in the Oireachtas, Senator Craughwell, who has been trying to lead an awareness campaign regarding the importance of cybersecurity and creating awareness not just among people in the public service or those at high level in business but in society in general. There is a great opportunity to ensure there is collaboration at further education level across the country.
The Minister will have often heard me repeat the need for collaboration on an all-Ireland basis in the whole area of the further development of further education. Maybe with the evolution of these new programmes, we should be looking at it in the all-Ireland context. There is collaboration at further and higher education level but there is always scope for more. The Louth and Meath ETB initiative will be rolled out in the middle of June. That needs to be replicated in every ETB in the country. I hope that message will go out directly from the Minister and the Department.
Let it certainly go out from here because LMETB and Mr. O'Brien are doing absolutely brilliant work. We are really fortunate because that ETB just busts on through any challenges or bureaucratic blockages it might encounter from time to time in getting the job done. I am very complimentary of the work of LMETB and of Senator Craughwell. I had the chance to meet him on this issue and he continues to engage with me on it. He is right about the need for that focus on cybersecurity from the education sector. He specifically mentioned the advanced manufacture and training centre of excellence in LMETB, which was established in 2021 and is dedicated to providing high-quality training to industry.
I have been there on a number of occasions. It uses innovative and flexible modes of delivery, including online, blended, virtual and on-site training. It also focuses on employer-orientated training. It now provides opportunities in cybereducation and skills development as part of its curriculum to support what it calls the industry 4.0 mission. It launched its first cybersecurity apprenticeship programme in November last year to run its new cybersecurity awareness training courses. We can certainly learn from the good work going on there. I will certainly commit to doing that and to investing time in this.
I thank the Minister. Some time ago, I had the opportunity to visit the new South West College in Enniskillen, which has an enormous catchment area in Tyrone and Fermanagh. The college was developing an innovative cybersecurity course. There are opportunities in that area for us to collaborate and ensure a good presence of such courses throughout the country. We are all aware of the desperate attack made by a rogue state or international criminals on the HSE and the Munster Technological University. It has been suggested to me, and I do not know how well founded this is, that a considerable percentage of the small and medium enterprises in this country have suffered ransomware attacks. We need to create awareness around this issue. Some people in the international community reckon that the criminal side of cybersecurity will soon equal, in monetary terms, the value of criminality in the illegal drugs trade. There is widespread criminal activity out there. It is not just the major players in the public service and the private sector or the major international corporations that will be affected. All of us, on an everyday basis, can be severely impacted by such cyberattacks. As a society, we want to prepare ourselves by having the qualified personnel to carry out the necessary work. We must ensure we are all adequately aware of the dangers.
I have just finished my apprenticeship in the Department of Justice and I am very aware of the issues the Deputy has raised about cybercrime, cybersecurity, how much crime is now moving online and the need for vigilance. The education sector needs to respond by providing opportunities for people in the public sector and in industry to develop the skills to respond. We also need to use the agency Skillnet Ireland, which can go into employers, including small and medium enterprises, and provide them with the training opportunities they need. I am grateful for the work Skillnet Ireland is doing. The Deputy's basic premise is that we need to be doing even more in this space, taking examples of good practice and embedding them across the sector. That is absolutely right and true. I will undertake to work on that.
I know the Deputy is passionate about the issue of all-island approaches to education, as I am. This year will see the first all-island apprenticeship developed. We are going to start seeing medical education provided on an all-island basis. There is no reason we cannot be doing some of this cybersecurity stuff in that all-island space. I am certainly happy to investigate the possibilities in that regard.
91. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in relation to his new Research and Innovation Bill 2023, the reason there was no public consultation with the third-level research sector; and if he will meet with representatives as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill. [25330/23]
My question relates to the new research and innovation Bill. I am aware that the Minister met with a wide range of academics on this topic. He will have heard their concerns, which they have also raised with me, that they feel no official public consultation took place in respect of the Bill. Will the Minister respond to that particular issue? Will he allow people with concerns to voice them?
I am delighted to have the opportunity to reply and I will gently push back against the Deputy's assertion. Where did this new idea for an agency and research and innovation Bill come from? It very much came from Impact 2030, Ireland's research and innovation strategy, a key objective of which is this Bill and the new research agency. That innovation strategy was developed through an extensive programme of stakeholder consultation.
In addition, the Creating our Future campaign received over 18,000 responses. We have also had stakeholder consultation on developing our new national science advice forum. I think there is a little anxiety or angst around the idea that this Bill was trundling through the Oireachtas. There were questions as to whether there would be an opportunity for people to input. I reassure the research community, as I have in person, that there will indeed be such an opportunity. Of course, the legislation is at the pre-legislative scrutiny stage, which is the stage at which stakeholders from the industry and sector have the chance to make submissions and representations and give their views. I know that has been happening.
With specific regard to the research and innovation Bill, a high level group was established in October 2022, the initial purpose of which was to advance engagement with the Higher Education Authority, HEA, the Irish Research Council, IRC, and Science Foundation Ireland, SFI. Input from all three entities has informed the development of the heads of Bill and associated transitional arrangements. My officials and I have also met with the board of SFI and the IRC, and officials have met with the HEA. I also met with the authors of the open letter to which the Deputy has referred. They are good people, including Professor Jane Ohlmeyer and others, for whom I have great time. I met them in respect of the research and innovation Bill. My officials also attended a follow-up event organised by the group.
Consultation with wider stakeholders, with particular regard to the research community, is being planned in order to seek feedback on the operationalisation of the functions of the new agency. It is foreseen that this will be led by the CEO designate of the agency. In addition, there have also been pre-legislative scrutiny hearings.
On 16 May, I announced the establishment of a research and innovation policy advisory forum, which I think will address the Deputy's concern. The forum will have an opportunity to feed into the strategic development. It is open for applicants now and I encourage people to apply. That will provide another opportunity for engagement.
I welcome what the Minister has said about the forum. Will the Minister provide a little detail as to how many people can participate? I am aware that the Minister has met stakeholders and is, of course, aware of some of the concerns that have been raised around the need for the Bill to set out that there will be parity of esteem between disciplines. That is completely understandable. The Bill will be merging SFI and the IRC. The former is obviously significantly larger than the latter and attracts considerably more commercial funding. I have no problem with commercial funding for research in principle but in practice, if funding is primarily commercial, those disciplines which produce research that is not quite as quantifiable could suffer. We obviously need to ensure that does not happen. We can think of the great research that has been done in the arts and humanities, and so on. Those are not disciplines in which the output will realise a financial return. We need to ensure a focus on that point.
I absolutely agree with the Deputy. The IRC has done amazing work but, of course, it does not exist in statute. It was effectively established by ministerial letter. It is a sub-office, if you like, of the HEA. As I have said to the research community, I see this as an opportunity to fundamentally put on a statutory footing all that has been good about the IRC. This is not a merger or takeover. A new entity will be created. Fundamental research is absolutely vital and I am happy to ensure we make that clear in the Bill. I am happy to work with the Deputy on that point. I will come back to her with some details of the advisory forum numbers but the application process is open now.
I wish to raise another issue. This is something with which I am sure the Minister will agree and relates to the statutory body that is going to be established under the Bill, namely, research and innovation Ireland. The Minister is probably aware that section 4 of Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2021 amends the Official Languages Act 2003 to the effect that the names and logos of newly established statutory bodies shall be in the Irish language. That is easily amended and should be amended. In Irish, the new body should be named taighde agus nuálaíocht Éireann.
Another issue has been raised with me about the Irish language. There needs to be greater emphasis on the Irish language within the Bill. Conradh na Gaeilge has suggested lines should be included in the Bill around promoting, including and supporting the Irish language in research and innovation within and across all disciplines, and promoting, including and supporting the Irish language in the national research and innovation system.
I was smiling to myself because I am aware of that issue but even if I was not so aware, I would be by now because Deputy Ó Snodaigh raises the issue with me any time I bring any legislation through the House. Deputy Farrell is, of course, correct that there is such a requirement. It has not yet technically commenced but the spirit of the requirement is clearly in place in the legislation passed by this House.
We can lead from the front.
We should lead. Being honest, the name of the new agency has yet to be decided. We will, of course, fulfil our obligations. We need to consider what we call the agency in the context of promoting it internationally but I am very conscious of the Irish language piece. I am happy to engage on that point as we take the legislation through the House. I am sure the issue will also come out at pre-legislative scrutiny. I am also happy to engage with the Deputy on the Conradh na Gaeilge submission. I have found its representatives to be very constructive in all of their engagements. They made a positive contribution to the Higher Education Authority Bill, as it was then, and Act as it is now, in making it stronger and better. I am happy to work with the Deputy on that issue.
92. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the extent to which the accommodation needs of students seeking third or fourth level accommodation for the forthcoming academic year are likely to be met in full or otherwise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26651/23]
This question seeks to ascertain the extent to which we are preparing for this year's accommodation needs for students in third level and fourth level education and anticipating next year's requirements in that area. I am conscious of situations where some students are forced into unsuitable situations that require them to travel long distances at night and involve a lack of security and risk.
I thank Deputy Durkan for this question.
Of course, the Deputy is correct. Obviously, we need to look at what can be done quickly but we also need to look at how we can break what I believe now is a cycle in terms of this annual situation that students and their families encounter in trying to identify student accommodation. That is why I have changed student accommodation policy in Ireland.
It was the situation that it was left entirely to the market to decide whether to build student accommodation or not, or entirely to the university to decide whether or not to use its own reserves. Last year, we changed that position. Both last year and this year - we will do more between now and the summer - we approved a number of student accommodation projects which will be college-owned and part-funded by the taxpayer. That had not happened previously. That has meant €59 million has now been approved by the Government from taxpayers' funds to get projects moving. It has meant over 1,071 new student accommodation beds are now being built - they will be college-owned - that were not being built previously. It means, in Deputy Durkan's constituency, that Maynooth University, for example, got the go-ahead. It received sanction from the Government for millions of euro in taxpayers' money so that we can now build 116 beds of student accommodation in Maynooth. That as one example. We have more that we are hoping to get over the line between now and the summer recess.
In addition, we are being honest about the rent-a-room scheme. I see this as an important part of the overall framework too. Different students will have different needs and different things will work for different people. Having more college-owned purpose-built student accommodation is good but so is ensuring that students can rent a room. What used to be called "digs" is something that has worked for many years in Ireland. It worked for many students last year and I believe it will work again. We have changed the rules as a Government to make it easier for people to rent out that spare room. They can do it now without losing their medical card, for example. Local authority tenants can do it where previously they could not. A person can do it without losing any social protection payments and without having to pay any tax on the income generated from renting that room up to €14,000 a year.
There is a huge amount of work that we need to do in this area. There is a huge amount of work that we are doing in this area. My message to every college in Ireland is that if they bring forward their plans they will meet a Government willing to part-fund those plans and get them moving.
I thank the Minister for that information, in particular in relation to Maynooth. I can assure the Minister, as he himself will be aware, that there is still a shortfall, particularly in relation to on-campus accommodation which improves immeasurable security in so far as students are concerned. In many ways, it also reduces the cost. It also ensures that, as far as parents are concerned, they can be sure that their sons or daughters are in safe accommodation and that they do not have to walk or travel a couple of miles in darkness at night or in the early morning. I ask the Minister to continue in that area, having regard to this year's crop of students and the degree to which their accommodation needs are being met, and to pencil in the requirement for the rest of year and next year.
I certainly will do that. I agree that the student accommodation piece on campus is, of course, about student accommodation, but it is about mental health, well-being, development, the college experience and reassurance, perhaps for the parent, to know that the student has safe accommodation on campus near where he or she is going about his or her business and education.
It is my intention to make sure that all college projects for student accommodation that have planning permission have received sanction to move forward in some manner or means this year. That is what we are trying to do. We have three left, UCD, UCC and Trinity, that have potential. All the rest, DCU, Maynooth University, NUI Galway and University of Limerick, got the go ahead already from us over the past few months.
My next plan - we are doing this in tandem - is to get colleges that have no plans to get their act together in terms of getting their own planning permission, for example, the technological universities. I want to work with the technological universities to provide them with €1 million this year to develop their plans so that we will have a pipeline, that, frankly, we have not had previously, of taxpayer-funded college-owned student accommodation projects into the future.
I thank the Minister for that vital information. In view of the expanding student population in some colleges which are growing immeasurably, I would ask that particular account be taken of their requirements as above and beyond all other requirements in the sector at present.
Student accommodation is key. What we need to do here is change the mindset. Colleges need to see the provision of student accommodation as a core part of their work. That is not the Government lecturing them. It is the Government saying we will work with them on it. If they come forward with the plans, we will try and get some of the funding. Let us work in partnership to get that student accommodation moving.
Of course, students all have different scenarios. Some students are part-time. Some students are holding down a full-time job and going to work. Some students can commute. Students who live where I live in Greystones might be commuting to UCD or Trinity and going home in the evening. For students living in rural County Longford, which was mentioned earlier, it may not be a possibility and they may have to move out. There are different scenarios. We need to have a range of options in place to recognise the different scenarios that different students encounter. A key part of that has to be college-owned purpose-built affordable student accommodation and that is now what we are doing.
93. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department and third-level colleges have engaged with the HSE and the Department of Health with a view to increasing the number of radiation therapy training places, taking into account that there are only 42 places at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26602/23]
I want to raise the issue of radiation therapist training. I am wondering if the Department has engaged with third-level colleges, the HSE and the Department of Health with a view to increasing the number of places. Currently, there are only 30 places per annum available in Trinity and 12 places in Cork. There are 42 in total. It is not adequate. I am wondering what level of engagement has occurred as regards increasing the number of training places available.
I thank Deputy Colm Burke for this important question. I assure the Deputy at the outset that significant engagement is ongoing between my Department, the Department of Health, the Higher Education Authority, HEA, and the higher education sector to develop a joined-up approach to address system-level demand in health care disciplines, including radiation therapy. We are trying to move beyond the scramble in response to the request to provide them with a few extra places in September to determine how many, in each therapy post, should Ireland need to be training. For instance, how many nurses, doctors, speech and language therapists and, specifically in relation to this question, radiation therapists a year do we need to train?
Healthcare programmes, as Deputy Colm Burke will be aware, are complex in delivery. There are fundamental issues, some of which are in the control of the health sector. Others are in the control of the college. We can create a college place and the health sector obviously needs to be in a position to create a matching clinical placement. Issues such as guarantee of clinical placements, detailed and robust workforce planning projections and engagement with regulators are key. In addition to qualifying additional health professionals, as, of course, training them is one thing, the health sector successfully recruiting and retaining them will also be key.
In the middle of last year, my Department established a working group to identify and address barriers to expansion in the health and social care professions, including radiation therapy. I am pleased to say the working group included representatives from my Department, the Department of Health, the HSE, CORU and the higher education sector. The group is looking at incremental expansion from September 2023. In other words, can we do anything quickly? There is space to provide a modest increase this year. Crucially, it is looking at whether, from September 2024, and 2025 and 2026, we can do a lot more in terms of a really big step-change in the number of people we train each year to work in the health service, including in the area of radiation therapy.
I understand that the HSE is developing a framework for practice placement education. I understand that the Department of Health has recently appointed a health and social care profession, HSCP, officer to lead on enabling expansion in health and social care professions. The appointment of that person, along with now having a chief medical officer, CMO, and a chief nursing officer, CNO, is very good news.
Officials from my Department are engaging with higher education institutions to ascertain expansion on existing programmes from this year, including radiation therapy, but crucially to try and have that multi-annual plan for the next number of years.
I understand there are four treatment machines currently idle because there is a shortfall of 34% in the number of radiation therapists. There was also a survey done which indicates that over 60% of the current radiation therapists intend leaving within the next five years.
As regards funding for postgraduates, for those who have already got a primary degree and want to go on to do radiation therapy, I understand there is no funding for them to do that course.
Currently, Cork has 12 postgraduate places. It is a two-year course. Therefore, one is fast-tracking the qualification. If we can expand that, but also give funding and grants to those who take on that course because I understand it is not available at present, it would be one way of expediting the system.
Trinity provides a four-year course with 30 places per annum. Therefore, there is a total of 42 places.
We have a huge challenge now. It is something that we need to give priority to, in particular when we have radiation machines lying idle because we do not have the required number of radiation therapists.
I find myself in agreement with Deputy Colm Burke. We need to be training more people to work in the health service. We need to be specifically training more people to work in areas including the one the Deputy has mentioned around radiation therapy, but we need to do it in a manner that works. We need to do it in a way that is not ad hoc. We need to do it in a way that is grounded in the overall work of the health service, the issue around clinical placements and the issue around workforce planning projections.
I thank my Department, the Department of Health, the HSE, CORU, the HEA and the higher education institutions. They have been doing a really good piece of work. I am proud of the work that they have done to determine what could health service places in colleges look like over the next number of years and what could we get done between now and September.
I think we could see modest increases in some areas including radiation therapy, as well as larger increases in other areas in health this year. From September 2024, however, there is the potential to do a lot more, and the Minister for Health and I are working together to finalise this. I hope to be in a position this month to update the Cabinet and then publish what that will look like.
In regard to the issue I raised about grants, there is a disincentive in that the grant is available for taking some postgraduate courses, whereas it is not available for studying radiation therapy. Will the Minister look at that? It is one of the key issues as regards why people are not attracted to the course.
Furthermore, can we expand the number of postgraduate courses in September? This relates to a two-year course, so even if we do that, it will be two years before new people come on stream, in addition to the number doing so each year at the moment.
I welcome the tabling of this question by Deputy Burke. We need to do everything in our power to expand the number of courses. What the Aire mentioned regarding placements is the crux of the issue and goes across the medical profession. It has been raised with me since I took on this brief. One issue that keeps coming to the fore relates to the fact the putting together of the placements is often done on an ad hoc basis. Individual institutions may have a deal with a hospital, but it makes it more difficult when it is not done on a streamlined basis in the way it is done for pharmacies through the Irish Pharmacy Union, IPU. Has the Minister considered providing placements through the Department of Health on a more streamlined basis?
The short answer to Deputy Farrell's question is "Yes, absolutely". We need to move beyond the year to year and look at how we can systemically create a better structure that works for the health service, the higher education institutions and students. If we get this right, the prize can be significant, with a large expansion of third level education in health and social care services. That is a prize worth getting right and I hope to update the Government with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on that this month.
To Deputy Colm Burke's question on postgraduate funding, I will look at that because I am not sure as to how or why that anomaly arises, but I will be happy to revert to him directly on it. The note with which I have been provided tells me there are between 25 and 35 students in each year of the bachelor of science degree in radiation therapy at Trinity College Dublin. In addition to that, there are 15 students in University College Cork master's programme in radiation therapy. If Deputy Burke is asking me whether we intend to grow the number of places in radiation therapy at third level, the answer is "Yes". We intend to grow it to some extent this year and to move significantly beyond that in 2024 and thereafter.
95. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the extent to which he continues to pursue the expansion of the academic and technical syllabus to cater for the requirements now and in the future, having particular regard to the changing job specifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26652/23]
This issue was touched on earlier. To what extent is there a need to ensure, insofar as possible, that skill levels are sufficient to meet the current and future challenges given the trends to date?
I thank the Deputy for this question, a version of which he quite regularly puts down. It is important that we make sure the third level education system and our skills infrastructure are prepared for the future requirements of our economy and society. We are undergoing a dual transition, with the greening of the economy and the digital transformation, and we have to make sure the third level education sector is able to respond to that. My Department continues to prioritise strengthening our skills ecosystem to ensure it will have the agility and flexibility to adapt to the changing priorities in skills and workforce development. This focus is underpinned by a detailed and comprehensive OECD report on Ireland's skills strategy, which I commissioned and which was published on 9 May.
Bodies such as the SOLAS skills and labour market research unit and our expert group on future skills needs have a key role in assessing and forecasting the skills and talent needs in an economy being transformed by both digitisation and the decarbonisation agenda. The analysis these bodies carry out is central to informing the programme planning throughout the tertiary system and flexible and innovative responses to changes in the world of work through the human capital initiative and Springboard+. That agility and flexibility is underscored by the responsiveness to industry and enterprise workforce needs under a number of initiatives. The action plan for apprenticeships, for example, is a practical way of providing other pathways for qualification in a way that works for both learners and industry. Other examples are the green skills for further education and training roadmap and the national digital strategy, Harnessing Digital.
Ireland's success in ensuring those with qualifications from the tertiary system meet the economy's needs is evidenced by the results of the Higher Education Authority's national graduate outcome survey, which shows that 81.9% of graduates in 2021 were in employment nine months after graduation. We now have the lowest level of unemployment in the history of our State. I assure the Deputy it will be a priority to ensure a continued level of responsiveness by our education system to what is rapid technological change, including from, in particular, the expected substantial impact of artificial intelligence, AI, on our workforce.
To what extent have the Minister and his Department been able to identify the areas that are most in need at this time? What procedures are in place to address the shortages in good time?
SOLAS has a unit that specifically monitors labour market needs. I do not think it will come as a huge surprise to the Deputy that we are seeing significant requirements for people in construction, ICT and digital skills and a range of other sectors. Bulletins published monthly in that regard are useful and informative.
The question as to how we should respond is the especially interesting one. As I was trying to say in response to an earlier question, we have to recognise that responding does not just mean setting up a four-year degree programme for everyone in the country. That is not practical when more and more of the upskilling and reskilling requirements are from people holding down full-time jobs. They may be in work, in a reasonably well-paid, secure job, and all of a sudden the green transition, the digitisation agenda or AI is coming at them. How can we enable the education system to provide education in a way that works for those people? More and more often, students are going to be in their 40s, with a full-time job, and perhaps be caring for children or parents. They have to be able to access education in a more flexible way, and that is where our focus is too.
96. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has considered establishing a centralised information system for the National Training Fund to allow for students, professors, guidance counsellors and industry bodies to view, not only possible funding or research opportunities, but clearly defined possible career paths; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26608/23]
I understand there is a lot of funding at the moment in the National Training Fund, at up to €1 billion. Will the Minister outline what plans he has for this fund with respect to the question I submitted?
The National Training Fund is a dedicated fund to upskill people in employment and provide training and reskilling opportunities for those who are unemployed. It also funds research on existing and likely future skills requirements of the economy. In 2023, more than €9 million is being invested from the fund in these schemes for these purposes. More than €3 million is allocated to the expert group on future skills needs and the labour market research unit in SOLAS and for the operation of the nine regional skills forums.
The funding supports significant research and data-gathering on future skills and workforce requirements. This analysis is of considerable value to educators, guidance professionals, researchers, industry and learners throughout the third level education system to ensure a better alignment of teaching, learning and research with workforce developments and potential career paths as well as identifying funding and research priorities.
As the Deputy will be aware, I recently launched the OECD's skills strategy review, which outlined a number of recommendations to improve career information and guidance for individuals on learning and career pathways. Progress in this area will be a priority for the implementation of the OECD review.
Turning to the NTF and how we can utilise this huge resource for our country in the context of the upskilling and reskilling agenda, my Department and the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform are actively engaging on this with a view to having proposals in advance of the Estimates discussions.
Will the Minister outline the current size of the fund? Is he aware of the proposal of IBEC and Science Foundation Ireland to use the fund to provide adequate funding to develop research, talent and skills and the need for further investment and to encourage increased creativity and innovation?
The NTF surplus stood at €1.37 billion at the end of 2022 and is forecast to increase to €1.5 billion by the end of 2023. I am very much aware of those proposals and am engaging with those organisations and others to try to come up with proposals in advance of the discussions for the Estimates.
