Written Answers Nos. 601-616
601. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the details of the higher education institute policy guidelines with regard to allowing students to carry out assessments and exams in Irish as is common practice in other similar jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24007/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraHigher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous institutions within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Under this legislation the HEIs are independent and is entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes, including in relation to examinations. Any policy around the language through which exams are conducted is a matter for individual institutions, in line with their autonomy.
602. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if all Erasmus students returning from Erasmus+ participating countries on the mandatory hotel quarantine list will have their mandatory hotel quarantine paid for by the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24008/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland is designated as a programme country under the Erasmus+ programme. As a programme country, Ireland is eligible to participate in all actions of the programme and has benefitted significantly from our participation.
The policy of my Department, as national authority for the programme, has always been to strongly encourage participation in Erasmus+. The Department as national authority, has agreed to cover the cost of one mandatory hotel quarantine for Erasmus+ participants at all levels who are returning to Ireland from countries on the quarantine list.
Further detail on the application process for Erasmus+ participants is available at this link: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/0612c-mandatory-hotel-quarantine-application-process-for-erasmus-students/.
603. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the funding allocated by his Department or agencies under his remit to An Taisce in each of the years 2015 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the expected respective allocations to An Taisce for 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24105/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science was formed in summer 2020. Since formation, the Department has not made any payments to An Taisce, nor does it have any specific provision for an allocation directly to An Taisce in 2021.
The information in respect of state bodies, within the scope of the Deputy’s question, is not held by my Department. Contact details for these bodies are set out in the attached document, should the Deputy wish to contact the aegis bodies directly with their query.
Contact E-Mail Addresses for State Bodies under the Remit of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
|
Name of Body |
Dedicated Email address for the Members of the Oireacthas |
Designated Official Responsible for assisting Oireachtas Members |
|
Higher Education Authority |
Oireachtas@hea.ie |
Padraic Mellett* |
|
Irish Research Council( Note 1) |
Oireachtas@research.ie |
Padraic Mellett* |
|
Grangegorman Development Agency |
Communications@ggda.ie |
nora.rahill@ggda.ie |
|
SOLAS |
oireachtasinfo@solas.ie |
Nikki Gallagher |
|
Skillnets Ltd |
oireachtas@skillnets.com |
t.donnery@skillnets.com |
|
Quality and Qualifications Ireland |
ceo@qqi.ie |
ceo@qqi.ie |
|
Léargas – The Exchange Bureau |
oireachtas@leargas.ie |
fbroughan@leargas.ie |
|
Science Foundation Ireland |
ciara.cotter@sfi.ie |
Ciara Cotter |
Note 1 – In regard to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Irish Research Council (IRC) as the IRC operates under the auspices of the HEA. Mr Mellett will address Oireachtas queries for both the HEA and IRC. Please use Oireachtas@hea.ie and Oireachtas@research.ie respectively to contact Mr Mellett.
604. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of additional places being made available for training hairdressing apprenticeships in each of the six new locations; the number of places available at the existing six locations; the date that the additional places will be available from; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24160/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Hairdressing Apprenticeship will be delivered in 12 locations in 2021. The formal registration process will commence on 16th of August 2021 and apprentices will commence their off-the-job training in November 2021.
As per the terms of the programme validation, the minimum class size is 9 apprentices, and the maximum class size is 14 apprentices.
There are currently 92 apprentices registered across the existing 6 centres rolled out in 2020 (Table 1 attached). These locations intend to provide the equivalent intake of apprentices in 2021, subject to demand from employers. In addition, six new locations in Wexford, Limerick, Mayo, Sligo, Dublin and Louth plan to have 82 additional places available in 2021 (see table2 attached).
This will bring the overall available capacity to 174 new registrations for 2021. It should be noted that apprenticeship is an employer-led demand-driven programme. The number of apprentices taking up these places will depend on the continued engagement of employers with the National Hairdressing Apprenticeship Programme.
|
2020 Intake (Table 1) |
# Apprentices Registered |
|
Class 1 X 14 |
|
|
1. FET Centre, Raheen Campus, Limerick |
Class 2 X9 |
|
2. St. John’s Central College, Cork |
13 |
|
3. Waterford College of Further Education |
14 |
|
4. Finglas Training Centre, Dublin |
14 |
|
5. Coláiste Dhúlaigh, Kilbarrack, Dublin |
14 |
|
6. Tallaght Training Centre, Dublin |
14 |
|
New Locations coming on-board for 2021 Intake (Table2) |
# Apprentices |
|
1. Enniscorthy Vocational College, Wexford |
12 |
|
2. Limerick College of Further Education |
14 |
|
3. Mayo College of Further Education |
14 |
|
4. Sligo Training Centre, Ballytivnan |
14 |
|
5. Crumlin College of Further Education |
14 |
|
6. Regional Skills Training Centre, Dundalk |
14 |
605. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the apprenticeship training available in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24161/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn County Mayo, Apprenticeship off the job-training is delivered by Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education and Training Board (MSLETB) and Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT). The attached table provides the number of programmes delivered in the respective providers.
|
- |
MSLETB |
GMIT |
|
1 |
Vehicle Body repairs |
Electrical |
|
2 |
Mechanical Automation & Maintenance Fitting |
Motor Mechanics |
|
3 |
Toolmaking |
|
|
4 |
Electrical Instrumentation |
|
|
5 |
Carpentry & Joinery |
|
|
6 |
Electrical |
|
|
7 |
Sales |
|
|
8 |
Butchery |
|
|
9 |
Commis Chef |
|
|
10 |
ICT |
606. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of tutors registered with the Teaching Council; the number of tutors employed by the State to deliver adult literacy courses and ESOL; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24162/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Registration Regulations 2016. There are four routes of registration; Primary, Post-primary, Further Education and Other. There is no statutory obligation for tutors to register with the Teaching Council and therefore the information the Deputy has requested regarding the number of tutors registered is not held.
Information on the number of tutors employed by the Education and Training Boards to deliver adult literacy courses and ESOL is being collated and I will arrange for it to be sent to the Deputy.
Question No. 607 answered with Question No. 590.
608. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the buildings that have been purchased by Dundalk Institute of Technology since 2016; the cost per building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24229/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that Dundalk Institute of Technology has not purchased any property within the timeframe in question.
609. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the additional funding, current and capital, that will accompany technological university status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24361/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn foot of the 2019 TURN report, Budget 2020 provided for new Technological University Transformation Fund of €90 million (over 3 years 2020- 2023), to assist the development and progression of TUs. The Transformation Fund supersedes the previous Higher Education Landscape Fund under which some €31 million was provided to advance TU proposals. Funding allocated under the Transformation Fund will support the implementation of relevant TURN report recommendations.
On 7 October 2020, I announced the first allocations of €34.33m under the Transformation Fund (details of allocations attached).
In terms of 2021 Transformation Fund allocations the Higher Education Authority (HEA) which administers the Fund is currently considering submissions from relevant Higher Education Institutions received at the end of Quarter 1 including in the context of progress achieved to date on 2020 funded projects and multi-annual budgeting requirements under the Fund.
My Department and the HEA are also seeking to draw down additional funding through the European Regional Development Fund and National Recovery and Resilience Plan in synergy with the Transformation Fund and in advancement of the ongoing implementation of relevant TURN report recommendations.
In line with the TURN report, Government also continues to support significant capital investment in TUs and Institutes of Technology making up consortia seeking TU designation that major capital investment in the higher education sector is envisaged under Project Ireland 2040. A significant element of this investment is earmarked for the technological university sector.
For example, the Central and East Quads were recently completed for the TU Dublin campus at Grangegorman, facilitating the transfer of 10,000 students to the new campus. A number of other relevant large capital projects are also in the pipeline including the Higher Education PPP programme which will deliver 10 major campus buildings in established and proposed TUs in the coming years. Other capital funding which continues to support infrastructure development in Institutes of Technology and TUs includes the Higher Education Refurbishment and Upgrade Fund which is targeted at upgrading existing building stock; the expanded Devolved Grant scheme which paid €20m to the TU/IoT sector in 2020 and co-funded projects which are delivering major buildings in the TU Dublin Tallaght Campus and IT Sligo, part of the Connacht Ulster Alliance seeking TU designation. The result of this investment is that every main TU campus location will have at least one major building project supported by Exchequer funding within the next four years.
Table 1: Exchequer Transformation Fund allocations 2020
|
Project |
Allocation 1st Sept 2020 – 31st August 2021 |
|
Athlone IT and Limerick IT |
€5.00m |
|
CUA - Connacht Ulster Alliance (Galway Mayo IT/IT Sligo/Letterkenny IT) |
€5.70m |
|
Dundalk IT |
€0.76m |
|
Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) |
€0.10m |
|
Munster Technological University (MTU) |
€8.25m |
|
TU Dublin |
€7.25m |
|
TU for South East Ireland (TUSEI) (Waterford IT/IT Carlow) |
€5.10m |
|
IReL: TU Dublin, 2020 |
€1.20m |
|
EduCampus: TU Dublin, 2020 |
€0.85m |
|
HEA Monitoring/Resourcing |
€0.12m |
|
Total |
€34.33m |
610. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the breakdown between home and EU student within the 708 quota each year since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24363/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is available in the attached table. In each of the relevant years Irish students comprised more than 90% of EU students registered on medicine courses.
First Year Medicine Students by Domicile, 2016-2019
|
Domicile Group |
2016/2017 |
2017/2018 |
2018/2019 |
2019/2020 |
|
Ireland |
673 |
666 |
664 |
693 |
|
Great Britain |
34 |
30 |
37 |
18 |
|
Northern Ireland |
11 |
9 |
7 |
8 |
|
Other EU |
16 |
14 |
13 |
14 |
|
EU Total |
734 |
719 |
721 |
733 |
|
Non-EU |
517 |
579 |
598 |
620 |
|
Grand Total |
1251 |
1298 |
1319 |
1353 |
Note: These figures include all first years, and therefore will include students who deferred or are repeating a year
611. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the cost to the Exchequer of covering tuition fees by €5,000 and €10,000; the total; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24364/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Department's Free Fees Initiative, the Exchequer pays tuition fees on behalf of eligible first time undergraduate students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses (including medicine courses). In order to qualify for funding under the Department’s Free Fees Initiative, students must meet the criteria of the scheme including previous education attainment.
The fee payable by a student can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the student's access route including previous education. Entry to medicine in Irish HEIs is provided through both undergraduate and graduate entry routes.
Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) is one of the pathways to study undergraduate medicine. One of the recommendations of the Fottrell report (2006) was the introduction of the graduate entry medicine programme (GEM). Students pursuing GEM programmes do so as second degree courses and consequently are not eligible for free fees funding or for student grants.
In order to widen access to GEM programmes, and give assistance towards the financial burden on each student pursuing these programmes, the fees of participating EU students are partly subsidised by the State via the HEA. In academic year 20/21 the state contribution is €11,524 per student with the balance of fees payable by the student.
The HEA is currently collecting details of student numbers for GEM for the academic year 2020/21 – and therefore the final numbers for GEM students for 2020/21 are not readily available.
Based on the 2019/20 GEM student numbers:
- The estimated cost of increasing the HEA contribution towards GEM (grant per student) by €5,000 per student is an additional c.€4.7m
- The estimated cost of increasing the HEA contribution towards GEM (grant per student) by €10,000 per student is an additional c.€9.5m
Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs, including the management of academic affairs. They retain the right to determine their own policies and procedures. The total level of fees to be charged in the case of GEM fees are therefore solely a matter for the relevant institution to determine in line with its own criteria.
612. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the non-governmental organisations in receipt of funding from his Department; the amount of funding allocated to same in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24375/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science was formed in summer 2020.
The funding allocated to my Department, as set down in the annual Estimates, is used to meet costs associated with the provision of further and higher education, labour market initiatives including skills, and Irish research and development. The allocation is provided both directly and through my Department’s aegis bodies to fund: i) the salaries and pensions of public sector workers in the higher education, further education and research sectors, ii) the day to day running costs and capital investment needs of higher and further education institutions, iii) Irish research including through Science Foundation Ireland, iv) skills and labour market initiatives through SOLAS and the National Training Fund, v) the general administration costs of my Department, etc. Funding is also allocated for a range of programmes and initiatives.
In the course of its work my Department makes a significant number of payments. Such payments are made to individuals and organisations both by way of grants and also for the provision of goods and services to it. Some of the recipients of this funding may be non-governmental organisations, however as that label is not necessarily assigned to payees it is not possible to provide an accurate and complete list of such recipients. If the Deputy wishes to provide me with the names of specific non-governmental organisations I will arrange to have the level of funding, if any, paid to them provided to her without delay.
In conclusion, I would point out that the published Estimates for my Department’s Vote provides information regarding expenditure and may be of assistance to the Deputy.
613. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a course in veterinary nursing will be delivered in the mid-west, specifically in Limerick Institute of Technology in the 2021-2022 or 2022-2023 academic years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24401/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is actively engaging with Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) about the demand for higher education places in 2021 and will take action as necessary to ensure the availability of a full range of further and higher education options for applicants in 2021 and beyond.
However the HEIs are autonomous bodies under the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Under this legislation the HEIs are administratively and academically independent and ultimately the decision on the courses provided rests with the individual institutions. It is not within my remit to direct a HEI as to the courses they offer.
614. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of persons employed by his Department; and the collective total salary received by employees of his Department. [24448/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of staff currently employed in my Department is 157 full-time equivalent staff and the 2021 payroll allocation for my Department’s staff is €12,383,000*. https://education.cloud.gov.ie/apps/ePQ/Lists/ParliamentaryQuestions/Forms/Parliamentary%20Question/docsethomepage.aspx?ID=93451&FolderCTID=0x0120D52000283B7122F12C4B54B980C4391F9B3041005891981652107642999940E3DEB8F29C&List=6e8a1eef-5adc-4073-835b-0c1995f093dd&RootFolder=%2Fapps%2FePQ%2FLists%2FParliamentaryQuestions%2F2021%2F24438%2D21&RecSrc=%2Fapps%2FePQ%2FLists%2FParliamentaryQuestions%2F2021%2F24438%2D21#_ftnref2
* Includes overtime
615. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he or his Department employ persons or firms to deal with public relations; if so, the number of persons employed by his Department to deal with public relations; the names of any firms involved; and the amount spent on public relations by his Department. [24449/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's communications team has four staff, and is responsible for communicating the work of the Department to the citizen.
My Department does not employ firms or staff to deal with public relations.
616. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps that will be taken in 2021 and the resources that will be made available to deliver on the commitment in the Programme for Government to develop third-level opportunities at Ulster University's Magee campus, County Derry. [24211/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am comitted to implementation of the commitmets set out in New Decade New Approach, including that the Government is willing in principle to contribute to capital investment to support expanded provision at Ulster University Magee Campus, alongside the commitment made as part of the agreement by the UK Government.
My Department is working closely with the Department of Taoiseach and in Department of Foreign Affairs to progress this commitment, working with officials from the Northern Ireland Executive through the North-South Senior Officials Group and engaging with stakeholders, North and South to progress this commitment, including in respect of strategic intent and potential resource requirements.
