Tuesday, 14 Feb 2023

Written Answers Nos. 1-75

Third Level Costs

Ceisteanna (59)

Seán Canney

Ceist:

59. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider amending the SUSI terms and conditions to ensure that students whose parents were working and became ill and accessed illness benefit are not discriminated against in the system, in that if the household income is low enough, they will be able to access the special rate of grant aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2878/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

The special rate of grant in the student support scheme has, as a matter of long-standing policy, been targeted at applicants who are the dependents of people receiving long-term welfare payments, where the relevant eligibility criteria are met.

This policy position was first articulated by the 2001 McNamara report which considered how to target resources most effectively to support access to higher education. The rationale for the special rate is that it is targeted at those who are "most in need", which the report identified as child dependents of people receiving long-term social welfare payments, where other necessary conditions are fulfilled. The review of the student grant scheme found that around 30% of SUSI recipients over the five years previous to the report were in receipt of the special rate.

These criteria are aligned with the Department of Social Protection's schemes. In this regard, Illness Benefit is defined by that Department as a short-term payment for insured people who cannot work due to illness. This is why it is not included as an eligible payment for the purposes of the special rate of maintenance grant.Depending on the individual's circumstances it may be appropriate for them to have their welfare payment reviewed by the Department of Social Protection. It may be established that an alternative long-term payment should be awarded, such as Disability Allowance or Invalidity Pension. Both of these payments are eligible payments for the purposes of the special rate of grant. In such circumstances, the application of the person in question may be reviewed by SUSI under the change of circumstances provision of the Student Grant Scheme.

Questions Nos. 60 to 63, inclusive, answered orally.

Third Level Education

Ceisteanna (64)

Mark Ward

Ceist:

64. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the engagement his Department has had with universities, the Department of Health and the HSE to increase college places in the area of mental health care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6773/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

I want to thank the Deputy for raising this important issue.

The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service.

Significant engagement is ongoing between my Department, the Department of Health, the Department of Education, and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, to develop a joined-up approach to meet system level demand in healthcare, including mental health care disciplines.

These programmes are by their nature complex in delivery. The availability of appropriate placements and placement supports is a key enabler of expansion. A working group, including representation from the Department of Health, HSE and CORU, as well as the higher education sector, has been established to specifically examine how placements can be secured to facilitate greater numbers of training places.

Approximately 200 additional once-off places were created in nursing courses in 2020 and 2021, in response to both the pressures experienced by Leaving Certificate students and the needs of the health services. In July 2022, I announced an increase in medicine places for EU students in Irish Medical Schools, alongside the Minister for Health. The agreement reached with the medical schools led to an increase of 60 places in September 2022, climbing to 120 in September 2023, and up to 200 by 2026. This will mean by 2026 an additional 200 students will commence medicine each year. In addition, 135 new permanent places in nursing programmes were introduced from last September

The Higher Education Authority is currently running a process to identify where further capacity could be increased in a number of healthcare professional areas including Medicine and Nursing. A second process in respect of further healthcare disciplines will be run later in the year.

Disciplines such as medicine, nursing and a range of allied health professions are relevant to mental health but also to a range of other areas in health and social care. It is for the Department of Health and the HSE to undertake workforce planning for both the overall health services and for particular care areas. My Department is working closely with the Department of Health to translate those workforce plans into the projected demand for health graduates and to substantially increase enrolments in heath related courses, together with expansion in the required number of clinical placements within the health service for those on such programmes.

Questions Nos. 65 and 66 answered orally.

Third Level Fees

Ceisteanna (67)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

Ceist:

67. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason students who previously sat a year on a different course were excluded from the €1,000 discount on third levels fees when they are subject to the same cost of living pressures as everyone else. [6939/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

The Government has introduced a range of measures to support people with the cost of living. As part of this overall response, I have introduced a significant package that has seen students and families directly benefit.The package provided for adjustments to the level of funding available through existing supports provided by my Department, including once-off measures in this academic year. This included a once-off reduction of €1,000 in the student contribution rate payable by students eligible for free tuition fees under the Department’s Free Fees Initiative for this academic year.A key principle of the design of the Free Fees Initiative is to encourage progression, that is, to support students in progressing through a chosen course of study from year to year. As a result, students are not typically supported under the Free Fees Initiative for a repeat period of study or for a different course at the same level.Where students do not qualify for the Department’s Free Fees Initiative, the student contribution does not apply and instead an appropriate tuition fee is charged, as determined by the higher education institution as an autonomous body. The reduction in the student contribution therefore does not apply to students who are not eligible for free fees.However, recognising the financial difficulties also faced by students who may not be eligible for other supports, I have significantly increased the allocation to the Student Assistance Fund to over €20 million for this academic year - the highest amount ever provided under this Fund. The Fund can provide assistance towards rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials for students experiencing financial difficulty. The Fund guidelines provide that students with a previous higher education qualification at the same level, or who, in the past, attended higher education without ultimately obtaining a qualification, may be considered for support on a case-by-case basis.Information on the Fund is available through the Access Office in the higher education institution attended.

Departmental Properties

Ceisteanna (68)

Chris Andrews

Ceist:

68. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has considered keeping the Aungier Street campus of TU Dublin in public ownership due to the lack of public facilities in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6889/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

The TU Dublin Aungier Street Campus is currently the home of TU Dublin’s Business School, which will in time re-locate to a new purpose built facility in Grangegorman as part of the development of the Grangegorman site under the Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA) Act 2005.

Under the terms of the GDA Act 2005, both TU Dublin and the GDA are responsible for the disposal of assets, including the Aungier Street property. Funding realised by the disposal of these assets, will then be re-invested in the Grangegorman campus. This will be essential to support the development of facilities without which the relocation to Grangegorman cannot take place.

The Aungier Street property was listed for disposal on the State Property Register in September 2019 with no interest being indicated by the State sector in retaining the property in public ownership. On that basis, GDA and TU Dublin have incorporated the disposal of the property in their funding plans for relocation to the Grangegorman campus. Dublin City Council recently debated the zoning of Aungier Street as part of the preparation and approval of its Development Plan and the City Council decided to maintain the zoning as is.

Both the GDA and TU Dublin are mandated by the 2005 GDA Act to obtain the best value from any property disposal, so as to maximise the resources available for the Grangegorman development and to reduce the need for direct Exchequer funding.

Student Accommodation

Ceisteanna (69)

Matt Shanahan

Ceist:

69. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to significantly expand and incentivise the construction of student accommodation in Waterford, given the designation of Waterford as a university city and that no additional student accommodation in Waterford was targeted over the eight years of the national student accommodation strategy 2016-24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60073/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

I am actively addressing the difficulties faced by students in accessing affordable student accommodation.

In recognition of the construction cost challenges and associated impact on affordability of student accommodation, on 29 November 2022, I secured Government approval to develop both short and medium term policy responses to activate supply of affordable student accommodation.

These landmark policy responses will, for the first time, see the state providing financial support for the construction of student accommodation, and underpins the policy commitments set out in Housing for All and the National Access Plan. They will ensure increased availability of and promote greater access to student accommodation, in particular for disadvantaged students.

My Department is working with the Office of the Attorney General to address EU State Aid requirements.

In addition to working with public universities to advance projects where planning approval is already in place, my Department is engaged in policy development to examine a broader range of methods to increase supply of student accommodation. Support of €1m is being provided to our Technological Universities (TUs) to conduct a needs assessment and to identify appropriate regional activation responses. My Department is also examining the development of a TU Borrowing Framework in conjunction with other Government Departments, in line with the commitments in "Housing for All".

The only on-campus provision of purpose built student accommodation in the Technological University sector is the 426 bed facility at the Waterford campus of the South East Technological University. As a consequence of this, students in Technological Universities have relied almost completely on private rental for accommodation. The funding being provided will provide consultancy support to undertake a cohesive and regional focused feasibility study for each TU including SETU. This will provide the basis for an appropriate response to be developed along with business cases for student accommodation. My Department looks forward to inviting applications for such proposals later this year.

Third Level Education

Ceisteanna (70)

Martin Browne

Ceist:

70. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps being taken to deliver an increased provision of healthcare education, given the recent recognition by the Minister for Health that we need to approximately double the number of healthcare professionals we are training; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6949/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

In July 2022 I announced an increase in medicine places for EU students in Irish Medical Schools, alongside the Minister for Health. The agreement reached with the medical schools led to an increase of 60 places in September 2022, climbing to 120 in September 2023, and up to 200 by 2026.

This will mean by 2026 an additional 200 students will commence medicine each year. This increase was done at a pace and scale which is unprecedented and which, importantly, provides for continued multi-annual expansion. In addition, 135 new places in nursing programmes were introduced from last September.

The Higher Education Authority is currently running a process to identify where further additional capacity could be built in the higher education sector in a number of healthcare areas including Medicine and Nursing. It is the intention that further such processes for other disciplines will be run later in the year.

Significant engagement is ongoing between my Department, the Department of Health, and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, to develop a joined-up approach to meet system level demand across the health sector.

There are some fundamental issues, which are in the control of the health sector, which are prerequisites to enable expansion. These relate to guarantees of clinical placements, detailed and robust workforce planning projections and engagement with regulators. In addition to qualifying additional health professionals, success in the recruitment and retention of health professionals by the health sector will be key.

Future growth of provision in the higher education sector will be dependent on action in these areas by the appropriate authorities in the health sector.

My Department is committed to working closely with the Department of Health and its agencies to ensure that the conditions are in place to support further growth in educational provision.

Question No. 71 answered orally.

Third Level Education

Ceisteanna (72)

Louise O'Reilly

Ceist:

72. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to improve the position of PhD candidates as a means to grow the talent pool of workers in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6944/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

Impact 2030, Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy which I was pleased to launch in May of 2022 prioritises the nurturing and development of talent and excellence to build on Ireland’s reputation as an Island of Talent and a location for research excellence and impact.The quality of our researchers is fundamental to the quality of our research system and its collaboration with partners in industry and policymakers, both in Ireland and abroad.

The overarching objective of Impact 2030, is to maximise the impact of research and innovation on our economy, society and environment, and my vision is that Ireland will be a global leader in nurturing, developing and retaining talent to drive research and innovation in our higher education and research system, enterprises, communities and public services.

Under Pillar 4 of Impact 2030 we will ensure that researchers have the right skills development and career opportunities so that they can make their maximum contribution, whether in academia, industry, the public sector or elsewhere. Career pathways will be improved, starting with a review of State supports for PhD students.

As part of this commitment, my Department has begun a national review of State supports for PhD researchers.

I was pleased to appoint Dr Andrea Johnson and David Cagney as Co-Chairs for the review.

The scope of the review includes:

- Current PhD researcher supports including financial supports (stipends, SUSI supports and others);

- The adequacy, consistency and equity of current arrangements across research funders and higher education institutions, including equity and welfare considerations;

- The status of PhD researchers (student, employee) including a review of international comparators and models;

- Impact on the funding of research programmes of any adjustments to current supports;

- Graduate outcomes for PhD graduates including return on investment/benefits to the researcher;

- Visa requirements and duration for non-EU students.

The Review, informed by a robust evidence base, will be completed in the first half of 2023. The review will look at issues of adequacy, taking account of costs and other issues, such as the exemption of the PhD stipend from income tax.

It is anticipated that key stakeholders will be consulted as part of the review including, importantly, those representing PhD research students.

The review will conclude by making recommendations to me, which will inform actions to ensuring a sound framework of PhD supports is in place.

Cybersecurity Policy

Ceisteanna (73)

Aindrias Moynihan

Ceist:

73. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his engagement with all third level institutions in view of the recent cyber breach at Munster Technological University, MTU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6941/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

I want to thank the Deputy for the question. It's very important that there is clarity about the respective roles of different institutions, agencies and Departments when it comes to the critical matter of cyber security.

As autonomous bodies, higher education institutions have governance and legal responsibility for their own administrative and corporate affairs, including in their management of ICT infrastructures, risk management, including cyber risk, business resilience and contingency planning.

At Government level, the National Cyber Security Centre, which is part of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, has lead responsibility for cyber security in the State, with inputs from An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. Their role covers incident response, cyber resilience and information provision, including to the tertiary education sector.

Therefore, in cases such as the incident in MTU, the primary engagement in responding to the cyber incident is between the institution and the National Cyber Security Centre, with regular updates also being provided by the institution to my Department and the Higher Education Authority. There should also be clear communications by the institution to students and stakeholders.

My Department, in close collaboration with the Department of Education, has an important role in resourcing and supporting the work of HEAnet, the education sector’s ICT shared services provider. My Department has provided additional resources to HEAnet, to strengthen their capabilities to support institutions in addressing cyber security risks.

Last year, my Department confirmed significant multi-annual funding for cyber-security resources to HEAnet. These resources will equip HEAnet to enhance its support to clients, including institutions across the tertiary education sector, in mitigating their cyber security risks. In particular, these new resources will allow HEAnet to provide advice and training and enhance support to institutions in preventing incidents and alerting them to potential cyber events.

Third Level Education

Ceisteanna (74)

Thomas Gould

Ceist:

74. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has considered gathering demographic data on where students in universities and colleges went to secondary school and publishing same. [6883/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

For many school leavers, discussions on continuing education or training have focused on Leaving Certificate based CAO points and the race to secure a place in higher education. I have been working with partners across the sector to develop and promote a tertiary system which provides options for school leavers to continue their education in a manner and location that suits their interests and learning styles.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) and SOLAS hold the student and learner databases. Data is publicly available on the HEA website on the geographic and socioeconomic profile of our higher education student population.

The Education Indicators for Ireland report which I published last week in collaboration with the Minister for Education reports on transition rates from post-primary to higher education for both DEIS and non-DEIS schools.

These indicators provide broad insight into trends concerning the flow of students from schools into higher education institutions and are used to evaluate and inform policy in the area.

Linkage of microdata at individual level to allow for tracking of student progression from second level to higher education is not currently available. Under the National Access Plan such data linking may take place, with appropriate safeguards to preserve anonymity, in order to provide evidence to support diversity and inclusion measures in tertiary education.

It is vital that any public reporting of transitions between school to tertiary education reflects the inherent value in all types of learning and the different challenges which students and learners need to meet to continue with their education.

Third Level Admissions

Ceisteanna (75)

Aindrias Moynihan

Ceist:

75. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is satisfied with the current review and appeal process by third level institutions participating with the higher education access route; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6942/23]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

The Higher Education and the Disability Access Routes to Education, otherwise known as the HEAR and DARE schemes, are reduced points mechanisms for entry into Higher Education which support national policy goals regarding access of under-represented groups.

Both schemes are operated by the Irish Universities Association, on behalf of the higher education institutions which set out the policy criteria for these schemes.

Admissions to higher education institutions are legally a matter for the institutions themselves. Each institution determines its own admissions policy in relation to the two schemes, the number of places to be reserved, the allocation of those places, and the review and appeals processes.

In this context, neither I nor my Department have any role in the design and implementation of these schemes, including the review and appeals processes.

My Department is informed by the Irish Universities Association that the appeals process allows for appeals on the following grounds:-

1. Where it is believed there has been an administrative error in the assessment.

2. Where an applicant was deemed ineligible due to the omission of or error in supporting documents and now wishes to submit further document(s) for consideration.

3. Where an applicant wishes to provide further information or amend existing information in relation to key eligibility criteria.

4. Where an applicant believes that their assessment outcome was unfair, published criteria were not applied or terms and conditions were not followed.