Written Answers Nos. 587-601
587. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health when his attention has been drawn to (details supplied); to provide detail on the temporary closure of the centre; to outline the care plan for current and potential service users in the event of a temporary closure; to detail who been consulted in regards to the planned temporary closure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44185/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
588. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has examined the possibility of moving (details supplied) to a temporary alternative site in the event of temporary closure due to building works. [44186/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
589. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health to confirm the number of overpayments made by HSE Pensions Management and subsequent requests for repayment letters issued to retired staff in each of the years, 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; and to make a statement on the concerns of retired staff in respect of the volume of calculation errors arising. [44188/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an administrative matter for the Health Service Executive, the HSE has been asked to respond directly to the Deputy.
590. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health in light of the current situation in Temple Street and Cappagh Orthopaedic service, the arrangements that have been put in place for children with non-spinal surgical needs to have their ongoing therapy continue. [44210/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
591. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of children with hip dysplasia who have had treatment, x-rays or assessments cancelled or delayed because of the current ongoing investigations and reviews at Childrens Health Ireland. [44211/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
592. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will have their cancelled x-ray and proposed surgery before school age following ongoing treatment for hip dysplasia. [44219/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
593. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the current situation with staffing in relation to the paediatric diabetes service in Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar; the number of children currently attending; and the number of children awaiting an appointment. [44221/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
594. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will review a SUSI application by a person (details supplied). [43418/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraSUSI has advised the student referred to by the Deputy, was awarded a Postgraduate Fee Contribution of €4,000 on the 6th June 2023 by the awarding authority. The applicant’s income was under the Special Rate threshold of €25,000. However, whilst the applicant’s father did not meet the required number of days. The Student Grant Appeals Board heard an appeal from this student on the 8th August 2023 and upheld the decision of the SUSI Appeals Officer. The student has now exhausted the appeals process.
595. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the additional €307 million in core funding annually, promised in May 2022, will be provided to financially stressed universities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43478/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra605. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the position regarding funding (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43898/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 595 and 605 together.
In May 2022, I launched Funding the Future, a landmark funding and reform framework for higher education. Funding the Future confirmed that a mixed funding model would be adopted to ensure the sustainable funding of higher education into the future. This comprises a mix of Exchequer investment, employer contributions through the National Training Fund and student contributions.
Under Funding the Future, a figure of €307 million was identified as representing the quantum of increase in core funding to the higher education sector which is required to deliver enhanced performance, strategic reforms and strengthened quality of outcomes.
Budget 2023 delivered €40m additional funding, aligned to Funding the Future, as an initial step with the intention that over a number of years, further additional core funding will be prioritised through the Estimates process, while taking account of the Government’s budgetary and fiscal stance. Budget 2024. will today confirm a significant increase in funding for higher education with an additional €195 million for the sector. This includes €35 million for pay, €60 for core funding, funding for demographics and other pay and non-related pay costs.
596. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide details of the means by which students can prove that they are not supported by their parents in the circumstances where they do not have a record with TUSLA or An Garda Síochána; if there is another person or group that they can apply in order to prove that they have no support from their parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43549/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine.
For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students (ie: assessed without reference to parental income).
A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if they have attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course and is not ordinarily resident with their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) from the previous 1st October. The documentation required can be found here: www.susi.ie/eligibility-criteria/income/applicant-class/independent-students/. It includes a letter confirming that the address is registered with Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), a local authority lease agreement or letter confirming your rental under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), a letter on headed paper from a rental agency confirming your tenancy, or a utility bill in your own name.
A student under the age of 23 may be assessed without reference to parental income only in exceptional cases, for example orphans, students in foster care, cases where there is evidence of irreconcilable estrangement from parents or legal guardians etc. Applicants are requested to share documentary evidence with SUSI to confirm their situation. The type of documentary evidence required is dependent on the applicant’s individual circumstances and may vary widely from case to case. This approach is taken with a view to giving applicants the flexibility to provide documents that relate to their specific circumstances.
If an applicant considers they have been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, they may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI. If they have had an appeal turned down in writing by an appeals officer in SUSI and remain of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in their case, an appeal may be submitted to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board within the required timeframe (i.e. not later than 30 days after the notification of the determination of the appeals officer to the applicant).
Such appeals can be made by the appellant on line via www.studentgrantappeals.ie.
597. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science what progress is being made with the establishment of a new veterinary programme in the Atlantic Technological University; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43588/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnsuring a supply of qualified vets is an important issue for my Department. While my Department does not place a quota on the number of places on veterinary medicine courses, the reality is that there are constraints in current capacity. This reflects the fact that programmes involve significant practical and placement requirements, and facilities, including appropriate laboratory facilities, to ensure programmes meet the necessary standards of the Veterinary Council of Ireland.
In recognition of this capacity constraint, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) ran a process to identify where capacity could be built in the higher education sector in a number of priority disciplines including veterinary medicine. In June, Minister McConalogue and I, along with Minister Donnelly, announced the findings of the report. The report identified potential expansion in existing programmes in UCD as well as potential places in new programmes in Atlantic Technological University, South East Technological University and the University of Limerick. These proposals are currently being considered by Government within the context of Budgetary Processes and the National Development Plan review.
Minister McConalogue and I, as well as officials from both Departments including the Chief Veterinary Officer, are continuing to engage in discussions regarding these opportunities identified by the HEA.
598. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the accommodations that can be provided to a student who has commenced third-level education and is deemed liable for non-EU student fees, whilst their naturalisation application is currently being processed, and, as it stands with current processing times, will have to wait up to 18-24 months, if not longer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43604/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe higher education tuition fee payable by a student can vary depending on a variety of factors including the type of course and the student's access route. The assessment of a student’s application and the determination of the appropriate fee rate is a function of the institution attended.
Typically there are two rates of fee, an EU Rate of Fee or a non-EU/International rate of fee. Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and the level of tuition fee payable by students is a matter for the relevant institution to determine. This includes setting the criteria a person must meet to be regarded as an EU or a Non-EU tuition fee student.
It is not possible for my Department to advise individual students on eligibility for the EU rate of fee or to intervene in the fee policy of the institutions. It is therefore necessary for students to contact the institution attended for guidance on the fees applicable to a course of study and advice appropriate to their own individual circumstances
Direct engagement will offer students an opportunity to understand the determination of the institution and provide a basis for the student to provide additional information to the institution as appropriate to assist the institution in determining the appropriate fee rate.
In considering the matters raised, it is important to note that the Department of Justice adjudicates on a person's entitlement to remain in the State and has responsibility for naturalisation. Where a person has a query on their current permission or the naturalisation process they can contact the Irish Immigration Service.
599. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the options available to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43613/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is my understanding that if a student receives an upgrade and the revised result places them higher on the order-of-merit list than the last person who actually got an offer, then the Higher Education Institution will usually instruct CAO to either offer them a place to begin immediately or offer them a place deferred to the next year. I have no role or remit in this regard.
All stakeholders are aware of the dates involved in relation to appeals and CAO offers and communicate throughout the appeals cycle.
It is my understanding that In a small number of cases, an offer of a deferred place may be necessary due to fixed constraints in relation to class sizes, clinical placements or laboratory space, among other issues.
However such measures will only be taken when all other options have been exhausted, and those involved remain committed to ensuring that every possible effort is made to facilitate students in taking up a place that their grades entitle them to.
I understand this can be very distressing for students when this happens and I would encourage HEIs to be as flexible as they possibly can be when these circumstances arise.
600. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when he will respond to correspondence (details supplied) which was issued to him, following a motion by Cavan County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43620/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department uses various means to examine graduate mobility. Overall emigration rates are estimated by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and reported in their migration estimates publications, published on the CSO website. In some cases these estimates are available broken down by level of education and by age group, but these estimates do not report on specific graduate cohorts at the level of individual area of study or by qualification level. The latest overall figures show the inward number outweighs the outward. A key resource for understanding graduate mobility is the Graduate Outcomes Survey administrated by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). This survey is distributed to all graduates of higher education institutions nine months after graduation. Respondents report whether they are engaged in employment or further study and whether this is within Ireland (including Northern Ireland) or overseas. Data is published by the HEA on their website (www.hea.ie).
601. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when he is next scheduled to meet the CEO of the Higher Education Authority. [43645/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI regularly meet with the CEOs of all aegis bodies of my Department, including the Higher Education Authority. I last met with Dr. Alan Wall, CEO of the HEA, on July 10 2023. I will meet Dr. Wall later this week at the Funding our Future Steering Group.
