Written Answers Nos. 697-707
697. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when the international education mark will be rolled out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17391/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra698. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the additional resources that will be allocated to ensure that education providers are compliant with the international education mark. [17392/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 697 and 698 together.
The International Education Mark (IEM) is a new quality education mark and part of a suite of legislative measures which are designed to protect international learners in Ireland. The IEM is a key pillar of the Government’s policy for international education, as set out in Global Citizens 2030: Ireland’s International Talent and Innovation Strategy to 2030.
The Mark is intended to promote confidence, both nationally and internationally, in the quality of the Irish education system. It will ensure that international learners enrolled with higher education and English language education providers are protected and receive a quality, consistent learning experience. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), an agency under the remit of my Department, has statutory responsibility for administering the IEM.
English language education providers applying to QQI for authorisation to use the IEM will be required to undergo i) a Due Diligence assessment which will entail a review of corporate governance, financial resources and other legal obligations and ii) an assessment of compliance with the statutory IEM Code of Practice for Provision of Programmes of English Language Education to International Learners. For higher education providers with an existing relationship with QQI the IEM application process will comprise an assessment of compliance with the IEM Code of Practice for Provision of Programmes of Higher Education to International Learners.
To facilitate the rollout of the IEM, QQI has appointed a number of additional staff including a new Head of International Education. QQI is in the process of appointing external contractors with the requisite skills and experience to undertake all Due Diligence assessments and for the assessment of compliance with the IEM’s English Language Education Code of Practice. Assessments of compliance with the IEM’s Higher Education Code of Practice will be completed using existing QQI resources.
My Department is currently working with QQI to implement the key precursor measures that are necessary to facilitate the introduction of IEM. It is planned that the application process for the IEM will open to education providers before the Summer.
699. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his Department's capital underspend, if any, in 2023; and his Department's projected spend in 2024. [17422/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe revised National Development Plan (NDP) published in October 2021 provided clarity on Departmental capital ceilings for the period 2022 – 2025.
Capital funding in the amount of €658.6m is available to, and is profiled to be fully expended by my Department in 2024. This amount comprises the NDP capital allocation for 2024 of €619m in addition to the carryforward of capital funding from 2023 of €39.6m.
The general areas that have and will continue to benefit from this capital funding are:
Research and Innovation
Higher Education Capital
Further Education and Training Capital
Higher Education Public Private Partnerships
Higher Education Authority Capital
Corporate.
700. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to allocate increased funding across all career stages for researchers; and his views on the importance of basic or frontier research and the need for parity of esteem across disciplines. [17530/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraGovernment investment in research, development and innovation reached €964 million in 2022, an increase of 30% over 2017 when funding was €739 million. This investment in R&D includes funding for programmes that encompass all disciplines and all types of research. It should be noted that public funding for research is awarded according to the criteria set out in the various funding programmes operated by research funders irrespective of whether the research is basic or applied.
Public funding for basic research comes from many sources, including significant funding through the block grant from my Department through the Higher Education Authority, and through programmes operated by the Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).
The most recent survey of Higher Education Expenditure on R&D, published in April 2023, showed that basic research accounted for 42% or the research spend in the higher education sector, or €315 million in 2020. The annual funding envelope is ultimately determined by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.
My Department is implementing the actions of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy. The strategy will create a more cohesive national system of research and innovation which supports Irish research and innovation in responding to national challenges and in embracing new opportunities. Impact 2030’s objectives include the promotion and support of excellence in research and innovation across all disciplines, and at all career stages of research activity. It also seeks to promote and support the contribution of such research and innovation to Ireland’s economic, social, cultural and environmental development and sustainability, as well as strengthen the engagement between the research and innovation system and enterprise, Government and public bodies, the voluntary sector and society. The strategy highlights the importance of growing Ireland’s international offering and reputation in the field of research and innovation excellence and the importance of advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion in research and innovation.
Subject to its passage through the Oireachtas, the legislation to establish the new Research and Innovation agency, Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland will be a key enabler for realising these objectives, and the agency will support researchers at all career stages and in all disciplines in competing for national and international funding calls. Funding for Arts, Humanities and the Social Sciences will be placed on a statutory footing for the first time. The capacity for all disciplines to have greater opportunity and streamlined access within a more cohesive national system, as well as maintaining the excellent track record of both agencies in terms of funding basic and frontier research, will be core principles of the new agency.
The mutual interdependencies of basic or frontier research and applied research are well understood. The basic and frontier research of now is the pipeline for applied research over the next ten to twenty years. We as a country have an excellent international reputation for basic and frontier research, and preserving and developing on this is a priority for both my Department and the new agency.
701. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the SUSI grant will be rolled out for part-time courses from September 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17562/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am pleased to inform the Deputy that a pilot part time grant scheme will be introduced from September 2024.
It will provide fee support to eligible part-time students attending specified publicly funded undergraduate courses leading to a major award.
702. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of the closure of a college (details supplied) and the impact it is having on students and their families; and if he will engage with students on the Bachelor of Education in Montessori (early years) Education course to find alternative options to complete their degrees. [17581/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has been made aware that the college referred to by the Deputy will close and cease to deliver degree level programmes accredited by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) with effect from September 2024.
In preparation for the forthcoming closure the college has engaged with QQI’s statutory Protection of Enrolled Learners (PEL) process. The PEL process ensures that learners can complete their programme with another QQI accredited provider if it is no longer offered by their existing provider.
QQI has informed my Department that all impacted learners, including those on the Bachelor of Education in Montessori Education programme, wishing to continue their studies will be facilitated to transfer into similar degree programmes offered by alternative providers leading to awards at the same level of the National Framework of Qualifications from September 2024. The alternative providers will provide all necessary supports to the learners as they make the transfer.
The college held a meeting on Tuesday 9 April 2024 to communicate further information about these transfer arrangements to the learners.
703. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the grants or scholarships available to Irish students studying for masters degrees in UK institutions. [17591/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.
The 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. Details of eligibility for the Student Grant Scheme can be found at: www.susi.ie
Funding under the Free Fees Initiative is only available in respect of approved courses within the State. The Student Grant Scheme does not and never has, extended to the payment of tuition fees to institutions outside the State, other than the exceptional provision in respect of postgraduate courses in four publicly funded approved institutions in Northern Ireland:
Queen’s University, Belfast,
University of Ulster,
St. Mary’s College of Education, Belfast and
Stranmillis College, Belfast.
This provision is consistent with the principles of the Good Friday agreement and is intended to promote greater tolerance and understanding between both jurisdictions.
Students seeking to pursue their studies in the UK are advised to contact the Student Finance agency in each of the Devolved Administrations in the UK, as each jurisdiction may have variations in eligibility criteria. Students may also wish to contact the relevant Further or Higher Education Institution in the UK for advice on the type and range of supports that may be available in any specific college.
The HEA-led website, www.studentfinance.ie, has details of student supports including details of various bursaries and scholarships.
704. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if, following the success of his pilot scheme of free period products in further education/training centres, his Department has engaged with the Minister for Health on the rollout of free period products in universities and the wider third level sector. [17628/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe provision of period products in publicly funded educational settings is a Programme for Government commitment.
My Department has been involved in a number of initiatives to ensure that no students are disadvantaged in their education by period indignity. These include the following:
- worked collaboratively with the Department of Health and the OGP on the development of a drawdown contract for the provision of period products in education establishments and other public institutions;
- in conjunction with the ETBs, development of a pilot called ‘Worryfree’ which was rolled out to nine further education and training colleges across six Education and Training Boards (ETBs). The pilot delivered free, sustainable period products and dispensers for students in participating ETBs;
- active participation on the Period Poverty Implementation Group chaired by the Department of Health
As the Deputy may be aware, Higher Education Institutions have also been working to ensure free period products are available on campus, such as ‘Code Red’ in MTU, ‘Any time of the month’ in University Limerick (UL), Brigit’s Basket in the National College of Ireland (NCI). The End Period Poverty campaign in UCD. DCU & Mary Immaculate College (MIC) also have similar initiatives currently running. DCU have also devised a postal service for students who are unable to access the products on campus.
I expect to be making an announcement on this matter shortly.
705. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to list the members of the Steering Group, Implementation Forum and Advisory Forum of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy; and whether minutes of the meeting of each body are published online. [17636/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraDelivery of Impact 2030 is a collective effort by a range of Government Departments and their Agencies, each of which is responsible for advancing the R&I agenda in the sectors under their remits. The strategy is driven by DFHERIS by bringing together research funding and performing Departments and Agencies to ensure a cohesive, Whole-of-Government approach is achieved.
As part of this approach, the Department is currently overseeing two new oversight and governance structures – the Impact 2030 Steering Group and the Implementation Forum; with the third, to be known as the R&I Policy Advisory Forum (RIPAF), currently being formed. The RIPAF will be comprised of national and international experts and key representative organisations who will engage on system-level strategic issues.
The Impact 2030 Steering Group is made up of representatives from the five largest R&I funding Departments – DFHERIS; the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE); the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM); the Department of Health (D/Health); and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) (which account for 95% of public funding for R&I) in addition to the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEIDY). Its current members are:
Deirdre Lillis and David Keating, DFHERIS; John Newham, DETE; Bill Callanan, DAFM; Muiris O'Connor, D/Health; Brian Carroll, DECC; John Shaw and Nigel Clarke, D/Taoiseach; and Laura McGarrigle, DCEIDY.
The Impact 2030 Implementation Forum is made up from all 18 Government Departments and 15 Agencies that fund and/or perform R&I. This forum engages with and supports the work of the Steering Group and together they maximise the collective return on public investment in R&I. Its current members are:
Deirdre Lillis, Trudy Duffy and David Keating, DFHERIS; Paul Cotter, D/Finance; Muiris O'Connor, D/Health; John O'Neill, D/Health; Mairead O' Driscoll, HRB; Ana Terres, HSE; Alice Wainwright, D/Justice; John Shaw, D/Taoiseach; Keith Walsh, D/Transport; Bill Callanan, DAFM; Niall McDonough, Marine Institute; Raymond Kelly, Teagasc; Laura McGarrigle, DCEIDY; Aideen Hartney, National Disability Authority; Marian Brattman, Tusla; Brian Carroll, DECC; Eimear Cotter, EPA; Koen Verbruggen, GSI; Margie McCarthy, SEAI; John Newham, DETE; Marina Donohoe and Imelda Lambkin, Enterprise Ireland; Kevin Flynn, IDA; Karl Gardner, DFA; Catriona Ryan and Louise Callinan, HEA; Peter Brown, IRC; Ciarán Seoighe, SFI; Josephine Prendergast, DHLGH; Marianne Cassidy, DPER; Charlie O’Regan, ESRI; Kenneth Jordan, DRCD; Niall Egan, DSP; and Joe Healy, DTCAGSM.
An official from DFHERIS also attends these meetings and acts as Secretariat to both groups. While minutes are taken at every meeting of the Steering Group and Implementation Forum, these are currently only circulated to members for information and theme/action development purposes and are not currently published online. However, yearly Progress Reports on the Impact 2030 Strategy (which these groups help to implement) are published on gov.ie.
706. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the plans or actions he has taken to attain membership of the European Infrastructure for Translational Medicine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17664/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recognise the significant benefits of access to and engagement with world class shared infrastructure and facilities, for our national research and innovation system and I support transnational collaborative research.
As part of its whole of government strategic approach to drive research and innovation (Impact 2030), my Department directly manages some of Ireland's EU and other international research partnerships.
However, it is the Government’s position that in relation to membership of European Research Infrastructure Consortium’s (ERICs) – such as EATRIS, that there is a ‘bottom-up’ approach. This means that membership considerations are managed by the Department working in the relevant policy area, as they are best placed to make a determination on whether a Government decision favouring membership should be sought. It is at the discretion of the relevant Department to decide on and resource participation in ERICs and to secure membership.
Irish stakeholders are already involved in a number of European research infrastructure initiatives, and it is up to those stakeholders to engage with the relevant Department or Agency to determine whether it is appropriate to join an ERIC.
For example, Ireland's membership of the research organisation, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, is managed by Met Éireann under the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Ireland's Euro-ARGO ERIC membership is managed by the Marine Institute, which is an agency of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Ireland’s membership of ECRIN (the European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network) is managed by the Health Research Board which is an agency of the Department of Health.
My officials are of the view that in the first instance, Ireland’s translational research community should engage with the Department of Health, who would be best equipped to assess the benefits and opportunities of EATRIS membership and whether it would complement the ambitions of (and investments into) the many research-active clinicians working in the healthcare system. EATRIS membership could complement and add value and further impetus to Ireland’s existing membership of ECRIN, the 1MG+ initiative, the EU Cancer Mission and the EU Partnerships in Rare Diseases, Personalised Medicine and in Pandemic Preparedness; and to the overall goals set out in Sláintecare, where research and innovation is identified as a critical enabler of the transformation envisaged under the programme.
707. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science what options are available to an Irish student (details supplied) whose studies were impacted by Covid lockdowns; what avenues are available to her to complete her course; if the Department will intervene on her behalf to allow her to continue her studies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17673/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, Higher Education Institutions and Professional Accreditation Bodies are autonomous organisations in relation to their administrative and academic affairs. This includes programme governance and award of professional accreditation to practice .
Additionally, mindful that this professional accreditation body is located in the UK, it would not be appropriate for me, or my Department to intervene in this case.
I note that there is a Student Liaison Officer in the professional accreditation body in question and I would recommend that this matter be pursued with that official.
