Written Answers Nos. 1824-1838
1824. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of Departmental staff currently on sick or stress leave; and the number who took stress or sick leave in each of the past five years and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [17780/23]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of staff who took sick leave is in the following table. Due to the relatively low number of employees working in my Department and the consequential risk of identification the number of staff who identified stress as the reason for their absence has not been included in the interest of the protection of employee well-being. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science was established in August 2020. During the period from August 2020 to December 2020 administrative arrangements for the Department’s staff were managed by the Department of Education.
|
Period |
Total number of staff who took at least one day of sick leave |
|
2021 |
61 |
|
2022 |
86 |
|
1/1/2023 – 31/3/2023 |
42 |
1825. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of allegations of bullying made by departmental staff against departmental staff in each of the past five years, and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will detail what actions are being taken by his Department to investigate the allegations, or if they are being investigated. [17798/23]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that in the event that a member of staff in my Department is concerned about bullying at their place of work they are advised of the anti-bullying, harassment and sexual harassment policy for the Irish Civil Service, entitled "Dignity at Work", which is published by the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform.
Since the establishment of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in August 2020 to date, my Department has not received any formal bullying allegations which required investigation under the said policy.
1826. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of Departmental staff dismissed in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [17816/23]
View answerSince the establishment of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in August 2020 to date, no officials at my Department have been dismissed from duty.
1827. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps he is taking to increase the percentage rates of pay for apprentices to ensure that they begin on minimum wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17960/23]
View answerApprentices are primarily employees and all of the 66 available apprenticeships are undertaken under a contract of employment. For the majority of apprenticeships, the rate of pay is agreed between the apprentice and the employer with the employer paying the apprentice during both on-the-job and off-the-job training elements of the apprenticeship.
For the 25 craft apprenticeship programmes, the minimum rates of pay applying under the employment contract are either agreed within the relevant sector, or are set out in legally binding Sectoral Employment Orders recommended by the Labour Court.
Whilst any review of the rates payable is a matter for negotiation and agreement under the appropriate industrial relations structures in place, I am aware that some issues have been raised in relation to the pay of some apprentices. In that regard, I am engaging with partners to hear their views, including those of worker representative and employers.
1828. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the amount of EU funding received for capital works projects in universities in 2022 and to-date in 2023; and the amount of funding received per works project, in tabular form. [18038/23]
View answerCapital exchequer funding for approved capital works projects comes from various sources, however there is no specific EU funding received for capital works in universities.
1829. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the supports and advance guidance he provides to higher level institutions and 3rd level institutions regarding gambling addiction [18050/23]
View answerMy Department has allocated €5 million to the Higher Education Authority for mental health and well-being services this year in Higher Education Institutes.
As autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of mental health and well-being funding, including the funding of student services, such as support for people dealing with gambling addiction, is a matter for each Institute so the information would not generally be available. I can inform you however, that two HEIs have reported that they are providing support services to students on gambling awareness using some of the funds provided.
1830. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science what funding options are available for a person (details supplied) in County Clare who has been accepted to study a Masters in Physician Associate Support at the University of Sheffield; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18123/23]
View answerUnder the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to 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.
SUSI grant funding is available for approved undergraduate courses in approved higher education institutions within the EU. No maintenance funding is available for postgraduate courses outside of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
I note that the student the Deputy refers to is studying a postgraduate course in the UK.
The HEA led website www.studentfinance.ie has details of student supports including details of various bursaries and scholarships.
In addition, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from a student’s local Tax Office or from the Revenue Commissioners website, www.revenue.ie.
1831. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide an update on his Departments efforts to resolve pension issues across the university sector (details supplied). [18145/23]
View answerI am firmly of the view that there should be access to public service pensions for research staff in all higher education institutions across the sector.
A business case has been prepared to support access to the single public service pension scheme for those researchers who are not currently able to join the scheme.
This business case has been submitted to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan and Reform and is currently under review. This is an iterative process and, as such, it is not possible to provide a definitive timeline for the completion of this exercise, but officials continue to work to bring a resolution to this matter as soon as it is possible to do so.
1832. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of education and training institutes providing QQI level 5 healthcare assistant; and the cost of these courses respectively in each of the years since 2020, by provider, in tabular form. [18227/23]
View answerThe below table sets out the number of providers offering awards at Level 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) in Healthcare Support and in Health Service Skills alongside the number of learners who obtained these award in the years 2020, 2021 and 2022.
|
Year |
No. of Providers |
Learners |
|
2020 |
40 |
2,389 |
|
2021 |
41 |
2,785 |
|
2022 |
41 |
2,838 |
Neither the Department nor QQI hold data on the costs associated with these programmes. All fees and charges associated with such programmes would be determined and set by the programme providers.
Further information on programmes included in the NFQ and who provides them can be found on the Irish Register of Qualifications (irq.ie/). Statistical data on QQI awards is available on the agency’s online infographics portal (infographics.qqi.ie/).
1833. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost of increasing the lower income threshold for the full SUSI grant from €24,500 to €31,000. [18260/23]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is not readily available. We are working on compiling a response and are discussing with SUSI and we will revert to the Deputy in due course.
1834. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will retain the current fees for third level education in Budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18301/23]
View answer1835. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will cap fees for third level education in Budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18302/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1834 and 1835 together.
As part of the cost of living response in Budget 2023, I prioritised the introduction of a significant package of measures to directly support students and their families. These measures included, for the 2022/23 academic year, a once off reduction of €1,000 in the student contribution.
I have been clear that I want to see the student's contribution towards tuition fees in higher education reduce in a meaningful way over the course of future budgets. In this regard, I was pleased to secure Government agreement to the introduction of a permanent new rate of student contribution support through SUSI from September 2023. For students whose families have incomes between €62,000 and €100,000, there will be a new grant of €500 towards the undergraduate student contribution payable by free fees eligible undergraduate students.
I am also increasing the income limit for students to avail of the 50% student contribution grant. These measures mean that 42,500 to 50,000 extra students may be eligible for additional help towards paying the undergraduate student contribution once these measures come into effect.
In advance of Budget 2024 this autumn, and as I did last year, I will be publishing an options paper which will set out various measures to address the cost of education. I am doing this in order to facilitate public discussion on the various choices available to amend student supports. I will have regard to these options, including any options in respect of reducing tuition fee or tuition fee contribution costs, when making proposals regarding student supports in the context of Budget discussions later in the year.
1836. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding streams currently open to applications that provide financial assistance to projects seeking to build capacity and know-how within communities to develop low-carbon communities and engage in climate action; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16345/23]
View answerAs outlined in Our Rural Future, the LEADER programme will play a key role over the lifetime of the policy in enhancing the participation of local communities in shaping their future and building leadership and resilience. A feature of the LEADER programme is that it is based on a community-led, bottom-up approach to rural development. The current programme will close at the end of August this year in so far as new project approvals are concerned.
In October last, I was happy to announce the process to select new local action groups (LAGs) to deliver the next LEADER Programme. Eligible groups are in the process of designing a local development strategy through active consultation with local communities in their area. The strategies selected must also demonstrate alignment with national and EU policies such as the European Green Deal and Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2023.
Funding under the 2023-2027 LEADER programme will be available under a broad range of defined themes and sub-themes, which include enterprise development and job creation, rural infrastructure and social inclusion, sustainable development of the rural environment and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The climate change capacity sub-theme will focus on providing supports that encourages greater awareness and engagement around climate change and foster the development of a greater range of local responses to climate change. However, individual project approvals will be a matter for each of the new local action groups.
My Department anticipates that the new programme will be open to applicants in Q3 of this year, following the conclusion of the LAG selection process. Interested applicants should, at that juncture, contact their LAG to discuss the eligibility of their project.
Under the Community Centre Investment Fund, my Department has also provided funding of €45 million for community centre works which includes upgrading to heating systems, energy retrofitting and the installation of new windows and doors all of which contribute to low-carbon communities and engage communities in climate action.
1837. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the progress made to date with the mountain access scheme, first commenced 15 years ago; if farmers who participate are indemnified against a claim by hill walkers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16391/23]
View answerEmbracing Ireland’s Outdoors, the new National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027, which was launched last November, was developed in collaboration with Comhairle na Tuaithe and is a collaborative cross-Government, stakeholder-led strategy. It reflects the views of stakeholders, the public and the whole of Government and it sets the stage to strengthen and support the sustainable development of the outdoor recreation sector in Ireland for years to come.
Embracing Ireland's Outdoors has committed to enhancing access to outdoor recreation amenities, including the expansion of the Mountain Access Project to other uplands areas. My Department and Comhairle na Tuaithe are currently developing guidance for the Mountain Access Project to aid other local groups in the management of key upland areas using good practice models. These guidelines are to be finalised later this year. Following this, it is proposed to commence the expansion of the Mountain Access Project at the end of 2023. A further commitment under Embracing Ireland's Outdoors will see the piloting of an Upland Recreation Scheme, similar in nature to the Walks Scheme, which will be rolled out through the Mountain Access Project in 2024.
My Department has, for some time, been examining how best to introduce a scheme to indemnify private land owners in upland areas who allow access to their lands for recreational purposes. This is a complex issue and my Department has been advised that an indemnity scheme such as has been proposed would require legislative provision and that a number of separate pieces of legislation might need to be amended.
In light of the complexities involved, my officials have been considering alternative pilot approaches, including an insurance solution, to address the matter on an interim basis. Through this process, a public liability insurance policy was secured by my Department for the two existing Mountain Access Project areas, the MacGillycuddy Reeks in Kerry and Binn Sléibhe in Galway, and this came in to effect in 2021.
This pilot solution was developed in consultation with Comhairle na Tuaithe and is being implemented on a two year trial basis. The policy represents a substantial step forward on this matter for landowners in the Mountain Access Project areas involved.
In addition, the issue of indemnity is also being addressed through proposed changes to the Occupiers' Liability Act which are currently being progressed through the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022. My Department is also engaging further with the Attorney General on this matter.
1838. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will explain the decision not to provide the community recognition grant to a school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16497/23]
View answerMy Department launched the €50 million Community Recognition Fund (CRF) earlier this year. This fund is specifically targeted at projects that are located in communities, towns and villages that are hosting the Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection and/or International Protection Applicants.
The focus of the Community Recognition Fund is to develop local facilities to be open, used and enjoyed by all members of the community. It is separate to other public funding streams supporting the increased demand on public services arising from significant numbers fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
The Community Recognition Fund was administered locally by the relevant local authority. A funding proposal, comprising projects selected and prioritised locally, has been submitted to my Department by each local authority for final approval.
In most authorities, the level of funding sought far exceeded the available budget and each local authority sought to prioritise projects based on identified priorities and gaps in local infrastructure.
Proposals were required to be developed locally following direct engagement with impacted communities and consultation with the Municipal Districts, Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) and the local Community Response Fora. Proposals were also required to be consistent with Local Economic and Community Plans (LECPs).
The decision regarding the project referred to by the Deputy was made at local authority level taking into account local consultation as to prioritisation of projects. Accordingly, I have requested Clare County Council to provide feedback to the school in question.
Separately, I opened the CLÁR 2023 Programme on the 29th March. Under the programme, a specific measure supports the development of a wide selection of community infrastructure and amenities. Projects on school grounds may be eligible if they are open to use by all of the community after school hours. Further details on the Programme are available on my Department’s website.
