Written Answers Nos. 935-950
939. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated full-year cost of ensuring that the maintenance grants for both undergraduate and postgraduate students are doubled, and that the adjacent rate is reduced to 24km; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24080/23]
View answerIn advance of Budget 2024 this autumn, and as I did last year, I will be publishing an options paper which will set out various possible 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 on increasing maintenance grants, when making proposals in the context of budget discussions.
940. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the first- and full-year cost of reducing the student contribution charge (academic year 2023/24 rate) by €500, €750 and €1,000, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24149/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the cost of living response in Budget 2023 included, for the 2022/23 academic year, a once off reduction of €1,000 in the student contribution payable by free fees eligible undergraduate students.
Separately 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.
The student contribution replaced the student registration fees levied by higher education institutions and, while the student contribution stands at €3,000 for academic year 2023/24, it is important to recognise that some free fees students will be eligible to have the student contribution paid in full (€3,000) or part (€1,500 or €500) through the aforementioned student grant scheme.
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. This will include estimated costs of options to reduce the student contribution. This is being worked on by officials in my Department and I will be pleased to provide the detailed estimates to the Deputy once available.
941. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the first- and full-year cost of increasing the SUSI maintenance grant by 15%, 25% and 35%, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24150/23]
View answerIn advance of Budget 2024 this autumn, and as I did last year, I will be publishing an options paper which will set out various possible 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 on increasing maintenance grants, when making proposals in the context of budget discussions.
942. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the first- and full-year of extending SUSI to cover part-time students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24151/23]
View answerIn advance of Budget 2024 this autumn, and as I did last year, I will be publishing an options paper which will set out various possible 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 on increasing maintenance grants, when making proposals in the context of budget discussions.
943. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the first- and full-year cost of extending the free fees initiative to graduate entry medicine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24153/23]
View answerGraduate Entry Medicine (GEM) is one of the pathways to study undergraduate medicine. Graduate entry courses require applicants to hold a level 8 qualification prior to entry and completion of a graduate entry medicine degree confers a further level 8 qualification.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Free Fees Initiative (FFI) provides tuition fee funding for eligible first time undergraduate students and therefore students pursuing second level 8 degree courses, including graduate entry programmes, are not eligible for the FFI. My Department currently has no plans to amend the scheme criteriato provide for the undertaking of second undergraduate courses.
In terms of GEM tuition fees, the total level of fees charged to graduate entry medicine students is a matter for the higher education institutions, consistent with the principle of their institutional autonomy. Development of a scheme to provide for GEM tuition fees would require a specific engagement with providers to agree terms and conditions, including funding arrangements and student numbers. In this regard it is not possible to estimate potential costs associated with introducing a specific scheme to provide for free tuition fees for all GEM students.
However, the Deputy may wish to be aware that the State already provides support for broadening access to GEM programmes through the part-subsidy of places for EU students, with the fees payable by the student determined by the higher education institution, taking the availability of this subsidy into account.
My Department has been working to address the cost of provision of GEM by increasing the subsidy paid to higher education institutions. It has been agreed that the State contribution towards GEM places will gradually be increased over a multi-annual period from a rate of €11,950 per student in the 2021/22 academic year to a new rate of €14,500. The fees payable by the student will continued to be determined by the institution attended.
944. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if there has been any change in a figure (details supplied); if so, the current funding gap; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24155/23]
View answerOn May 4th 2022, the Government published Funding the Future, as part of the policy response to the independent report “Increasing the Sustainability of Higher and Further Education in Ireland”, a comprehensive economic evaluation of the various funding options presented in the Cassells Expert Group Report (2016).
Funding the Future identifies that a mixed model be adopted as the sustainable funding model for higher education. This comprises a mix of Exchequer investment, employer contributions through the National Training Fund and student contributions. It identified a figure of €307 million, agreed between DFHERIS and DPENDPR, as representing the quantum of increase in core funding required to deliver enhanced performance, strategic reforms and strengthened quality of outcomes.
As an initial step, Budget 2023 delivered €40m additional funding, aligned to Funding the Future. It is intended 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. It should be noted that the figure of €307 million was calculated relative to a particular point in time and does not include funding required for future requirements such as future pay agreements or demographics-related expansion.
Work is ongoing through the Funding the Future implementation structures to identify and measure the reform impact of increased core investment against the background of an evolving higher education system.
945. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the first- and full-year cost of increasing the reckonable income threshold for SUSI by €5,000 under several categories, in tabular form (details supplied). [24164/23]
View answerIn advance of Budget 2024 this autumn, and as I did last year, I will be publishing an options paper which will set out various possible 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 on increasing maintenance grants, when making proposals in the context of budget discussions.
946. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department and public bodies/agencies that operate under his remit have policies in place to install artificial structures that provide shelter and habitat space for wild species, such as, but not limited to, insect hotels, bat boxes, nesting towers and beehives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24263/23]
View answerMy Department has committed to implementing green public procurement (GPP) policies to all appropriate tenders including landscaping tenders. While artificial habitat structures are a versatile conservation tool that when well designed and implemented, have the potential to facilitate wildlife, I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has not installed to date any artificial structures that provide shelter and habitat for wild species.
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 them directly with this query.
947. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost of increasing the student maintenance grant by €1,000 for full-time students at third level. [24279/23]
View answer948. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost of increasing the non-adjacent maintenance grant by €1,000 to €4,225 for full-time students at undergraduate and postgraduate level. [24280/23]
View answer950. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost of increasing the adjacent maintenance grant by €1,000 to €2,415 for full-time students at undergraduate and postgraduate level. [24282/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 947, 948 and 950 together.
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 possible 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 on increasing maintenance grants, when making proposals in the context of budget discussions.
949. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost of extending a non-adjacent maintenance grant by €1,000 to €4,225 to part-time students at undergraduate and postgraduate level. [24281/23]
View answer951. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated cost of extending an adjacent maintenance grant by €1,000 to €2,415 to part-time students at undergraduate and postgraduate level. [24283/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 949 and 951 together.
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 possible 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 on increasing maintenance grants, when making proposals in the context of budget discussions.
