Written Answers Nos. 342-351
342. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of courses that have been cancelled by Solas in 2024 to date that were offered in 2023; how many in total were offered in 2023 and 2024 respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42130/24]
View answerMy officials are making enquiries on your behalf and a response will issue shortly to the Deputy.
343. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how many adult education tutors were employed in 2023 and 2024 respectively; the amount spent on teaching hours in ETBs in 2023 and 2024; if there has been a reduction in the number of funded hours for adult education and a reduction in the number of courses offered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42131/24]
View answerMy Department does not hold this level of information requested by the Deputy. Further, my Department does not collect data on the numbers of tutors in the public sector returns for staffing numbers as these are hourly paid positions which are not pensionable. However, from work over recent years to prepare for the creation of a new Adult Educator grade and pay scale, my officials identified that there are approximately 2,800 tutors employed by the 16 ETBs. Going forward, the new Adult Educator grade will be included in the public sector returns.
As the Deputy may be aware, my Department has significantly increased its investment in the Further Education and Training sector, from circa €909 million in 2020 to €1,055 million in 2024. SOLAS allocates most of this funding to the 16 ETBs to deliver FET programmes. As independent statutory bodies, the allocation and management of this funding to different FET programmes within each ETB, and the timetabling of courses and tutor hours, is a matter for the ETB in light of needs for provision and available budgets. In my role as Minister, I have no function in relation to these important operational matters.
The reprioritisation of significant funding within the overall FET allocation this year to increase apprenticeship training capacity has created pressure to the sector with some ETBs deferring and rescheduling courses in light of their overall budgetary position.
344. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if there has been reduction in funding from Solas to ETBs; if less funding from the NTF is being provided to fund courses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42132/24]
View answerMy Department has significantly increased its investment in further education and training (FET) in recent years, from about €909 million in 2020 to more than €1.055 billion in 2024, excluding capital expenditure. The 2024 allocation to SOLAS comprises €524.19m from the Exchequer (including approx. €19 million of temporary funding) and €531.27 million from the National Training Fund (including approx. €11 million of temporary funding).
The Deputy might be interested to note that the 2023 allocation to SOLAS was €1.022 billion (excluding capital expenditure) of which approx. €507 million was allocated from the Fund. Of this allocation, circa €37 million was temporary funding for apprenticeship. In Budget 2024, my Department secured the conversion of approx. €30 million of this temporary funding into the base for apprenticeships. As the Deputy will appreciate, there has been no reduction in the allocation to SOLAS from the National Training Fund.
I am aware that the Education and Training Boards have been responding to funding pressures in 2024 largely arising from the need to prioritise capacity in craft apprenticeship as well as reflecting the demand-led nature of FET provision. In doing so the objective has been to minimise disruption to learners as much as that is possible.
345. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide the salary of the newly appointed Government science adviser; the number of candidates considered for the post; how a final determination was made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42151/24]
View answerThe new Government Science Adviser is Professor Aoife McLysaght. Professor McLysaght is seconded from Trinity College Dublin where she is on the ‘Professor Of’ Scale at Point 5 – 172,016. The role in DFHERIS is 3 days a week so the salary will be prorated on this basis. The remuneration is in line with the Assistant Secretary - Personal Pension Contribution (PPC) scale of 163,209 to 186,701.
The role was appointed further to an open competition run by Public Jobs on behalf of DFHERIS. The key responsibilities, person specification and selection process are included in the booklet attached (pages 3-9).
346. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason certain courses have been omitted from the €1,000 fee reduction, as detailed in Budget 2025 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42161/24]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that Budget 2025 contains a package of measures to support households with the cost of education. These measures include a €1,000 reduction in the student contribution fee for higher education students that are eligible for the Free Fees Initiative (FFI).
To avail of this measure students must be eligible for free fees and attending a free fees approved course. Independent institutions operating in the private sector, like the one to which the Deputy refers, can establish courses which operate outside of the Free Fees Initiative. Where such a course is established, the tuition fee payable is entirely a matter for the college as an autonomous institution. The Budget 2025 measure to reduce the student contribution by €1,000 does not apply to such courses. However, it is open to the institution in question, as a private autonomous institute, to apply a similar fee reduction, if it so chooses.
Students experiencing exceptional financial need may be eligible to apply for supports under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) which has been supplemented by a further €10m under the Government’s cost of education supports in Budget 2025. Students experiencing exceptional financial difficulty can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund, including students attending the institution to which the Deputy refers. This Fund assists students in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances.
347. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will clarify plans to shorten the timeframe for apprenticeship programmes (details supplied). [42212/24]
View answerCraft apprenticeship takes 4 years to complete. My Department is initiating an review of the optimum craft apprenticeship training timelines within those 4 years.
Consortia-led apprenticeships take between 2-4 years to complete, depending on the programme.
My Department continues to oversee the implementation of the plan put in place by the National Apprenticeship Office in November 2023 to significantly increase apprenticeship capacity and reduce waiting times for training, responding to rising craft apprenticeship demand as a result of our buoyant economy.
In Budget 2024, €67 million was allocated to apprenticeship, on top of which my Department reprioritised a further €30 million on a temporary basis in order to address the apprenticeship backlog. This investment enabled the recruitment of 87 apprentice instructor staff, with 3 more offers in progress, and supported the significant expansion of apprenticeship provision in training facilities.
In 2024, SOLAS mandated the ETBs to deliver three intakes of apprenticeship delivery per workshop.
As a direct result of these actions, there has been a 34% increase in craft training capacity in ETBs so far in 2024, increasing from 5,600 places in December 2023 to over 7,500 currently.
I am pleased to say that the number of craft apprentices waiting 6 months or longer for phase 2 off-the-job training has more than halved since the implementation of the NAO plan - falling from 5,319 in October 2023 to 2,444 in September 2024.
In Budget 2025, I announced €77.4 million funding for apprenticeship, the single largest core investment into the apprenticeship system since the formation of my Department, demonstrating my priority to deliver enough training places for industry skills needs today and tomorrow and support this Government's targets in housing and retrofit.
348. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated full-year cost to the Exchequer of increasing the training grant per apprentice for employers to €5,000, €7,000 and €10,000. [42240/24]
View answerThe Apprenticeship Employer Grant provides financial support from the State to apprenticeship employers who employ apprentices on one of the 52 consortia-led apprenticeships which have been established since 2016. The grant is funded through the National Training Fund and came into effect on the 1st of January, 2022.
Apprenticeship employers are eligible to receive a €2,000 grant annually for each registered apprentice. The grant is paid in arrears in two payments annually, with €1,000 payable in May-June and a further €1,000 in November-December.
In the last full year, 2023, just over 3,000 apprentices positions were eligible for the €2,000 grant and a total €5.4 million was paid out to employers. Based on these figures the table sets out the projected costs at the different rates set out in the question.
|
Grant Value |
Cost |
|
€5,000 |
€15.8 million |
|
€7,000 |
€22.1 million |
|
€10,000 |
€31.6 million |
However, it should be noted that these figures are based on all eligible apprentices, but not all claims received resulted in a payment as some may have been rejected for a number of reasons, e.g. lack of a tax clearance. In addition, not all eligible employers would have submitted a claim.
This Government is committed to growing apprenticeship and my Department secured a significant investment of €77.4m into the apprenticeship system in Budget 2025. Of this, €5.9 million has been specifically allocated to the Consortia-led apprenticeships.
It remains a priority for my Department to maintain this momentum, to continue growing the apprenticeship system, and ensure that there are enough training places for current and future skills needs.
349. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide details of all social enterprise organisations or bodies funded by his Department in each year from 2021 to date in 2024; the amount allocated in funding to each during this time period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42273/24]
View answerThe attached excel file contains the details of all social enterprise organisations that have been funded by my Department in each year from 2021 to date in 2024.
350. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to advise when successful applicants will be informed under the community centres investment fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42233/24]
View answerUnder the 2022 Community Centre Investment Fund, over €45.8 million was committed for improvement and refurbishment works on over 860 existing community centres across Ireland. In April, I approved funding of €30 million for the construction of 12 new community centres across nine counties.
In June this year, I was delighted to announce a further round of funding to support community groups to upgrade and refurbish the community facilities in their areas. The Community Centre Investment Fund 2024 will provide funding of between €10,000 and €100,000 towards capital costs for the refurbishment of existing community centres.
The scheme closed for applications on Thursday 5th September. I understand that some 1,060 applications were received under CCIF 2024. All applications are now currently under assessment. I expect to begin announcing the successful applicants in the coming months.
351. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide details of all social enterprise organisations or bodies funded by his Department in each year from 2021 to date in 2024; the amount allocated in funding to each during this time period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42278/24]
View answerIn July of this year I launched Ireland’s National Social Enterprise Policy, Trading for Impact 2024-2027. This new policy, which builds on the first national social enterprise policy, is designed to cultivate a strong and impactful social enterprise sector in Ireland that enriches the social, environmental, and economic well-being of our communities.
My Department operates a range of funding supports that are open to all community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises and non-profits, however, the Social Enterprise Measure of the Dormant Accounts Fund and the Community Services Programme (CSP) are the two schemes which are tailored to support organisation who utilise the social enterprise model.
The Social Enterprise Measure of the Dormant Accounts Fund aims to provide direct supports for capacity building, particularly in relation to enterprise development. Programmes delivered under this measure assist in the creation of sustainable jobs with a particular focus on social enterprises supporting travellers, migrants, ex-offenders and other marginalised groups, improving the quality and delivery of services for disadvantaged communities, and increasing the capacity of social enterprises to generate funded income.
The CSP supports community based organisations to provide local social, economic and environment services through a social enterprise model. Furthermore, it aims to provide employment opportunities and improve the employability of individuals most distant from the labour market or in disadvantaged areas. Over 400 organisations are supported, with a recent expansion in the number of organisations supported announced in June of this year.
Details of the grantees supported by the schemes under my Department are published on my Departments website gov.ie/drcd.
The attached document provides a breakdown of the funding provided under the Social Enterprise Measure of the Dormant Accounts Fund and the CSP over the period requested. It should be noted that applications for funding under the 2024 Social Enterprise Measure of the Dormant Accounts Fund only recently closed and successful grantees will be announced in due course.
