Written Answers Nos. 958-980
958. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update on efforts as part of the Global Ireland framework to streamline the recognition of overseas and non-EU qualifications in Ireland, particularly on-the-job qualifications.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32226/25]
View answerIreland has longstanding and well-developed systems for the recognition of qualifications. These systems fall into two broad categories, professional and academic recognition, that can support persons pursuing employment opportunities, seeking to practise their professions of choice, or looking to avail of new educational opportunities.
Professional Recognition.
Where a profession is unregulated, there is no formal barrier to practicing that profession in Ireland and specific awards or licences are not required to undertake this profession in most settings.
However, where a profession is regulated, such as the profession of dentist or teacher, an individual wishing to continue to practice their profession in Ireland must engage with the relevant Irish Competent Authority or professional regulator in order to seek the recognition of their qualifications. In these cases, the Competent Authority assesses foreign qualifications against the established Irish regulatory standard to ensure the holder has the specialised skills and competencies that are required to practice that profession in Ireland. A list of regulated professions in Ireland, their corresponding competent authority and the relevant contact information for each authority can be found here: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-further-and-higher-education-research-innovation-and-science/publications/recognition-of-professional-qualifications/.
My Department serves as the national coordinator and national assistance centre for Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications. This Directive, which has been transposed into Irish law by S.I. No. 8 of 2017, provides the main legal framework to facilitate the mutual recognition of professional qualifications between EU/EEA Member States. In my Department’s coordination role, it works with the European Commission, other Member States and Irish regulatory bodies to support the operation of the Directive and to assist citizens seeking the recognition of their qualifications.
The professional recognition of Third Country qualifications is the responsibility of the relevant Competent Authority in line with their own statutory powers and remits. My Department does not have a direct role in the performance of this function. However, these authorities benefit from Ireland’s wider engagement in European and International initiatives on education and qualifications cooperation.
Academic Qualifications.
Ireland operates a distributed system for the recognition of academic qualifications whereby recognition decisions are made by relevant entities such as employers in respect of the qualifications required for employment purposes, and education and training providers for the purposes of admission to study. This activity is supported by NARIC (National Academic Recognition Information Centre) Ireland, hosted by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
NARIC Ireland provides advice, free of charge, on the recognition of foreign academic qualifications in Ireland. Via its online portal, it provides, where possible, comparability statements for foreign qualifications which places them in the Irish context of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). The NARIC Ireland database currently holds comparability statements for 1,928 qualifications from over 175 countries.
NARIC Ireland was established when Ireland became a signatory to the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC), a qualification recognition convention under the ambit of UNESCO and the Council of Europe. This Convention has established and continues to develop international networks which facilitate qualification recognition via information exchange and cooperation.
In addition to the LRC, Ireland is an active member of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and sees the EHEA’s Bologna Process and its links with global partners as a means to foster greater international cooperation, building wider understanding of qualification and quality assurance systems, and therefore facilitating qualification recognition.
959. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of the commitment to introduce a tuition support scheme for graduate entry medicine; if he accepts the urgent need to deal with the financial costs facing students in light of the discontinuation of Bank of Ireland’s graduate entry medicine loan scheme; if he will ensure a financial support solution is found in time for the 2025 intake of students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32288/25]
View answerThe Programme for Government agreed across all the Government parties is the blueprint for the commitments of this term of office. Under the heading of Building a Healthier Future, the Programme indicates that this Government will:
• Introduce a tuition fee support scheme for Graduate Entry Medicine
• Provide more graduate entry medicine programmes focused on preparing student for careers in rural and remote medicine, ensuring those in under-served areas have access to skilled healthcare professionals.
Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) is a pathway for degree holders who want to pursue a medical career on an accelerated four-year programme. Students pursuing GEM programmes do so as second degree courses and consequently are not eligible for free fees funding. They are also not eligible for funding under the Student Grant Scheme as they do not meet the progression criteria of the Scheme.
The State currently provides a subsidy, via the Higher Education Authority, to HEIs towards the cost of GEM provision for EU student places. The subsidy provides support for broadening access to GEM programmes by assisting HEIs in providing the courses at lower fee rates for EU students than would otherwise be required for the HEIs to offer the courses on a sustainable basis.
In addition to this, my Department will publish an Options Paper in the Autumn which will set out measures to help reduce the cost of education for students and families across Further and Higher Education, Research and Apprenticeships for consideration as part of the budgetary process, including the sequencing of Programme for Government commitments within available resources.
The options assessment is intended to identify costs and potential impacts by the Department and is published without prejudice to eventual Government decisions.
My Department and the Department of Health are working closely to expand provision across a number of acute skills shortages, including Medicine and other healthcare disciplines.
In terms of student supports, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science provides bursaries to students who have been identified by their higher education institution as being the most socio-economically disadvantaged students under the National Access Plan. Students who avail of these bursaries will now be allowed to retain them, if they choose to enter GEM programmes. This is a welcome development and will also help diversify the profession.
Students on GEM programmes may be eligible to apply to the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) for financial support. This Fund provides financial support to full and part-time students who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending college and can provide assistance towards their rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials. Applications can be made to this Fund through the Access Office in a student’s higher education institution.
In addition, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be available in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. A rent tax credit may also be available. More information is available on www.revenue.ie .
960. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will address concerns regarding the lack of supports for persons seeking to complete a part-time masters degree while employed; if there are any plans to increase supports in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32326/25]
View answerSpringboard+ offers support for part-time students on master’s courses. This is managed by the Higher Education Authority on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It offers free or heavily subsidised upskilling and reskilling higher education opportunities in areas of identified skills need. Courses range from Level 6 to Level 9 on the NFQ, which include master’s degree courses, with the majority of these courses being delivered on a flexible and part-time basis. Springboard+ 2025 launched in May 2025 is providing 163 places on seven part-time master’s courses.
My Department is continually monitoring the student supports available in order to make improvements where possible, subject to budgetary constraints.
Up until the 2024/25 academic year, there was no fee support for students undertaking part-time courses. As the Deputy may be aware, a new Part Time Fee Scheme for Specified Undergraduate Courses was launched in August 2024. This Scheme is limited to undergraduate courses at present as the Student Support Act 2011 only allows for part-time courses at undergraduate level to be approved. Any future extension to postgraduate courses would require a change to the Student Support Act 2011.
Students on part-time postgraduate programmes may also be eligible to apply to the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) for financial support. This Fund provides financial support to full and part-time students who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending college and can provide assistance towards their rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials. Applications can be made to this Fund through the Access Office in a student’s higher education institution.
In addition, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may also be available in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education.
961. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the amount of capital and current funding his Department and SOLAS provided to a service (details supplied) in 2023, 2024 and to-date in 2025, in tabular form. [32336/25]
View answerAs the state agency responsible for the Further Education and Training (FET) sector, SOLAS allocates funding to 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and other agencies to deliver FET programmes, based on agreed targets including learner numbers.
As part of City of Dublin ETB’s annual allocation, funding is provided to KLEAR Further Education Service for the delivery of adult literacy, community education and English Language (ESOL) courses. This funding is allocated based on actual expenditure, subject to annual budgetary ceilings.
There is no capital funding provided by City of Dublin ETB to KLEAR Education Service. Please note that KLEAR Education Service also receive funding from sources other than City of Dublin ETB.
The following table outlines the actual payments made by City of Dublin ETB to KLEAR Further Education Service for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025:
|
Year |
Actual Payments |
|
2023 |
€125,671 |
|
2024 |
€116,055 |
|
2025 |
€121,800* |
*2025 figure is the total amount allocated for the year. City of Dublin ETB have advised that approximately 50% of the allocation has been paid out to date.
City of Dublin ETB have also advised that savings by KLEAR in a number of areas resulted in less funding being required in 2024 compared to 2023.
962. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department’s website employs analytics tools (details supplied) that track website traffic using UTM parameters (for example, utm_source); if so, whether any visits have been recorded with a specific parameter or similar identifiers indicating traffic from ChatGPT; and to provide the monthly number of such visits, if recorded, for each of the past 12 months, in tabular form. [32501/25]
View answerMy department’s website is one of number of websites under the gov.ie umbrella.
While content is uploaded by the Communications team in the department, the site is developed and maintained by a team based at the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) in the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.
OGCIO does employ analytics tools and as such is able to monitor traffic from platforms such as ChatGPT.
The data in the spreadsheet, attached, is from two providers. In late 2024, the governments analytics provider changed for operational reasons. Therefore, the data for the period 11 June 2024 to 30 November 2024 is from Google Analytics 4 while the data supplied from 1 December 2024 to 11 June 2025 is from the current analytics provider, Matomo.
963. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans for programme expenditure to improve a significant decline and to address the lack of consistency in the numbers of output targets for New Research Ireland-funded PhD positions from 310 in 2023 to 200 in 2024, with a slight increase of 220 in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32532/25]
View answerThe provisional return for the number of new Research Ireland funded PhD positions in 2024 is 489.
In common with other targets set with Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland, expected 2024 and 2025 outputs reflect a conservative estimate of capacity considering the dissolution of the two previous agencies and the establishment of the new agency in August 2024. This sits alongside the need for the agency to engage in extensive stakeholder consultation during 2025 in order to establish strategic programming which reflects the broad research activity under its remit. The corporate plan is expected to be published in late 2025.
Output trends over time also reflect the cyclical nature of research funding activity. Under the last Research Ireland Centres programme, cohorts of researchers were recruited for terms of up to four years, with the last intake running from 2023 until 2026/2027. 310 new postdoctoral researchers were funded by Research Ireland in that year.
The Department will be working with Research Ireland on a revised set of metrics, which will be fully aligned with the Agency’s strategic plan and national goals, including under Impact 2030, Ireland's national research and innovation Strategy. The output targets for the coming period will necessarily take cyclical research funding programmes into consideration and will reflect the anticipated impact of a new Research Ireland Centres programme launching in 2026.
964. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans for programme expenditure to improve a significant decline and to address the lack of consistency in numbers of output targets for New Research Ireland-funded postdoctoral researchers funded by Research Ireland per annum from 309 in 2023 to 250 in 2024; the reason there is a slight increase of 260 in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32533/25]
View answerThe provisional return for the number of new Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland funded postdoctoral researchers in 2024 is 325.
Targets that had been set for 2024 reflected a conservative estimate of agency capacity considering the anticipated dissolution of the two previous agencies, and the establishment of the new agency in August 2024. Output targets for 2025 have been held relatively static whilst the newly established agency engages in extensive stakeholder consultation and prepares the long-term corporate plan to reflect the expanded remit of Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland which is scheduled for completion at the end of 2025.
Output trends over time reflect the cyclical nature of research funding activity. Under the last Research Ireland Centres programme, cohorts of researchers were recruited for terms of up to four years, with the last intake running from 2023 until 2026/2027. 400 new postdoctoral researchers were funded by Research Ireland in that year.
The Department will be working with Research Ireland on a revised set of metrics, which will be fully aligned with the Agency’s strategic plan and national goals, including under Impact 2030, Ireland's national research and innovation strategy. The output targets for the coming period will necessarily take cyclical research funding programmes into consideration and will reflect the anticipated impact of a new Research Ireland Centres programme launching in 2026.
965. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans for programme expenditure to address the numbers of invention disclosures from higher education institutes; the reasons there is a significant decrease from 486 in 2021, 400 in 2022 and 361 in 2023; to details of this for 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32534/25]
View answerThe trend in invention disclosures over recent years as highlighted by the Deputy's question does warrant careful examination, given the importance of the commercialisation of research to national enterprise policy and innovation objectives.
However, it is important to exercise caution in drawing strong conclusions from the data referred to in the Deputy's question which relates to the period during and following on from the pandemic, during which public health restrictions had a major disruptive effect on research activities across the university sector through, for example, extended laboratory closures.
A key priority under the the national research and innovation strategy IMPACT 2030 is to boost the commercialisation performance of the Higher Education sector. This is also set out as a commitment in the Programme for Government and is a major feature of the statutory functions of Research Ireland.
Important steps are already being taken to strengthen the innovation performance of the higher education system. In this regard, the Deputy will wish to note the my announcement in February 2025 of €63.8m in funding to accelerate research commercialisation activity across Ireland under Research Ireland's ARC Hubs Programme. Supported by the European Regional Development Fund as well as the Irish Government, this programme is supporting two research commercialisation Hubs: one in ICT and one in therapeutics.
In terms of the further data requested by the Deputy, the most recent figures, with results to December 2024 are due for publication by Enterprise Ireland in autumn 2025.
Finally, it is important to highlight that as important as discovery is to the performance of our research system, it also needs to support and value curiousity, which while helping to develop the skills and capabilities of our researchers, does not necessarily lead to findings culminating in inventions.
966. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason there is still only an output target of just one female research professor since 2023 under his Department’s equality budgeting indicator; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32535/25]
View answerResearch Ireland has awarded two Research Professorship grants to women to date, to the Tyndall National Institute in 2022, and UCD in 2024. This output is the subject of the reporting metric being referred to. However, it would not be accurate to say that this is the only agency funding that has been awarded to a woman research professor or senior academic through the agency.
Previous agency programmes including the 2019 President of Ireland Future Research Leaders Programme, which saw five year awards designed to strengthen leadership in specific discipline areas, and the President of Ireland Young Researcher Award (PIYRA), which funded a diverse new generation of top-tier cutting edge researchers, have also improved the gender balance in both research leadership and in fields which would historically have been highly gendered.
Out of 26 PIYRA awards, 14 PIYRA grantees now hold Professor/Chair positions in Irish HEIs, and eight of these are women (across DCU, UCD, TCD, UCC, MU, UoG). Of 15 Future Research Leaders grants made, nine were to women (over 50%), and eight are completed or still active. Of these Future Research Leaders, three women are now Professors in Irish Higher Education Institutions (DIAS, Maynooth, and TCD), and two are Professors abroad (Pavia and Princeton).
For the Frontiers for the Future Awards, 42% of awards are awarded to women. Many of these awardees are now in senior research roles.
Taking the full suite of agency activities into account, and the nomination of gender balance as one of only six Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Research Ireland in Shaping Our Future, the performance of Research Ireland's gender balance KPI continues to improve, having gone from a baseline of 27% women in leadership in 2021, to 35% at end 2024.
I recognise that there is still work to be done, and this work is an ongoing priority for Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland, and was included as a core objective in the Research and Innovation Act 2024, which requires the agency 'to advance the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion with regard to opportunities to undertake research and innovation and in the undertaking of that research and innovation'. The agency's External Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy 2023-2028 commits to building equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within the Irish research and innovation sector. Increasing the number of women and members of historically underserved communities in applicant teams are key objectives. The new agency is currently undertaking stakeholder engagement in the development of a new five year Corporate Plan, which will be completed by the end of this year. The agency will continue to support and promote gender balance across all of its activities.
Furthermore, the Senior Academic Leadership Initiative (SALI), introduced in 2019 and managed by the Higher Education Authority, aims to provide targeted support for addressing gender inequality in senior academic posts in Ireland’s HEI’s, via provision and recruitment of new posts. Over two cycles, in 2019 and 2021, a total of 30 posts were awarded, of which 23 remain active. One SALI Professorship was awarded by the HEA to a Research Ireland (APC Microbiome)/UCC post (in addition to the two posts referenced above), in line with the mode of distribution of these roles across the higher education institutions.
967. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the measures being taken to address the significant decrease in FET learners from underrepresented backgrounds from 23,763 in 2023 to 19,474 in 2024; the reason there was a slight increase of 19,500 in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32536/25]
View answerMy Department is firmly committed to ensuring equitable access for all learners to Further Education and Training (FET), particularly for those from underrepresented backgrounds. The 2020–2024 FET Strategy placed ‘Fostering Inclusion’ as one of its three core pillars, identifying under-represented cohorts to receive additional support to engage in FET. This commitment will continue under the 2025–2029 FET Strategy, currently being finalised by SOLAS, with a renewed focus on inclusion and learner diversity.
SOLAS signed multi-annual Strategic Performance Agreements (SPAs) with the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) to advance the FET strategy nationally and regionally. Covering 2022–2024, these agreements set 12 national system targets aligned with the strategy’s three pillars. One such target under the Fostering Inclusion pillar was ‘Widening Participation.’ It’s important to clarify that the figures mentioned in the Deputy’s question refer to these target measures -not actual enrolment data.
SOLAS have advised my officials that the ETBs exceeded their targets for Widening Participation over the lifetime of the agreements as follows:
|
Widening Participation |
Target |
Actual |
|
2022 |
16,788 |
18,810 |
|
2023 |
18,266 |
23,763 |
|
2024 |
19,474 |
25,780 |
The Widening Participation target for 2025 is being agreed as part of the development of the new SPAs between the 16 ETBs and SOLAS.
I'm confident the Deputy will agree that SOLAS and the ETBs are making strong progress in supporting learners from under-represented groups.
968. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will be capping the current Solas admin, capital and general expenses to the welcome increase of €30,164 in 2025 from the previous €25,231 in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32537/25]
View answerMy Department’s allocation to SOLAS’ operational budget has increased by nearly 13% in the period 2022 to 2025. These increases include provision for public sector pay deals. As the Deputy will appreciate, decisions on budget allocations will be made in the context of Government decision-making on the fiscal and expenditure framework for 2026, consistent with the budgetary and Estimates process to be agreed by Government in the coming weeks.
969. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will be capping the current grants to Solas for further education and training, to the welcome increase from €537,474 to €589, 221 in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32539/25]
View answerMy Department allocates funding to SOLAS from both the Exchequer and the National Training Fund to support the delivery of Further Education and Training (FET) programmes and services by the 16 Education and Training Boards and other FET providers across the country.
My Department’s investment in core funding for FET services has increased by approximately 9% in the period 2023 to 2025. These increases include provision for the public sector pay deals.
As the Deputy will appreciate, decisions on budget allocations will be made in the context of Government decision-making on the fiscal and expenditure framework for 2026, consistent with the budgetary and Estimates process to be agreed by Government in the coming weeks.
970. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason there is no consistency in numbers from his Department of Skillnet Ireland learners from the 2023 outturn target of 96,646 to the 2024 output target of 82,800 to the slightly increased output target of 84,000 in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32540/25]
View answerSkillnet Ireland is a business support agency of the Government of Ireland funded by the National Training Fund. The primary objective of Skillnet Ireland is to advance the competitiveness, productivity and innovation of businesses operating in Ireland through enterprise-led workforce development.
Each year my officials in conjunction with Skillnet Ireland determine annual targets that align with the available budget for Skillnet Ireland’s training programmes for those in-employment. The 2024 target for employed learners under Skillnet Ireland’s Training Networks Programme was reduced due to the phasing out of temporary 2023 funding, which had boosted the core budget and enabled higher training outputs that year.
Skillnet Ireland supported 94,808 employed learners in 2023. In 2024, Skillnet Ireland provided upskilling to 88,090 employed trainees, exceeding the 2024 target of 82,000. In 2025 there has been capacity to increase the trainee target to 84,000 due to temporary funding awarded to support upskilling in the housing and offshore wind areas.
The Deputy will appreciate that the figures provided constitute forecasts rather than fixed targets, given that all programmes delivered by Skillnet Ireland are demand-led and subject to variation accordingly.
971. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason his Department’s programme expenditure has decided to decrease the outrun target numbers of places for Skillnet Ireland learners upskilling who are unemployed from the outrun target of 2,650 in 2023, 1,800 in 2024 and only 1,500 in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32541/25]
View answerSkillnet Ireland is a business support agency of the Government of Ireland funded by the National Training Fund. Using funding provided by my Department, it continues to invest in workforce activation programmes via its ‘Skills Connect’ programme which is designed to help businesses meet emerging talent needs, while helping workers to rapidly reskill and adapt to a changing job market. Designed in partnership with enterprise, ‘Skills Connect’ identifies skills that are in demand from businesses within a sector or region, as well as skills that are transferable across sectors. It delivers upskilling and re-skilling programmes that enable rapid re-entry into the workforce.
Each year, my Department, in consultation with Skillnet Ireland, determines annual targets aligned with the available budget for Skillnet Ireland programmes for unemployed learners seeking employment. The headline target for ‘Skills Connect’ has declined annually since 2023 due to the end of temporary funding that had supplemented Skillnet Ireland’s core budget, enabling increased training in 2023 and 2024. In 2024, Skillnet Ireland’s ‘Skills Connect’ programme supported 2,046 trainees across 26 Skillnet Business Networks exceeding the target of 1,800.
The Deputy will appreciate that the figures provided constitute forecasts rather than fixed targets, given that all programmes delivered by Skillnet Ireland are demand-led and subject to variation accordingly.
972. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason his Department has continued to decrease the number of Springboard places available from the 2023 outturn target of 9,245 places; 8,225 places in 2024 and just 8,000 in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32585/25]
View answerSpringboard+, established in 2011 continues to play a vital role in expanding access to higher education by offering flexible, work focused learning opportunities to adult learners across the country. Aligned with national skills priorities, Springboard+ supports individuals to upskill or reskill in high-demand areas such as ICT, cybersecurity and sustainability.
Springboard+ is free or heavily subsidised and offered in a flexible format (part-time, blended, and online) making higher education more accessible to all. In May 2025, I was delighted to launch Springboard+ 2025, which is providing almost 8,000 places on 249 courses and includes micro-credentials.
Springboard+ is open to the unemployed, employed and those returning to the workforce, subject to meeting eligibility criteria. It has demonstrated strong outcomes in terms of learner progression and graduate employability, with the majority of participants securing employment or further study upon completion.
As demand grows for a skilled and adaptable workforce, Springboard+ will continue to be an important driver of increased participation in higher education.
An increased budget allocation for Springboard+ was awarded as a temporary Government response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the years 2020-2022. The reduction in the budget allocation for Springboard+ after 2022 is the principal reason for the reduction in the number of places funded – and thus enrolments – from 2023 onwards.
Springboard+ was funded on a multiannual basis for the 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/24 academic years. As per the Provider Contract with the HEA, courses are required to fill at least 75% of places to be re-funded in subsequent years, and any course that did not reach this threshold or any courses that did not run in 2023/24 would not have been re-funded in 2024/25, thus reducing the number of places funded between those programme years.
In relation the number of places funded in 2025, there was a new Call for Proposals earlier this year and the average cost of delivering a course has increased by 11% since the last Call in 2022. Increased administrative costs, including data retention and storage space costs, have also been experienced over time. Additional costs have also been incurred owing to the inclusion of Micro-credentials under Springboard+ 2025.
973. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for detailed information on the six further education building projects marked as output targets for 2025; the reason there were no building projects planned for the years 2023 and 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32586/25]
View answerI wish to advise that the six further education and training projects referred to by the Deputy are being progressing under my Department’s Further Education and Training (FET) Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund (SIUF). The projects are as follows:
Donegal ETB: Stranorlar FET Centre, Co. Donegal,
Galway Roscommon ETB: Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) HUB, Galway City,
Kilkenny Carlow ETB: Grennan College Equestrian Centre, Co. Kilkenny,
Louth Meath ETB: Drogheda Institute of Further Education, Co. Louth,
Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB: Mohill FET Centre, Co. Leitrim,
Tipperary ETB: Carrick on Suir FET Centre, Co. Tipperary.
The Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund (SIUF) was a programme call issued in February 2022 to support smaller-scale investments in existing FET infrastructure. The six SIUF projects, listed, progressed sufficiently to be marked as output targets for 2025.
The NDP provided, for the first time, a dedicated capital envelope amounting to €300m over the decade 2018-2027. Available funding increased from €5.5m in 2018 to the current allocation of €106.5m for 2025. The FET indicator is therefore new and, in that context, the values for 2023/2024 were required to be set at zero.
974. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the plans his Department has in addressing the numbers of SOLAS beneficiaries on training courses for those seeking employment, which significantly decreased from 78,502 in 2021 to 64,426 in 2022, in tabular form for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32587/25]
View answerMy officials are in the process of obtaining the requested information from SOLAS and will forward a response to the Deputy separately.
975. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the plans his Department has to address the shortage and dramatic decrease of QQI-registered further education and training providers from 345 in 2021, 317 in 2022 and just 176 in 2023; to provide updated details for 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32588/25]
View answer976. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the plans his Department has to address the shortage and dramatic decrease of the number of QQI-registered further education and training providers that issued certification/certificates within the years 2021 (251), 2022 (216) and 2023 (169); if he will provide updated details on certification numbers for 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32589/25]
View answerI propose to take questions 975 and 976 together.
The Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012 requires providers of further education and training (FET) seeking to offer programmes leading to awards validated by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to prepare quality assurance procedures for approval by QQI. The Act provided for continuity of quality assurance services and awards for legacy providers engaged with QQI's predecessor agencies [including the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC)] until such time as revised quality assurance procedures had been submitted to QQI for approval. For this group of providers, this process was termed "re-engagement".
QQI adopted a risk-based approach to scheduling re-engagement, with smaller providers scheduled later in the process. Some providers elected not to reengage due to various business factors. Others entered into arrangements with other approved providers (such as Education and Training Boards) and continue to operate within the quality assurance framework of those providers. Following the conclusion of the re-engagement process, the number of FET providers has remained relatively stable. In parallel, there has been an increase in the number of FET awards made.
Please see relevant details outlined in the attached document.
977. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if there will be an increase of funding from the National Training Fund for training grants to industry from the current amount of €6,500 since 2024 and 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32590/25]
View answerMy Department provides funding from the National Training Fund (NTF) to support the Training Grants to Industry scheme, delivered through Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. The scheme enables businesses to respond to evolving workforce development needs through upskilling and reskilling initiatives.
In 2025, €3.5 million from the NTF is allocated to Enterprise Ireland for management development and training for Irish enterprises, while €3 million is allocated to IDA Ireland to support training grants for FDI companies, helping address skills gaps and maintain global competitiveness.
It is important to note that any increase in NTF expenditure, all other things being equal and without a corresponding reduction on the Vote, requires an increase in the Department’s and the overall Government expenditure ceilings. In addition, as the Deputy will appreciate, decisions on budget allocations will be made in the context of Government decision-making on the fiscal and expenditure framework for 2026, consistent with the budgetary and Estimates process to be agreed by Government in the coming weeks.
978. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department plans to increase the current estimate of funding from the National Training Fund for Springboard of €27,550 since 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32591/25]
View answerFunded by the National Training Fund (NTF) and managed by the Higher Education Authority on behalf of my Department, Springboard provides free or heavily subsidised upskilling and reskilling opportunities and builds the supply of skilled graduates to meet the evolving needs of the Irish economy. The 2025 allocation provides €27.55 million to improve the skills of those currently in employment whilst an additional allocation of €6.89 million will assist individuals in returning to employment.
It is important to note that any increase in NTF expenditure, all other things being equal and without a corresponding reduction on the Vote, requires an increase in the Department’s and the overall Government expenditure ceilings. In addition, as the Deputy will appreciate, decisions on budget allocations will be made in the context of Government decision-making on the fiscal and expenditure framework for 2026, consistent with the budgetary and Estimates process to be agreed by Government in the coming weeks.
979. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the plans his Department has to address the significant decrease in funding for the financial and human resource inputs for universities, technological universities and other bodies from €1,615,464 in 2024 to €1,468,309 in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32592/25]
View answerI understand that the Deputy is referring to the Revised Estimates Volume for Public Services 2025 and the allocations under my Department’s B4 subhead.
The B4 subhead is used to fund current activities in higher education institutions. The provision of higher education funding on an annual basis, is part of overall expenditure management and budgetary policy of the Government.
In considering the specific matters raised, it is important to distinguish between recurrent funding allocations and the impact of supplementary or temporary provisions. Each year, my Department receives a core recurrent allocation that is considered as part of the annual Budget negotiations. Separately, my Department may receive additional allocations through supplementary funding that only applies in the calendar year to which it is received.
In 2024, funding for the B4 subhead amounted to €1,380,683,000. This figure was supplemented by a further €234,781,000, bringing the final 2024 allocation to €1,615,464,000. The additional supplementary funding was used to meet costs such as, once off cost-of-living measures, Ukrainian supports, and pay costs.
As the Deputy has highlighted, the Revised Estimates Volume for Public Services 2025, provides for an allocation of €1,468,309,000 under subhead B4. This is an increase of €87,626,000 or 6.35% on the equivalent 2024 allocation of €1,380,683,000.
Details of future funding allocations for 2026, including the consideration of potential supplementary estimates that may arise in 2025, will be considered as part of the upcoming Budget 2026 negotiations.
980. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department intends to cap the welcome increase in funding of public private partnership costs from €39,000 (NTF) in 2024 to €70,000 (NTF) in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32593/25]
View answerDeputy, the variance from 2024 to 2025 you have outlined has arisen under the 2025 Estimates process. As part of the annual Estimates process, each expenditure line within my Department is critically evaluated, in collaboration with key stakeholders and colleagues in the Department of Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, to ensure appropriate and sufficient funding is allocated to meet requirements and commitments for the year ahead.
The 79% increase in capital funding for Public Private Partnership Costs (Subhead B12) from 2024 to 2025 is driven by the expected completion of the construction phase of the Higher Education Public Private Partnership (Bundle 1). Bundle 1 is focused on STEM, ICT, Engineering and Life Sciences facilities at 6 Technological Universities throughout Ireland. A significant commitment arises upon the completion of the construction phase of this project and the uplift in funding is allocated to meet these commitments.
