Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 September 2024
564. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will introduce a minimum stipend of €25,000 for all postgraduate researchers; to cap postgraduate fees at €3,000 to address the financial strain on postgraduate students which is a key ask of an organisation (details supplied) in it's pre-Budget 2025 submission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37929/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn October 2022, an independent and comprehensive National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers was announced; the first time that this issue has been considered holistically in this manner. The first report of the Co-Chairs, Dr Andrea Johnson and Mr David Cagney, was published in summer 2023. In it they recommended an increase towards an optimum PhD stipend level of €25,000, subject to funding availability. In Budget 2024, funding was secured to increase the PhD stipend offered by my competitive research funding agency (now Research Ireland), from €19,000 to €22,000 annually, i.e. a 15.8% increase. This builds on the increase secured under Budget 2023, demonstrating my Department's clear and consistent commitment to this issue. My officials continue to engage with the budgetary processes with the aim of progressing the matter further. Institutional scholarship supports received by PhD students from their higher education institution are funded primarily by the core funding provided to the sector and thus fall under the Funding the Future initiative. As Minister, I cannot direct any institution to increase their stipend. This is at the discretion of each autonomous institution. However, I understand that some have already increased the stipend and others have indicated they will follow suit. For those PhD students in receipt of stipends from national competitive funding agencies outside the remit of my Department, the level of stipend awarded is at the discretion of each funder and its parent Department. The final review report of the co-chairs on State Supports for PhD Researchers will be published on the Department’s web site in due course. In relation to capping postgraduate tuition fees, as I note above, the institutions are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs, including the management of academic affairs and determining postgraduate fee rates.
I have recently published an options paper which sets out the various possible measures to reduce the cost of attending higher education. This paper includes options to support postgraduate students via the SUSI grant scheme. I will have regard to these options when making proposals in the context of budget discussions.
