I genuinely welcome the work that the Deputy is going to undertake. I was pleased that I could announce with the Taoiseach €40 million from the shared island unit for all-island research. It will make a real difference, not only in investing in research but also in building the links and personal relationships between individual researchers and the institutions North and South. I look forward to that work. I accept there is underfunding in higher education and that we need a sustainable funding model but I want to …

We have been discussing the required funding for the safe return to college, not just for the institutions but also for the students, and the great work that has been done by the student well-being engagement group that I asked the Union of Students in Ireland to chair. The short answer to the Deputy's question is that I expect to receive approval for additional funding from Cabinet on 19 July. We will have clarity on that then. My officials are engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, as we s…

The short answer to any questions about what students or staff members will have to do is we will follow the prevailing public health advice at the time. The way I think of it is that if we look on colleges as small towns, in effect, or indeed not-so-small towns in many ways, the rules that would apply in any town should apply there as well. For example, if a restaurant can be open in a certain scenario outside the gates of the college campus, then the college canteen can open on the same basis. If the pub down the…

There will be statements on this issue next week in the Dáil. I do not have the figure for lab places to hand. We give devolved capital grants to each institution. I would have to approach the institutions through the HEA to obtain that information. I can certainly do that for the Deputy. The Deputy referenced recorded lectures. I accidentally overlooked that. It is something I would like to see happen. I have heard staff representatives say that they are not against it, but, understandably, they wish to and have e…

I thank the Deputy for the question. First, I would like to see our registration fees reduced. We need to do it in a way that is sustainable. I often think that when we talk about our registration fee, we sometimes ignore our reality, which is that not far off 50% - I think it is around 48% - of students have their registration fee paid in full or in part by the State through the SUSI grant scheme. I say that because if there is a student watching this debate, he or she might think that his or her family would not …

Absolutely. Let me be really clear. While I am proud of the SUSI support scheme, which supports tens of thousands of students who may not otherwise be able to access higher education, that is not to say that I believe the current system is satisfactory, because I do not. A key commitment in the programme for Government was to carry out a comprehensive review of SUSI and how it operates. That is now coming to fruition. It is interesting to note that we had over 9,000 responses to that survey, mainly from students. T…

I hope that I have never dismissed the Deputy's questions. I have been engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The issue of the contractual arrangements of those working in the higher education sector is very important. I have raised it with the HEA and with those who fund research, such as the Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland, because they also have a role to play. I have also discussed the issue with staff representatives and other bodies within the sector. There are ma…

I thank the Deputy. There are really three things to say. The first thing is that, as I have said, we are engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the HEA with regard to that employment control framework. Of course, employment controls are needed. We all know that. There is no publicly funded agency that can hire without reference to the impact on the public sector pay bill, pensions and so on. The Deputy is not suggesting there should be. I would not be engaging if I did not accept that we…

I very much welcome an ongoing focus on this, as I know the Deputy will ensure there is. I will too, which is why I want the three work streams I have outlined, namely, the new staffing agreement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform; the work we have asked the HEA to do in regard to precarious employment and its prevalence and impact on our higher education system; and, crucially, to return to the issue of PhD students, our engagement with the HEA, the IUA and THEA to gather further detail on practi…

I thank the Deputy for the question and recognise his obvious interest and commitment to this issue as a Border Deputy and a long-serving Member of the House. I strongly believe, as does the Government, that there is significant potential for enhanced North-South collaboration throughout the further and higher education and research system. This is an issue to which I have attached high priority. I have had many meetings about it with counterparts in Northern Ireland, the Social and Democratic Labour Party, SDLP, D…

Absolutely. I very much believe that the PEACE PLUS initiative and the cross-Border skills programme will possibly be the first time we have had to do that at scale and with a degree of intensity that has perhaps been lacking in the past. I am very much looking forward to that, and the programme will be finalised this year. It will give opportunity, not just in the higher education space but also in that of skills. For many people living in counties on both sides of the Border, there will be a considerable need for…

On the pathways point, the Deputy and I met a guy called Jack, whose story I tell everywhere I go. He got his first choice on the CAO and started his course, which, as is the case for many people, was not for him. He decided to leave that, returned to Cavan Institute and completed one year of pre-law there. He got a great grounding in law and decided it was for him. He will start at Maynooth University in September studying for a law degree. That is what colleges of further education, such as that in Cavan, can do.…

Openness and international collaboration are essential components of a globally relevant research system. Under the third country researchers directive, Ireland offers a fast-track work permit, or hosting agreement, for third country researchers from countries outside the European Economic Area, EEA. The third country researchers directive allows researchers to carry out research projects with a recognised research organisation in Ireland using a permit that can last for anything from three months to five years. Un…

In relation to the future benefits, I refer to two important pieces of work that we are undertaking this year. One is our new national research and innovation strategy for Ireland, in which we will specifically map out the actions we intend to take. Being honest, one of the things we will have to do, if we are serious about research, is to ensure that we fund it at a level that is, at least, the European average. We are not where we need to be. This is one of the reasons the Taoiseach established this relatively ne…

Deputy Lahart is entirely correct. This is an issue that has come across my desk as both the Minister and a Deputy. It is a cause of concern for many of our students. I have been engaging with the United States Embassy here and I have engaged with my colleague the Minister for Foreign Affairs and asked that he politically escalate the matter. I welcome the fact that President Biden has appointed a new ambassador to Ireland - one of his first ambassadorial appointments - and I expect she will take up office shortly.…

Yes, absolutely. The Minister for Foreign Affairs or I will try to provide a statement on this shortly.

Our higher education institutions have a duty of care to their students and staff and a responsibility to foster a campus culture that is clear in the condemnation of unwarranted, unwanted and unacceptable behaviours, which act as barriers to their safety and active participation in college life. In April 2019, the framework for consent in higher education institutions, called Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive — Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions, was launched by th…

I agree with the Deputy. What extra benefit do we expect to see from the action plans as opposed to just having a national framework? The big change is that, for the first time, the higher education institutions cannot just produce a plan. They also have to report against the delivery of the plan to the Higher Education Authority, just as they would report against budgetary matters and the like. That is important. It is us as a State saying we believe this is such an important issue that we want institutions to rep…

I will, indeed. I do not have the exact numbers but the report on the survey is being prepared and will be available to me in October. Many thousands of people have applied but I am not sure what the percentage uptake is. I will find that out for the Deputy. Our student unions and individual institutions have shown leadership on this, whether it is the active consent programme in NUI Galway or the bystander initiative in UCC and the work being done by Louise Crowley there. I attended a meeting of the national advis…

Good try, though.