Parliamentary questions

239. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of and proportion of undergraduate students who receive support from SUSI to cover 100% student contribution, the number who receive support to cover 50% student contribution, and the number who receive €500 student contribution, in tabular form; and if he will make a statemen…

240. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on a new building for Dunboyne College of Further Education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67258/25]

241. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the outcomes of the various student accommodation programmes he has initiated, including the student accommodation strategy, to date, and how these investments are improving affordability and regional balance in higher-education provision. [67828/25]

242. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will maintain the recent reduction in the student contribution fee; his plans to reduce costs for students, including postgraduate supports given rising living expenses and accommodation costs; and if additional funding will be allocated to the student assistance fund to meet growin…

243. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the planned additional course provision in high demand areas such as medicine, pharmacy and nursing. [67598/25]

244. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps being taken by his Department to expand the number in apprenticeships and encourage more young people to take up apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67777/25]

245. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on the new student accommodation strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67567/25]

246. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps his Department is taking to increase participation in higher education by members of the Travelling community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67803/25]

247. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which his Department is preparing Ireland's workforce for the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence. [67772/25]

248. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the support his Department provides to Skillnet Ireland. [67599/25]

249. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he can provide an update on the Programme for Government target of 12,500 annual apprenticeship registrations; the efforts his Department is making to promote apprenticeships to school leavers given the urgent need for them in the construction sector; and if he will make a statem…

250. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide details the length of the waiting list for off-the-job training, for craft apprenticeships, by category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67788/25]

251. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of persons who did not take up their CEO offer of a university course in each of the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67804/25]

252. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update on plans to expand further education and training provision in Macroom, particularly in light of the town’s growth following the bypass; if his Department will prioritise new courses and facilities to support local employment and enterprise; and if he will make a stateme…

253. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the role his Department will play to ensure that there are enough construction workers with the necessary skills to balance the competing priorities of building the Metrolink without placing housing targets at risk, which will require the construction of houses as well the building out the ele…

254. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide an update on the progress of the review of personal assistance services funded from the fund for students with disabilities across tertiary education settings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67773/25]

255. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will review the impact of increasing number of international students on the availability of places for Irish students, given that universities are under pressure to accept higher-paying non-EU students to offset chronic underfunding; the steps that will be taken to ensure Irish stu…

256. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which her Department is strengthening the commercialisation of publicly funded research to ensure more innovations and jobs are retained in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67807/25]

257. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether he has met with UCC and MTU and discussed the need for a northside university campus in Cork city. [67566/25]

258. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the plans to support digital literacy and improve access to online services for older people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64109/25]

259. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to report on the retrofitting of the FET sector; to provide the breakdown of the €8 million allocation that was recently announced that has been awarded; the amount that has been drawn down; the number of projects this will fund; the average value of each award; the targets including the numbe…

260. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which his Development of the Swords FET College fit into his Department’s wider strategy for the FET College of the Future initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67801/25]

261. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the criteria that will be used to prioritise institutions for capital investment under the national training fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67835/25]

262. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to expand apprenticeship opportunities in Cork, particularly in towns such as Mallow, Millstreet, Kanturk, and Macroom to address regional skills shortages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67266/25]

263. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if the necessary funding will be provided to the dental school in UCC, which has submitted a proposal to the Department for the expansion of their training programme, which would involve the development of a new hub in which additional students could be trained and practice; and if he will …