Parliamentary questions

1174. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to urgently intervene and provide a resolution to a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63264/25]

1175. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving his Department and/or agencies within the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63622/25]

1176. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will review the case of a person (details supplied) regarding a SUSI grant application; if he will provide an update on the person’s appeal application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63723/25]

1177. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 1161 of 12 November 2025, if he will provide his Department’s agreed procedures/guidelines provided to the Higher Education Authority relating to the student assistance fund for the academic years 2023-2024 to 2025-2026 inclusive. [63740/25]

1178. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 1161 of 12 November 2025, the reason for the fall in the student assistance fund provided by his Department from €8,823,432 for the academic year 2023-2024 to €3,812,601 for 2025-2026 to the five technological universities; if he intends to …

505. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps being taken to address the current shortage of qualified tradespeople across the country; the specific measures being implemented to attract, train, and support the next generation of apprentices and skilled workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62408/25]

506. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the details of the range of countries in which his Department are currently running a public relations campaign to attract Irish tradespeople to return home; the incentives which will be in place for these persons if they return home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62414/…

507. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to ensure no further examinations for future apprentices are leaked; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62406/25]

508. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of students studying graduate entry medicine, by institution, for each year from 2015/2016 to 2024/2025; the total and per capita funding his Department provided for each of these years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62425/25]

509. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the provisions which have been made to ensure that agencies, organisations, and charities funded by his Department will meet their obligations under the new AE scheme. [62479/25]

510. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for a breakdown of every agency, not-for-profit organisation, charity or service provider directly funded by his Department; and the details of each specific directly funded post in each body. [62482/25]

511. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he and the Government will support in every way possible a person (details supplied) who has been selected to become the first Irish person in space who will undoubtedly represent Ireland with pride and distinction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62510/25]

512. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on plans to attract a greater number of top international researchers and academics to Ireland. [62615/25]

513. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of vacant and derelict buildings in County Mayo owned by his Department that are vacant or rented, by the region/towns location of the buildings, in tabular form. [62673/25]

1125. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number and value of contracts that underwent post-award variations; the net value change as a percentage of original awards, by CPV/category; and the three most common drivers of variation identified, for 2022–2024. [60943/25]

1126. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide any available data on the proportion of graduates in each of the years 2000 to 2025 who emigrated within five years of graduation; and whether such data is gathered by the CSO Graduate Outcomes Survey or Revenue-HEA linkage. [60957/25]

1127. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of WTE qualified accountants working within her Department in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [60969/25]

1128. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); if the decision regarding this person’s SUSI application will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60994/25]

1129. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider making provision for the establishment of a third level course for early years education through the medium of Irish in a Gaeltacht service town to ensure an adequate supply of professionals in the naíonra sector; and if he will make a statement on the matte…

1130. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated average cost to the State of training a medical student and a nursing student to graduation; and to itemise these costs by component, undergraduate education, clinical placement funding, intern training, postgraduate specialist training, and any State subsidy to hospital tr…

1131. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total annual public expenditure on training medical, nursing, and midwifery students in Ireland, including grants to higher education institutions and payments to the HSE for clinical placements, for each year since 2010 to date in 2025. [61187/25]

1132. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated average public cost of training a primary teacher and a post-primary teacher to full qualification, including teacher education programme funding, teaching practice costs, and capitation grants to colleges of education, for each year since 2000 to date in 2025. [61191/25]

1133. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for a breakdown of all spending on external communications and media, by company, including the amount spent and purpose of spend, in each of the past five years, in tabular form. [61215/25]

1134. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the documentation which is accepted by SUSI for persons who are ‘hidden homeless’ that is couch surfing in other people’s houses (details supplied) and unable to provide proof of address through a utility bill/lease; if exceptions will be made in these instances; and if he will make a s…

1135. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will review the current SUSI grant assessment criteria, given that some parents are being penalised where a dependent child previously worked full-time but is now returning to full-time education, resulting in the loss of that income; if he will consider allowing this change i…