Questions

980. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the progress of the development of a traineeship in modern methods of construction, as is expected to launch in quarter 3 of 2025. [51695/25]

981. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the progress of the mid-term review of the national access plan. [51696/25]

982. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the expected publication date of the updated careers in construction action plan. [51697/25]

983. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total number of apprenticeship options to be available for enrolment in the coming academic year; and the level of respective enrolment in each of these options for the most recent period for which data is available. [51903/25]

984. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of the serious delays in completing college phases of apprenticeship (details supplied); the steps being taken to remedy the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51909/25]

985. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of students who will become eligible for the maintenance payment for postgraduate study in 2025. [51920/25]

986. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of courses and places available in the coming academic year under Springboard and under the human capital initiative; whether new general areas of skill shortage have been added to the range of courses being offered under these options; the payments to be made by students; and if participants on…

987. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department is responsible for the funding of ongoing operational costs (rent, rates, staffing, administration, etc.) of publicly funded programmes such as music generation and ETB music services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52018/25]

988. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science given the current student accommodation crisis, if his Department will begin the process of collating data on the numbers of students studying English language courses in the State, regardless of the fact the majority of these students are studying in privately owned providers; and if he will make a stat…

989. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department can provide details of the amount of funding accrued from international student fees towards third level institutes in the State for the years 2022 to 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52044/25]

990. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if it is possible for a student who applied through the CAO system to pursue her nursing qualification using her QQI level 5 results in pre-nursing in lieu of insufficient points from the leaving certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52045/25]

991. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will support the roll-out of free Irish language classes based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages to all third level students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52049/25]

992. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will support increasing the number of Irish language courses at third level to 5%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52050/25]

198. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the purpose built student complexes that are now additionally charging for utilities on top of rent; if he is aware that this is becoming commonplace with a university (details supplied) and other institutes being charged unaffordable service charges as well as rent, putting another financial burden on s…

199. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware that students will be offered a tiered system as silver, gold and platinum, with each tier reflecting a price increase at accommodation (details supplied); to explain the second phase of the village project that is supported by €67.7 million of taxpayer money, which will, once completed co…

200. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason a tiered accommodation model at a location (details supplied) was not identified as a compliance concern within the State-sponsored accommodation framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50667/25]

201. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department will provide detailed information on the number of unoccupied purpose-built student complexes currently in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50668/25]

202. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way in which his Department intends to address the serious situation of unoccupied PBSA buildings and complexes (details supplied) that have become vacant for one year and then becoming repurposed for the private rental market and therefore entitled to charge higher rents as they are not officially p…

203. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his Department’s plans to seek advice from the Housing Minister on whether additional service charges and rent hikes at PBSA (details supplied) conflict with the 2% rent pressure zones commitments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50670/25]

204. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the initiatives being developed to ensure workers in County Meath have access to upskilling opportunities in growth sectors such as green energy, technological development and science; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50682/25]

205. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a person (details supplied) who was born and lived in Ireland most of their life would be entitled to apply for SUSI even though they were not in Ireland for the past three of the five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50801/25]

206. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current number of first year, second year, third year, and fourth year apprentices who have completed the required on-the-job training for that year, but have yet to be called by Solas to undertake their block release training, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50833/25]

705. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the progress that has been made on the issue of pension provision for research staff grades who do not have access to public service pensions in higher education institutions, particularly in relation to the technological university sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50395/25]

706. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the position regarding any product or service purchased from Israel or the Occupied Territories by his Department in the past two years, by description and amount paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49609/25]

707. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the position regarding any product or service that has been acquired by his Department from an Occupied Palestinian Territory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49627/25]