Questions

3322. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has engaged with the Minister for Education and Youth regarding the implementation of the Sahlberg report’s recommendations on teacher education, particularly in relation to Marino Institute of Education and its integration within the higher education system; and if he will make a statement on the m…

3323. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in the context of the Killarney Innovation Centre providing spaces for emerging tech enterprises, how his Department is supporting the development of local skills in areas such as AI, data science and software development, to ensure that the region has a workforce that meets the demands of these industrie…

3324. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science given that the Killarney Innovation Centre aims to foster collaboration between SMEs and innovators, if there are any current or upcoming initiatives to strengthen the partnership between local universities, colleges and innovation hubs in Kerry to facilitate knowledge sharing and innovation. [40913/25]

3325. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide the total number of grant payments issued by the Department in each of the past five years, along with the total value of those grant payments for each year, in tabular form; and to confirm whether these figures include all schemes and discretionary grant programmes administered directly by the D…

3326. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of persons who applied for the SUSI grant on the grounds that they were estranged from their parents, in each of the past ten years. [41146/25]

3327. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will benchmark SUSI grants and reckonable income levels against the cost of living, include the SUSI maintenance support for part-time students, and enable those in receipt of SUSI to receive financial support for repeat exams;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41204/25]

3328. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether technical universities, and specifically, TUS Clonmel IT, receive funding to build student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41216/25]

3329. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on plans for a centre (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41303/25]

3330. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware that apprentices in metal fabrication in construction and engineering are being paid at different rates with regard to training allowance rates in phases of their training, despite carrying out the same training in the same environments; if so, if he plans to take steps to remedy this dispari…

3331. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to address the poor CAO points conversion rates for A-level students in Northern Ireland to have a fairer opportunity to access undergraduate courses in the south, considering that in order for students to achieve the maximum 625 points, they would need to do four A-levels, when most Northern …

3332. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to address the need for better career guidance supports and advice for prospective students from Northern Ireland, who make up just 1% of total CAO applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41474/25]

3333. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science how a 23-year-old apprentice (details supplied) in his first year of a plumbing apprenticeship in Galway getting paid €7.50 per hour can afford to live securely while trying to complete his training, whose parents, along with paying their own mortgage must also contribute to his rent of a shared room fo…

3334. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason there are college placements assigned by SOLAS, and the Education and Training Boards, often to places far from where apprentices are living; whether his Department have plans to prioritize local training allocations and reduce delays in these; and if he will make a statement on the matter. […

3335. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for information about the working group established in response to the Programme for Government commitment to advance the research infrastructure requirements of the higher education sector, specifically about the programme for research in third-level institutions, some of whom are using equipment that …

3336. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science despite an increased investment in SOLAS for the FET sector of 37% since 2020 and with an allocation of over €1 billion in 2025, the reason his Department is making cuts in SOLAS funding by his Department, resulting in contracts for adult educators not being renewed; and if he will make a statement on t…

3337. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on plans for a centre (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41495/25]

3338. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if all external legal fees incurred by his Department, and by any bodies under its aegis, are charged at negotiated discounted rates; how fees are monitored for compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41505/25]

3339. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department conducts regular benchmarking, or market testing, to ensure that the rates paid for legal services, solicitors and barristers, represent value for money for the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41523/25]

3340. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to detail the procurement processes used when engaging external legal firms and barristers, including whether panels are used; how often these are refreshed; the criteria used for selection and performance review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41541/25]

3341. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department has conducted any audits or reviews in the past five years on legal fee spend; if so, to publish the findings or summaries of those reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41559/25]

3342. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the internal oversight that exists within his Department to monitor the scope, duration, and cost escalation of legal services once engaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41577/25]

3343. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department makes use of capped fee arrangements, fixed-fee briefs, success-based fee models or other such arrangements in its legal engagements; if not, the reason such options are not considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41595/25]

3344. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether any legal engagements have exceeded their initial estimated or approved cost in the past three years; if so, the number of such cases and total overrun; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41613/25]

3345. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to outline whether English language lessons are available to every person seeking international protection; whether it is mandatory in any circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41646/25]

3346. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reasons that the undergraduate psychology degree programme (PC414) at Carlow College is not currently included in the Free Fees Initiative and is not eligible for SUSI grants or funding, despite being equivalent to psychology degrees offered by other institutions that do qualify under both schemes; if h…