Parliamentary questions

574. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the amount of current and capital funding that was given for the establishment of the Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland; and the amount of current and capital funding Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland was given in its first year and the projected current and capital funding of Taig…

575. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated timeline for when his Department expects the shortlisted projects under Stage 2 of the technological sector student accommodation programme to commence. [31712/25]

576. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of ministerial management board meetings he has attended since his appointment. [31713/25]

577. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has met with all of the aegis bodies under his Department since his appointment. [31714/25]

578. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has met with representatives of all of Ireland’s higher education institutions since his appointment. [31715/25]

579. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if preparations are in place to run the rent-a-room campaign; and when he expects this campaign to begin. [31716/25]

580. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of phase 2 off-the-job training places available for craft apprentices; and if the number of places has increased or decreased over the past two years. [31717/25]

581. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of staff, and from which units, who make up the team from his Department that has been charged with the periodic critical review of SOLAS. [31718/25]

582. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to identify each of the ten steps as part of the National Apprenticeships Office’s ten-step process for the development of new apprenticeships. [31719/25]

583. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to report on the work of his Department to reform the structure of apprenticeships currently on offer. [31720/25]

584. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the stage of the ten-step process for the development of new apprenticeships is the new spatial planning apprenticeship (NFQ Level 8). [31721/25]

386. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to allocate funding to a local training initiative (details supplied), to retain this vital community development programme. [31216/25]

387. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an updated list of all email and phone lines for use of Oireachtas members within his Department, including all subsidiary bodies, in tabular form. [30775/25]

388. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide the list of capital projects for IT services, by his Department or bodies under its aegis, which had contracts valued in excess of €1million that failed to reach completion; the value that was written off, for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, in tabular form; and if he…

389. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide, the list of capital projects, by his Department or bodies under its aegis, which had contracts valued in excess of €5million, which ran over cost in 2023, along with a description of the contract, the initial price and final price provided, in tabular form. [30823/…

390. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason Ireland is not involved the EU AI Factories initiative to date; if, in the context of the new EU AI Continent Action Plan, Ireland will seek to join a consortium as part of the initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30874/25]

391. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of retired officials that were re-engaged by his Department on a consultancy basis in the past four years and to date in 2025; the reason for engaging them; the costs incurred in respect of their engagement; and if his Department requires consultants to declare conflicts of i…

1645. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the new, targeted measures that have been introduced since the publication of the 2023 Funding the Future – Options Paper on the Cost of Higher Education to directly reduce the financial burden of graduate entry medicine tuition fees for socio-economically disadvantaged students; and if h…

1646. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department holds or has requested data on the socio-economic background of applicants and entrants to graduate entry medicine programmes over the past five years; and if so, to publish a breakdown, by income decile or deprivation index, to allow analysis of equity in access. [29045…

1647. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if there is a formal mechanism within his Department to monitor socio-economic equity in access to graduate entry medicine programmes; and if not, whether he intends to establish one in light of consistent Higher Education Authority data showing the underrepresentation of disadvantaged st…

1648. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the measures being considered to provide greater financial supports for PAYE families who are just above the threshold for SUSI grants and are bearing significant higher education costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29294/25]

1649. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the budget allocation for Research Ireland in the years 2024 and 2025, in tabular form. [29370/25]

1650. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of applicants to commis chef apprenticeship level 6 programme in the years of 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [29371/25]

1651. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will acknowledge the importance of the hospitality industry to County Kerry and Ireland by expediting the development of a training centre for the hospitality sector at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29437/25]

1652. Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a reply will be issued to correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29456/25]