Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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We had a Brexit-proofed budget in 2019. Funding has been increased. For the past two budgets, the fund for the Irish Research Council is €2.5 million for young researchers. Science Foundation Ireland has been working on this for the past two and a half years since the result of the Brexit referendum, as have our higher education institutions. From my previous role, I know that Science Foundation Ireland would have been talking to the various higher education institutions, even in the UK, to see if we could collaborate and perhaps share senior academics.

A question was asked about English language units. I am bringing the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill through Seanad Éireann. This Bill will ensure that we have a very high-quality product in English language schools. I have got it through the first part of Dáil Éireann and members will be delighted to hear that it is coming through the committee. It is hoped it will go through Dáil Éireann.

Regarding academics wanting to work in Ireland, we have increased funding in the budget. I have put in place a three-year budget for my senior leadership initiative for academics in terms of gender only. We are hoping that those academics will be appointed here from Ireland or indeed from the UK or elsewhere. It is about having key people and world-class lecturers coming to Ireland. This did not just happen in the past week or month. I very much want to make the point that all Departments and all of the enterprise agencies, including Science Foundation Ireland, have been working very closely to internationalise our education. This project has lasted approximately two and a half years. We have our contingency plans if there is a no-deal, crash-out Brexit.