Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her questions. In regard to the action plans for dealing with sexual harassment and violence, she is right that they were due at the end of February. I am awaiting a submission from my officials in this regard. My understanding is that the plans are all, or almost all, in, and I expect to be in a position to give a public update in that regard this month. There has been a lot of good work done in this area, from what I am hearing, across the sector, but there is a great need for that work. I will come back to the Deputy directly on this issue but, as I said, I expect to be in a position to give a public update this month.

In regard to SUSI, the Deputy has highlighted two legitimate issues. One relates to teacher training and the other concerns graduate-entry medicine. The Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, is looking to meet with me on the second issue. I know that organisation well from my engagements in my previous Department. I will take that meeting with the IMO on the issue of graduate-entry medicine and the anomaly, which it is fair to call it, that the Deputy highlighted in this regard.

The Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, will comment on the apprenticeships issue.

On access to campuses, we have a category called "vulnerable learners" and we do not define what "vulnerable" is. There can be a whole variety of reasons that students cannot learn well at home. As the public health situation improves, God willing, we will look to expand the interpretation of that category. I take the Deputy's point in this regard and I genuinely look forward to visiting the Ludgate Hub with her. It could be an example of a model that we need to roll out. I recently visited an initiative virtually, the Longford Women's Link, which enables women to access Carlow Institute of Technology services from Longford. For many of the women to whom I spoke, it would not have been possible to access higher education if they needed to travel. We are on to a winner in terms of the policy objective the Deputy is pursuing in this regard.

Regarding the employment control framework, the issue raised is a legitimate one. My Department is finalising an engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on this matter. I recently met with the Irish Universities Association to update its members in that regard.

I will engage with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on the student accommodation Bill to which the Deputy referred.

See this speech in context