Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I hope that I have never dismissed the Deputy's questions. I have been engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The issue of the contractual arrangements of those working in the higher education sector is very important. I have raised it with the HEA and with those who fund research, such as the Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland, because they also have a role to play. I have also discussed the issue with staff representatives and other bodies within the sector. There are many different factors giving rise to non-permanent staffing arrangements. I understand that these are a feature of many higher education and research systems. I have sought to ensure the necessary information is examined to see how the issue can best be addressed and to ensure that Ireland is best in class in this regard and certainly not an outlier when compared with other educational systems. The HEA is undertaking analysis to establish the scale of precarious employment in higher education over time, the reasons behind it and any impacts it is having on the sector. It will also make any necessary recommendations. Detailed engagement between the HEA and the employers in the sector will be critical in assessing the situation and addressing underlying issues.

With specific regard to work undertaken by PhD students, as advised in previous replies to parliamentary questions, my Department has engaged with the HEA, research funders, the Irish Universities Association, the Technological Higher Education Association and other representatives and relevant information has been compiled and examined. We have established a subgroup of the national advisory forum for Ireland's framework for doctoral education. This subgroup is now considering the matters further, including at a very recent meeting held in the last few days. The matters under consideration include existing practices and examples of national and international best practice.

In parallel, and in direct response to the question, my Department is engaged with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the HEA with a view to finalising a new higher education staffing agreement. This will update the current employment control framework and give particular consideration to the different categories of staff covered, alignment with new funding streams and contractual commitments in the sector and the need for staffing decisions taken in higher education to be affordable and sustainable from the perspectives of higher education, the Exchequer and wider public service staffing and pensions. My Department will continue to interact with the sector, the HEA and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on these work streams to make progress in light of the employment data across the sector.

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