Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I am glad that something appears to have been done. I know the Minister will accept that until the issue is addressed, the problem will continue. Under the employment control framework introduced in 2011, universities are prevented from hiring full-time staff over and above the existing numbers in most cases. One provision in the employment control framework means that posts funded by sources other than the Exchequer are only to be filled on a fixed-term basis. The culture report published five years ago recommended that this be deleted. Sinn Féin has no objection to the use of fixed-term contracts where there is a legitimate requirement for their use. However, we do have a concern that fixed-term contracts are being used to fill positions that should be permanent. Staffing embargoes and underfunding mean that the student-academic staff ratio is currently 20.6:1. The student-staff ratio at third level in Ireland is the fourth highest in the OECD, where the average is 16:1.

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