Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is an important issue for the well-being of our students, the next generation of leaders and some of our best and brightest. It is also an important issue from the point of view of the competitiveness of our country, a knowledge-based economy. I want to look at the stipend but, in any review, I want to look at more than the stipend, as the Deputy is suggesting. I think there are legitimate issues around how a PhD researcher or PhD student is classified within the university. I am not suggesting that there is a one-size-fits-all model, or saying the Deputy is suggesting that. Some countries that are viewed as doing very well in this area classify the PhD students as employees while others who also do very well and support PhD students well do not classify them as such. It is an issue that needs to be teased through. I hear of other issues that are probably in the remit of the Department of Justice around visas and the rights of a spouse of a PhD student to work. There are many issues. What we will try to do in the coming days is capture them in a review, appoint an external person to carry this out, engage and then, crucially, report early in 2023.

I am happy to work closely with the Deputy on that issue.

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