Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The quality of our researchers is fundamental to the quality of our research system and its collaboration with partners in industry and policymakers, both in Ireland and abroad. Under pillar 4 of our national research and innovation strategy, Impact 2030, we have committed to ensuring that our researchers have the right skills and development and career opportunities to ensure they can make their maximum contribution, whether in academia, industry, the public sector or elsewhere.

As part of advancing this commitment I announced the national review of State supports for PhD researchers referred to by the Deputy. I was very pleased to appoint Dr. Andrea Johnson and Mr. David Cagney as co-chairs for the review. I met the co-chairs at the end of February where they provided an update on progress of the review. The independent review is very much underway. The two co-chairs are approaching completion of a what has been a very comprehensive round of stakeholder consultations and written submissions. I think they have had engagements with more than 30 stakeholder organisations. They have received more than 750 public submissions. The review report will consider a range of critical issues including stipend levels and the consistency of supports across the system. As I said, they have been meeting with more than 30 stakeholder organisations to understand their perspectives. This included an all-day in-person workshop held on 08 March with researcher representative organisations. They held an online consultation process which received over 750 submissions and closed on 13 March. I expect the co-chairs to conclude their work and send their report to me in the coming weeks. We will then consider the report, bring it to the Government, publish it, and crucially try to make progress on it in the Estimates. The Deputy will know the terms of reference of the review which are quite broad. The review it to look at stipends but it will look at more than stipends. It will look at stipend levels; the consistency and equity of current arrangements; their status as students ard the implications, particularly for things like maternity leave and sick leave; also the impact on the funding of research programmes, visa requirements, and graduate outcomes.

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