Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)

I welcome the fact Ireland will become an associate member of CERN, and my colleagues in the Labour Party will be happy to support this motion. Scientific and academic research are significant assets to Ireland. This membership has been pushed for a long time by many in the academic community in Ireland, so I congratulate the Minister on having got it over the line. It will serve scientific research in our third level institutions well. Ireland becoming an associate member of CERN will provide new pathways and resources in scientific and academic research for many in the academic community, as outlined in the Minister's statement.

All of these pathways, including masters and PhD programmes, apprenticeships, internships and technical training experience, are very welcome additions to the sector.

Our third level sector and our academic and scientific research programmes in Ireland provide this sector with a positive reputation nationally and internationally. That is down to the hard work and thirst for knowledge and information from our PhD students and those working in our research facilities such as the Tyndall National Institute in my own county of Cork. The Tyndall National Institute has been operating in Cork for over 40 years, as the Minister will be well aware, and continues to grow its presence and increase its research income and income from industry. It is a staple of academic society in Cork and we are very proud of it. It has provided a home for excellent research and further studies for thousands of people across Ireland.

It is vitally important to highlight that while Ireland has a good reputation and our scientific research institutions are performing well, many PhD students are seriously struggling due to the wages they are paid. We have heard many calls from the Postgraduate Workers Organisation for a living wage for PhD students over the last number of years. When you read the stories about the reality for many PhD students, you cannot help but feel the injustice they experience. PhD students put in long hours and work hard to contribute to Ireland’s scientific and academic research but for many at the end of the month they are short money for their bills, their rent and their common everyday purchases. That is simply not right. Those people on the ground, carrying out the work we all commend, are struggling to get by. It is also worth pointing out as it is quite noteworthy that a student who is participating in PhD studies, and whose work has often been in further education for much of their academic time, may never have been working full time. They may have been working part time through their studies and now when they get to their PhD the remuneration can be overwhelmingly paltry. In addition, these students do not have the same protections as many others, including regarding sick leave and holiday pay. I accept that this is a very broad area and one that it is not solely in the Minister's gift to fix but I would sincerely ask him to take action on this issue, to engage proactively with Postgraduate Workers Organisation and to ensure these students, who provide such a vital function to higher education, science and research, are not skint at the end of each month.

As I have previously done on a number of occasions at this stage, I wish to highlight the issues affecting students who come to Ireland to undertake scientific research and studies. International students in further and higher education, science and research, make a significant contribution to our economy and society. Universities across Ireland are conducting vital research through the hard work and dedication of international students. I highlight the work of all PhD students in University College Cork in my own county. This fantastic work serves the betterment of our third level institutions. However, registration fees for international students must be looked at, given that these students must already pay considerable amounts to get a place in our universities and face the same housing and cost-of-living barriers as domestic students.

In this regard, as I have raised with the Minister previously, we must extend the duration of visas for international students so that they are valid for the length of their course or programme rather than having to be renewed annually. Annual renewal puts unnecessary pressure on students but also contributes to more administrative work in immigration and college admissions offices. It is common sense that if a student is here for a four-year course, they should have a four-year visa. It makes sense. I also welcome the fact that, as we heard during the committee earlier, there are significant costs that are covered by the Department with regard to postgraduate fees, PhD fees and postdoc fees but it needs to be highlighted even further that opportunities can be made available for those doing undergraduate degrees or masters degrees. Now that we have become part of CERN, we provide far more incentives for students to continue their studies and provide Ireland with the opportunity for scientific research, innovation and skills right across all our institutions. This is a very welcome development. I congratulate the Minister once again.

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