Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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58. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider having a higher education institution representative at the National Skills Council and the regional skills forums; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12784/22]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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In a slight deviation from my question, will the Minister consider including a member of the Higher Education Colleges Association, HECA, as a representative on the National Skills Council and the regional skills forums?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. I acknowledge that HECA has played a very constructive role in its engagement with my Department since its foundation, particularly during the Covid pandemic. Representatives of the association sat on the Covid steering committee and there has been no difference between publicly-funded and privately-funded institutions in terms of the public health-led approach to the crisis. I thank HECA and, in particular, its CEO, Patricia O'Sullivan, for her work in this regard.

Partnership between Government and key stakeholders, including the enterprise sector and providers of education and training programme such as higher education institutions, HEIs, is a key principle embodied in our national skills strategy. I assure the Deputy that this principle is reflected in a strong voice and representation on the National Skills Council and the regional skills forums for higher education institutions. I take his specific point in regard to HECA. The Irish Universities Association, IUA, and the Technological Higher Education Association, THEA, which between them represent all but one of the public HEIs in the State, are represented on the National Skills Council by Professor David FitzPatrick and Dr. Brendan McCormack, respectively.  Membership of all the regional skills forums includes representatives from universities, technological universities and institutes of technology.

I am providing the Deputy with full details in writing of National Skills Council and regional skills forums membership, which I trust will be of assistance to him. I do not want to give a prescriptive answer tonight but, in light of his question, I will give consideration to representation for HECA. I am happy to engage further on this issue with representatives of that organisation when I next meet them. I certainly think the proposal merits consideration. HECA has a very important role to play in providing courses to meet industry needs, which it already is doing in many ways. The Deputy has asked me a valid question and I will reflect on it and revert to him directly.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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My response to the Minister's fairly welcome reply will be brief. We are well aware of the role HECA plays, particularly in terms of the courses it offers. I understand it currently has 27,000 students nationwide, in colleges ranging from Hibernia College to Griffith College, both in Cork and Dublin, and covers courses from business to education to childcare. There is a good balance in terms of the colleges and students it represents. I understand the National Skills Council meets quarterly or every two months. If the Minister were in a position by the next meeting to clarify whether HECA has been consulted, that would be most welcome. I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, where we regularly have discussions with representatives from HECA. It is obvious that they are held in such esteem that they are invited together with the other representative bodies. They warrant inclusion on the forums we are discussing.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I assure the Deputy that I hold HECA in high esteem. Its representatives are very good to engage with, which we do on a whole range of issues. I have had a number of meetings with them and will continue to engage. In order to take this forward, perhaps the Deputy and-or HECA would formally communicate with my Department and me on the matter. In that way, we will be able to come back to the Deputy, as he suggested, in advance of the next regular meeting of the National Skills Council.