Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

3. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to close the funding deficit in the university sector, first identified in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14865/25]

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Under the austerity measures introduced after the economic crash, funding to third level institutions was cut. Universities were asked to more with less money. To make up the funding shortfall, a student contribution was introduced. Austerity is supposedly over and we were promised these cuts would be reversed but this has not happened. What measures does the Minister intend to introduce to close the funding deficit and when will they be enacted?

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Cassells report was published a number of years ago and that was superseded by the Funding the Future framework. That was published in May 2022 and outlines the vision for how higher education will be funded and how this will support students, employees and wider society. The framework identified a figure of €307 million as representing the quantum of increase in core funding required to deliver enhanced performance, strategic reforms and strengthened quality of outcomes. An additional €307 million was identified as optimal to progress the system.

Over a number of years, additional core funding is being prioritised through the Estimates process in order to deliver on the increased level of funding identified in this framework and to provide enhanced system capacity to respond to national priorities. The enhanced higher education system performance to be delivered in return for increased investment is to be aligned to strategic priorities defined in that framework, alongside parallel efforts to address the cost of education as a barrier to participation, which we discussed in the last question.

Over the three budgets since the publication of that strategy, an additional €164.4 million has been secured in Exchequer and employer funding, with a commitment to deliver a further €100 million by 2030 from the National Training Fund. The €164.4 million includes €58.7 million that was secured in the last budget - budget 2025 - for funding the future. That additional €58.7 million will create space for higher education institutions to increase staffing and capacity, enable a greater alignment of provision with priority skills needs and facilitate the further development of tertiary programmes.

With Government colleagues and elsewhere, I will continue to advocate for continued Exchequer investment in future Estimates processes to deliver on priority commitments, including priorities such as healthcare places, therapy places and tertiary programmes.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I welcome that the Minister said he will try his best to get this but this €307 million deficit was first raised in 2016. The Irish Universities Association, IUA, has said it will not fund pay increases. Has this been sorted? That also lends to this deficit. The austerity programme introduced in the State punished ordinary people and bailed out the banks and the bondholders, and it caused increasing hardship for many of the most vulnerable of our citizens. It is incredible that it is still causing hardship today.

The first Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science promised to reverse the cuts and address the funding gap. This was Simon Harris, and there have been two other Ministers with this portfolio since and nothing has been done. We have an ongoing cost-of-living crisis in the State and yet, hard-pressed parents are asked to shell out for student contributions to try to give their children a good education. Universities have, in some cases, increased the cost of student accommodation to try to bring in funds. This puts further economic strain on students and their parents.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On the Deputy's comment about the two other Ministers since; there have been three Ministers in the past five years since this Department was created. The Tánaiste served for four of those years, the then Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, served for six months and I have been here for two months. Give us a chance and let us see where we are. I will certainly make my best efforts, as the Deputy acknowledged.

The figure has been met. The gap of €307 million was identified and there was the Cassells report which I was there for. I met the author of it at the time. I contributed to that report as a then Opposition TD and the Funding the Future framework brings that up to date. That figure of €307 million has been identified but that has been incrementally brought down. There has been €164 million of investment to date, with a further €100 million to follow in this Government term.

That is a programme for Government commitment. That is one I absolutely intend to honour and I will have those discussions as part of the budget Estimates process. Indeed, I would like the Deputy's support on that because I presume she will be participating in the relevant committee at the time. That is something that is very much a goal of this Government.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I ask again about the pay increases that are not being funded. That is a big issue and while I welcome increased investment in higher education, there is still that deficit to be filled. More funding does not necessarily mean better outcomes if inefficiencies persist. As students already contribute significantly through fees so there is a clear need for the Minister to assess the needs of higher education. I acknowledge the Minister has said he is committed to doing so and I look forward to seeing great advances in third level institutions as education is the key to our future.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy mentioned more funding does not necessarily lead to greater outcomes. That is why it is all the more important it is delivered in a strategic way and, as I said in my first response, the Funding the Future framework does have that at its core - to align funding with enhanced performance and strategic reforms and quality of outcomes. I agree with the Deputy and that is why we are doing it in a targeted, measured, managed fashion.

In terms of the pay awards, that is a slightly separate issue. Funding in respect of the public sector pay awards is separately provided for as part of the annual budgetary process.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is not. Has it been?

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

There was a pay agreement entered into between Government and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions last year and in the Revised Estimates, an amount of €24.9 million was provided in the base for the higher education sector in anticipation of that pay deal being agreed. That is a slightly separate track. I appreciate there are competing priorities, as always.

That highlights the difficulty of any report, be it Cassells or Funding the Future, in anticipating and planning for higher education growth and for core funding to increase because there are always other competing demands and there are emerging issues such as pay disputes and pay awards that can follow. There is then a question of whether that comes from core funding, whether it is additional funding or supplementary funding or how do we make that jigsaw complete. That is part of the ongoing challenge.