Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis as ucht a róil nua. I welcome the Minister of State and congratulate him on being appointed Minister of State in this very important Department. As spokesperson on public expenditure and reform and Gaeltacht affairs, I am pleased to take part in the debate on the first legislation from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to come before the Twenty-sixth Seanad.

The Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill is short and technical but its consequences will be far-reaching. The Bill establishes a new Department, An Roinn Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus Eolaíochta or the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The establishment of this Department will bring to 18 the number of Departments. Several Ministers will now be responsible for two Departments each, which is a mammoth task.

While I welcome this new focus on higher and further education and research, there are many other areas deserving of such a focus. The issue of our ageing population and the needs of older people is one example. The number of people over 65 is growing rapidly. Within a decade, one in six people in Ireland will be over 65 while more than 250,000 people will be over the age of 80. This brings into sharp focus the challenges we will face with regard to healthcare, housing, transport and social protection.

There are many areas that are equally deserving of the attention a designated Department brings but the establishment of this new Department is an opportunity and should be viewed as such. There are a number of issues I wish to raise which include the funding of the overall sector, the type and shape of the sector and the funding strategies pursued with regard to research.

The sustainability of the higher education sector is an issue which has not yet been properly addressed. We have had numerous reports, reviews and debates but, as yet, few or no solutions. There have certainly been no agreed solutions. The development of this new Department is an opportunity to recognise the value of higher and further education to individuals, the economy and wider society. The number of students is increasing. The Department of Education and Skills estimates that number will exceed 220,000 by 2022. That projection was made long before Covid-19 and its impact on our economy arose. I have no doubt this number will increase as a result of the need for reskilling, training and upskilling.

In July 2016, the expert group on the future funding of higher education concluded that an extra €1 billion in funding was needed each year to maintain and improve higher and further education. The Irish Universities Association estimates that Irish universities, not including institutes of technology or technological universities, generate approximately €9 for every €1 the State invests in them. Aside from this, coming from Galway I know at first hand the positive impact the National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway Technical Institute and other higher education institutions have had on our city and county and, indeed, on the wider region.I cannot overestimate the value of being home to world-class higher and further educational institutions. The positive impacts are everywhere to be seen, from job creation to entrepreneurship; the connection between research and the life science sector, including pharmacology and medical technologies; the role of research in the agricultural and marine sectors; and the crucial research and innovation in the development of renewable energy sources and low-carbon technologies. In addition, with this strategic approach higher education institutions can help develop nationally important schools or colleges in more rural communities. Examples include NUIG's Acadamh in Carna and An Cheathrú Rua and GMIT's National Centre for Excellence in Furniture Design and Technology, located in Letterfrack, in Connemara.

A second point I wish to make is the opportunity for this new Department to develop and nurture a culture of continuous and lifelong learning. Such a culture is necessary not just in economic terms, with the changing and evolving workplace, but also for the personal development of each and every citizen. If the Covid-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it is the ability we have to adapt to new approaches and adopt new ways of communicating. Blended learning is, I believe, here to stay. One cannot, however, beat the benefits of the classroom or the importance of physically attending courses. Notwithstanding the current situation with Covid-19, the facilities our higher and further education institutions have should be in continuous use. I welcome the expansion in recent years of the Springboard programme. This programme has been helping people to reskill and upskill in areas of high need or demand over the past decade. On several occasions it has been broadened and expanded in order that the courses are available at reduced cost or free of charge to people at work as well as free of charge to people who are unemployed.

The third point I wish to raise is the approach that has been taking to funding research at our higher educational institutions. Third level researchers need sustained and regular opportunities to apply for and obtain individual-led funding over their careers. In recent years it has become clear that demand for funding greatly exceeds supply. Researchers spend too much of their time on funding applications for funds where the success rate is low. Many excellent researchers struggle to secure funding to maintain their international competitiveness and their ability to train and provide PhDs and postdoctorates for academics and people from various industries. Individual funding is critical to generating new ideas, making scientific breakthroughs, identifying new directions in science and engineering and fostering innovation. There has been a focus in recent years on funding for specific and defined areas as well as a tendency to provide large amounts of funding to a small number of researchers. We can see this clearly through the approach taken by Science Foundation Ireland. Such an approach omits thousands of researchers who with some State support could leverage further funding for the Irish research sector. If we want our universities and ITs to remain competitive and to be centres of internationally important and significant research, we need to provide an increased level of core funding. This funding will be used for capital and physical infrastructure and technical supports and should include clear ring-fencing of funding for unrestricted researcher-led research, the type of research that often leads to great technological and scientific advances such as those in healthcare, engineering and so forth. We also need a robust evaluation of Science Foundation Ireland and the research direction in which the country is heading. The separation of the role of chief scientific adviser from the role of director of Science Foundation Ireland should also be pursued. The role of chief scientific adviser to the Government of Ireland should be independent of any of the funding organisations.

Furthermore, we need an information campaign to raise awareness of the importance of higher and further education to our economy, to our society and to individuals. We need a co-ordinated approach to the funding and organisation of our higher and further education sector, an approach that encourages personal development, fosters a culture of continuous learning and supports and nurtures pioneering innovation and research.

I believe that the establishment of this new Department presents a golden opportunity to achieve all this and more, and I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, the Minister, Deputy Harris, and officials well. I look forward to working with them. Having been part of the establishment of the Department of Rural and Community Development, I know it takes time for new Departments to bed in, from the simple things such as finding a premises etc. to getting a new Department up and running. I know that both the Minister and the Minister of State have taken that challenge head-on and I wish them well in their roles over the coming years.