Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Gavan for raising this issue. I take this question on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Harris, and regret that neither he nor the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, is available this morning. Like the Senator, the Minister is well aware that insecure employment can and does have a detrimental impact on individual well-being and people's ability to plan for the future, as highlighted in the recent report from IFUT. Beyond that, it is also important to acknowledge that precarity can impact higher education at a systemic level in terms of recruitment and retention of staff or the quality of the student experience. It is for these reasons that the Minister is in complete agreement with the Senator that academic precarity should be treated seriously and addressed appropriately.

It is, however, important to acknowledge that there are many different factors that can give rise to non-permanent staffing arrangements, and there are sound reasons a position may not be filled on a permanent basis. For example, occasional, hourly paid staff may be engaged as exam invigilators or for cover at short notice due to staff absence, while fixed-term contracts may be utilised for time-bound activities or those reliant on student uptake. It would simply not be appropriate to recruit such staff on a permanent basis.

Ireland's traditional universities have considerable autonomy in respect of human resource polices under the Universities Act 1997. Although the legal basis for technological universities and other institutions is somewhat different, they too still require operational freedom and flexibility if they are to deliver on their mission.It is the responsibility of the Minister, Deputy Harris, and his Department to enhance, develop and reform Ireland’s tertiary education sector. The measures being taken in that respect will directly help to combat any undue reliance on precarious contracts.

Crucially, €100 million in additional funding has been secured under the Funding the Future framework. This is a significant step forward in funding higher education on a sustainable basis and will enable institutions to recruit the staff they need while helping to remove the temptation to rely on more casual arrangements for budgetary reasons.

In addition, considerable work has been undertaken to develop a revised staffing framework to replace the current employment control framework, ECF. Work is continuing on this new approach, which will better align with the realities the higher education sector now faces. Further, an uplift of some 1,500 core-funded posts under the current ECF was announced in the summer, which will allow higher education institutions to recruit more permanent staff.

Alongside these measures, the national review of state supports for PhD researchers has been completed. There has been an increase in the stipend available to researchers and a work programme reflecting the report’s recommendations is under development.

The concerns the Senator raised and that were referenced in the recent IFUT report are shared by all parties. There is no question that we need to offer pay and terms and conditions that can attract and retain quality staff and provide stable employment for individuals. It is not, therefore, the case to say that the Minister has done nothing; he has done quite an amount, in fact. I am happy that a significant programme of work is under way within the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to do just that.