Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Regarding amendments Nos. 6 and 13, as outlined repeatedly during the Committee Stage debate, the agency has no remit regarding researcher careers. This Bill is not the appropriate place for this and we are therefore not proposing to accept these amendments. The Government is committed to implementing Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy. A dedicated talent pilar highlights the crucial importance of people and talent to the Irish research and innovation ecosystem. It commits to ensuring researchers will be supported with the right skills, development and career opportunities so that they can make their maximum contribution to research and innovation efforts. HR policy in respect of researchers was formalised through the researcher career development and employment framework. This framework addressed the terms and conditions and need for a defined career path for researchers who applied across the research ecosystem. The framework has delivered significant benefits for researchers including a clear and uniform salary structure and salary policy, including incremental progression and general round increases; open and transparent recruitment; clarity around career progression and professional and career development; and clear exit provisions. The higher education institutions are committed to providing stable and fulfilling employment and career opportunities, and the significant majority of university employment is through full-time and permanent contracts of employment at around 83%.

The Department published the first report of the independent national review of State supports for PhD researchers last summer which focused on the issue of stipend levels and recommended an increase towards an optimum level of €25,000 subject to funding availability, on which our Department is working. Funding was secured under budget 2024 to increase the stipends awarded by the two competitive research funders, namely, the Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland, from €19,000 to €22,000 per annum, a 15.8% increase, and building on the additional funding secured in budget 2023. The Department will continue to engage within the budgetary process in order to continue progress on this issue. The final report of the co-chairs will be published shortly and includes their consideration of PhD status. As with all other elements of their work, they must take into account the perspectives of the 35 stakeholder organisations within which they met, as well as the variety of international practices in operation across Europe. The report will provide a basis for ongoing policy development. I recognise there is further work to do here and we need to be working with researchers on these issues to ensure we are retaining our research talent into the future.

Amendment No. 14 relates once again to employment conditions of researchers at the applicant body and for this reason it cannot be included. It is outside the remit of the agency and the scope of the Bill. The Department is engaging in ongoing work and consultation to improve conditions for researchers, including engaging with the relevant bodies associated with this work. We have already discussed this work in detail during the previous debate.