Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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153. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the policies on funding of student unions for third level institutes. [13501/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual institution.

My Department, or the HEA, does not provide funding to the Union of Students in Ireland and has no role in relation to it, including any audit function with respect to its funding. As the Deputy may be aware, the Student Contribution, which is payable by students who qualify for free fees funding, includes certain student service activities including student union services.

A working group was set up by the HEA, at the request of my Department, in 2011 in order to agree a definition for student services for reporting purposes and to update the former HEA Framework of Good Practice for the Provision of Student Services. A revised Framework was subsequently introduced in 2011 by the HEA. The working group agreed a list of areas and activities to be included under the definition of student services and this includes student union activities.