Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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495. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of routine capital funding or steady State fixed capital investment that will be required for all universities, and for all institutes of technology for the years 2017 to 2020; and the amount of this funding the State will have to incur as a result of routine capital funding being built into the fiscal space for the 2017 to 2020 period. [4458/16]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Government recognises the importance of the higher education sector to Ireland's future economic and social development. It also acknowledges that the sector must be resourced sufficiently and in a sustainable manner to ensure it can deliver on our national ambitions.

In recognition of funding pressures in the Sector, an Expert Group chaired by Peter Cassells has been established to examine funding arrangements for higher education and to identify a range of approaches that, combined, will achieve a sustainable funding base. I understand that the Group is in the final stages of its deliberations and I expect to receive its report soon.

I would add that the 2016-2021 Capital Plan provides funding of €350m for the Third Level Sector: a direct Exchequer investment of €150m, including €40m already allocated to the Grangegorman project; and €200m worth of funding for PPP projects. These are hugely important and very welcome investments which will go some way to addressing the capital requirements and, more particularly, the infrastructural deficits that exist in the Sector. They also make a strong statement about the importance of the Sector to our national strategic objectives.