Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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62. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to make additional funding available in the upcoming budget to institutes of technology, which have been disproportionately affected by the cuts to third-level institutions since 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28377/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, published in July, clearly outlines the funding challenges in the higher education sector and offers a number of approaches and recommendations for consideration in the medium to long term. As committed to in the Programme for Government, I have referred the report to the Education Committee as part of the process for formulating a plan for the future of the sector and in order to develop a consensus on how that can be achieved.

In relation to the Institutes of Technology (IoTs), the Higher Education Authority (HEA) are closely monitoring the financial position of all of the IoTs and in particular are working closely with those in financial difficulty to ensure appropriate mechanisms are put in place to eliminate any deficits as quickly as possible. In this regard, the HEA has a policy framework in place for engaging with vulnerable IoTs, which includes a requirement for Institutes to submit detailed financial plans setting out a return to a balanced budget situation.

The issue of funding for the higher education sector in the short term is the subject of discussions in the context of Budget 2017.