Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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102. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has satisfied himself with current student staff ratios in universities; and if he has current figures for these ratios and figures for the variances across subject areas. [40366/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department allocates the total recurrent funding allocation to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions (HEIs) including the Universities and Institutes of Technology. The HEA allocates the available funding based on a Recurrent Grant Allocation Model which is driven primarily by student numbers weighted by the relative costs of providing education in different disciplines, rather than on student staff ratios.

The HEA allocates the funding (block grant funding) to institutions and, as autonomous institutions, it is then a matter for the individual institution as to how that funding is allocated internally.

In the 2015/16 academic year, there were just over 18,000 core staff across the higher education system (whole-time equivalents). This figure encompasses some 9,800 academic staff and 8,300 non-academic staff. These figures do not include contract research staff. There were just over 190,000 students (whole-time equivalents) enrolled in 2015/16 giving an average academic staff: student ratio across the higher education system of 1:19.

Funding overall for the higher education sector is a key concern for me particularly in light of the additional pressure that will fall on the system over the next decade or so.  In seeking to address the issue in the short term, I have for the first time in nine years secured as part of Budget 2017, additional funding for the sector. In 2017 additional funding of €36.5m will be made available with €160m additional over the next three years.

The Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, published in July, clearly outlines the funding challenges and offers a number of approaches and recommendations for consideration for the medium term. The issue of improving the staff; student ratio is included among the recommendations  of the Report , however such improvement is contingent on additional funding becoming available to the sector. As committed to in the Programme for Government, the report has been referred to the Oireachtas Education Committee and this consultation will form part of the process of formulating a plan for the future of the sector.  The issue of improving

In addition, in Budget 2017 the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and I, announced a policy review with the aim of designing and implementing a sustainable and predictable multi-annual funding model for higher and further education and training involving increased Employer and Exchequer contributions from 2018. The review will be undertaken as part of the overall response to meeting the anticipated skills needs in the economy over the coming years, in line with the policy framework set out in the National Skills Strategy.

It will include an analysis of the business case for enhanced investment in the higher and further education and training sectors.  In this context it will identify key elements of the new funding model and of the expected impacts including those on employers. The review will include consultation with stakeholders. The policy review will be published by the end of April 2017, and will complement the ongoing work by the Oireachtas Committee in relation to the Cassells report.