Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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268. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will allocate direct once-off funding to the Mayo campus in Castlebar of Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, similar to the Killybegs campus in Donegal to the tune of €3 million, in order that the Mayo campus can invest in developing new courses. [13110/17]

Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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269. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will direct Galway Mayo Institute of Technology to consider not just the financial implications of cutting courses, but also the economic and social impact on the region which the campus serves (details supplied). [13111/17]

Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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270. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider issuing a directive that funding from the HEA to the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology must include a defined amount of money to be ring fenced for the Mayo campus, in order to allow greater certainty for that campus and greater autonomy. [13112/17]

Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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271. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will investigate the possibility and viability of the Mayo campus of Galway Mayo Institute of Technology becoming a stand alone entity, separate from the Galway campus, with its own autonomy in decision making and its own budget. [13113/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 268 to 271, inclusive, together. My Department allocates the recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions including the Institutes of Technology (IoTs) such as Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT). The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual institution. Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day to day affairs, including the allocation of all of its income (both public and private). They are also responsible for the provision and management of courses at their institution.

My Department and the HEA are aware of the financial difficulties being experienced by a number of the Institutes of Technology (IoTs) including GMIT. The HEA has been closely monitoring the financial position of all of the IoTs and in particular are working closely with those Institutes operating in deficit to ensure appropriate mechanisms are put in place to eliminate the deficit as quickly as possible.

In line with the HEA's policy for dealing with financially vulnerable institutes, GMIT has agreed a 3 year financial plan with the HEA to reach a balanced budget by 2017/18 and an external financial expert has been appointed to review the plan. GMIT has also identified a number of areas to address their financial position including implementation of a retention strategy, review of offering versus other HEIs to try to increase demand and new programme development to bring increased student numbers.

The HEA and GMIT Governing Body have re-confirmed to my Department their commitment to implementing a viable development plan for the Castlebar campus as part of this process. GMIT has appointed an Interim Head of the campus in Castlebar to lead this process.

The Department and the HEA recognise the particular challenges attached to multi-campus provision in both GMIT and other institutes of technology. A major review of the funding allocation model of higher education has commenced and the review will look at how the future model can take account of the additional costs associated with these arrangements. My Department and the HEA are committed to such multi-campus provision, including Castlebar.

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 – an issue which is clearly set out in the Report of the Expert Group on the Future Funding for Higher Education, which is currently with the Joint Oireachtas Committee for consideration. However, in seeking to address the issue in the short term, I have for the first time in nine years secured additional funding for the sector with €36.5m additional being made available this year and €160m additional overall over the next three years.

In addition, together with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and following a commitment in Budget 2017, I launched a public consultation process on 10 March 2017 on a proposed Exchequer-Employer investment mechanism for higher education and further education and training.

The proposed investment mechanism on which views are sought in the consultation process arises from a recommendation made in the 2016 report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education in order to more equitably reflect in funding terms the benefits derived by employers from the higher education sector.