Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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140. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to address the concerns of the fourth level education sector in view of the increasing importance of achieving the highest level of qualification and an ability to compete effectively internationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45259/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The quality of our doctoral education is vital to the development of Ireland’s human and knowledge capital. The National Framework for Doctoral Education provides for the highest standards in the provision of doctoral education and research through the endorsement of a number of key principles. These principles include facilitating consistent excellence in the quality of postgraduate education and training, including research undertaken at Master’s and doctoral levels; enabling and encouraging higher education institutions to work more closely in the delivery of an improved learner-experience and outcome; maximising the employability of doctoral graduates across a broad range of employment sectors by ensuring that the acquisition of discipline-specific knowledge is complemented by the development of transferable skills, and will underpin the international standing of our doctoral awards. A key aim of the National Framework is to underpin excellence in all forms of doctoral education.

The Government is committed to providing a more sustainable funding model for higher education. The report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education has been referred to the Oireachtas Joint Committee for Education and Skills as part of the process for formulating a plan for the future of the sector. I look forward to receiving the Committee’s recommendations which will assist in facilitating informed decision-making for the future direction of funding for higher education.

I am cognisant of the immediate challenges facing the higher education sector and so while the Committee has been undertaking this important work, I have been working in the interim to secure additional funding for the sector. In that context, I secured additional recurrent funding for the sector in Budgets 2017 and 2018 of some €133m that will be invested in higher education.

Following the recent Capital Review, I secured an increase in the Exchequer envelope for higher education which will now see €367 million invested over the period 2018-2021. A significant increase from the €110 million planned previously. In addition €21 million is also being provided to support the development of our pipeline of researchers. These investments will take place alongside the roll-out of a major €200m Public-Private Partnership Programme for the higher education sector, which I recently announced.

All of these investments are in addition to the funding provided by other bodies to the higher education sector, including the recent announcements from SFI and the funding for a new PhD and Research Masters Programme to meet enterprise skills needs announced by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

It should also be noted that an independent Expert Panel appointed by the Higher Education Authority have reviewed the Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM) with a view to making recommendations on the most appropriate model for the future. A Report on the review has been finalised by the Expert Panel and has been submitted to my Department for consideration.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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141. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he remains confident that Ireland's education system at preschool, primary, second, third and fourth levels remain poised to ensure an educational system on par with the best internationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45260/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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In September 2016, I launched the first Action Plan for Education (2016-2019), which sets out our ambition to make the Irish education and training service the best in Europe by 2026.

The Action Planning process recognises that there is no big bang solution and that our success will be achieved by the implementation of hundreds of actions across the sector in its entirety.

I noted at the time that the publication of the Action Plan was the beginning of an annual process. More detailed actions, with quarterly delivery dates, are identified in updated annual plans. These Plans are based on the original five high-level goals:

- Improve the learning experience and the success of learners

- Improve the progress of learners at risk of educational disadvantage or learners with special educational needs

- Help those delivering education services to continually improve

- Build stronger bridges between education and the wider community

- Improve national planning and support services

Progress is monitored through the publication of End of Year Review reports and quarterly progress reports. All of these are available on the Department’s website-www.education.ie-and show the extent to which we are delivering what we said we would. They also help to ensure that attention is focused on areas where progress has not been as expected, in order to drive further change.

In addition, we are currently working on developing a range of indicators, based on national and international benchmarks, to enhance our monitoring arrangements.

Cumulatively, the Action Plans and monitoring process will ensure we achieve the ambition of the Action Plan.