Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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173. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to, and his views on a document (details supplied); if he will be in a position to provide additional funding to the third-level sector; if this will include additional funding to ensure places through SUSI, HEAR and DARE spaces; and if it will increase the number of university places overall and increase funding to ensure that sustainability and innovation within the sector is safeguarded. [10185/20]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the document in question which sets out the universities' proposed role as our partners in the post-pandemic recovery. Among a range of proposals, the document includes the concept of additional university places to help replace the projected significant drop in income across the sector along with a proposal for increased State support. My Department has provided a detailed response to the document and a meeting with relevant officials has been arranged.

As part of the collaborative response to this pandemic with key tertiary education stakeholders, the Department has established working groups composed of experts to assess and respond to the impacts of Covid 19 across the Sector. These working groups members are reviewing immediate operations, medium term contingency planning and the review of specific and acute needs within Tertiary Education. This process continues to facilitate the provision of key information from stakeholders, that will inform immediate and medium term actions to respond to the rapidly changing circumstances.

Mitigating the impact for Higher Education Providers and safeguarding that capacity against the backdrop of the broader economic crisis is a priority. By ensuring that core provision is maintained and in particular by assessing the level of financial vulnerability that may threaten the viability of any specific institution, the Department, the HEA and representative bodies can work together to respond to this crisis.

As part of the assessment of the financial impact on the HE sector, significant work has been undertaken by the stakeholder group chaired by the Higher Education Authority in consultation with the IUA and other representative bodies to collect information on the increased costs and projected income losses advised by HEIs arising from the crisis, based on an agreed set of assumptions.

In order to mitigate the risk for the viability of individual institutions, my Department is now engaging closely with the HEA to provide specific and granular institutional-level detail essential to assess the risk of institutional failure as a means to safeguard future recovery for the sector as a whole. The department has provided a template of required detail to the HEA for analysis, which is being prepared at present in consultation with higher education Providers.

Furthermore my Department has met with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to discuss the potential impact of COVID on the Tertiary Education Sector and the issue has also been highlighted at Government. The Higher Education sector is a key element of the economy’s economic and social infrastructure which also has a crucial role in recovery in supporting economic and social recovery.

The provision of additional financial support to support Tertiary Education to ensure that it can contribute fully to economic recovery and to meeting priority skill needs will be examined in the context of overall expenditure management and budgetary policy in the forthcoming period and also in light of the future Programme for Government priorities and commitments.

Against the backdrop of the projected impact of Covid19 on the financial position of the higher education system, it should also be noted that a significant programme of investment into higher education is continuing in 2020, amounting to additional public investment estimated at €101.8m following on from additional public investment in 2019 of €99.7m – a cumulative increase over the past two years in excess of €200m.

My Department is very aware of the difficulties being experienced by students and their families as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A working group on mitigating educational disadvantage is supporting on-going responses to what is an evolving situation, to ensure the continuation of crucial funding sources such as SUSI grants, the 1916 Bursary Scheme, the Student Assistant Fund, Fund for Students with a disability and other allowances. All stakeholders in this group have worked to support learners without access to sufficient technology and to ensure the continuation of services offered by access and disability offices, guidance counsellors and counselling services.

My Department is also conscious of the importance of the Student Grant Scheme and related supports, such as the Student Assistance Fund and the Fund for Students with Disabilities. These supports have a fundamental role in assisting families who are putting their children through further and higher education.

The HEAR and DARE schemes are operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) and regulated by the higher education institutions. Each institution determines its own admissions policy in relation to the schemes, the number of places they reserve and the allocation of those places. As such, my Department of Education and Skills has no role in the policy criteria of the scheme.

My Department will continue to engage actively with all key stakeholders to ensure the innovation and sustainable operation of the tertiary education system is safeguarded in light of its importance for the recovery of the economy overall.