Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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491. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which he remains satisfied regarding the adequacy of the number of third and fourth level places available in the current year and for future years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31673/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate that during these challenging times access to education is more important than ever, and I have taken steps to increase the number of places available.

This September more students than ever before were offered a place in higher education through the CAO, with 63,338 applicants having received a CAO offer as of the end of Round Two, the latest round for which this data is available. There is no indication that a higher number of students than usual are opting to defer their place to the 2021 academic year, and given the large numbers of students who have been accommodated in higher education this year it is feasible that the numbers of students reapplying to the CAO next year on the basis of Leaving Certificate results from prior years will be lower in 2021 than previously.

We will continue to build on the progress made this year in expanding higher education provision, and €18 million has been provided in Budget 2021 to deliver an additional 2,700 new undergraduate student places from September 2021. This increase will address demographic growth pressures and equates to an overall investment of nearly €80 million to address the demographic increases since 2018. These places are in addition to the 1,330 additional places commencing in 2021, funded through the Human Capital Initiative Pillar 2, which will be on undergraduate courses in areas of identified skills needs.

Springboard+ complements the core State-funded education and training system and provides free or 90% funded upskilling and reskilling higher education opportunities in areas of identified skills needs. Under Springboard+ 2020, 11,074 places are being provided on 332 courses. This includes additional places as a response to Covid-19 related skills needs, funded through a repurposing of a small element of the HCI Pillar 3 allocation, and further additional places funded through the July Jobs Stimulus package. An additional €7m has been provided for Springboard+ under the 2021 Budget, however the exact number of places to be provided will be determined during the course of the 2021 Springboard+ call for proposals.

Over 2,000 additional places will be provided across a range of existing part-time and full-time postgraduate taught programmes at post graduate certificate to Masters level, funded through the July Stimulus package.

These courses will address skills needs and be complementary to, but broader than the Springboard+/HCI Pillar 1 offering. They will serve not only the requirements of the new economic model envisaged by the Programme for Government but also specific economic and social needs arising from COVID19.

Courses will be open to returners to the workforce, those in employment and recent graduates. All participants, with the exception of returners, will contribute 10% of the course cost. Part time courses will be available to those in receipt of DEASP payments, who will not pay any course fee.

My Department will monitor the situation as it develops and take action as necessary to ensure the availability of a full range of further and higher education options this year and in future years.

I am satisfied that very considerable progress has been made in the 2020/2021 academic year on the necessary increase in third level places to meet current and projected demand, and Budget 2021 will greatly facilitate us in continuing this progress in the next academic year.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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493. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which it has been found possible to accommodate students’ first preference options at third level in the current year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31675/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The CAO is a company established by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on their behalf. Decisions on admissions are made by the HEIs who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Therefore application and offer data is held by the CAO, not by my Department.

According to data released by the CAO, there were a total of 78,168 applicants this year, up marginally from 77,706 applicants last year. 24,458 applicants received an offer for a first preference Level 8 course, and 28,677 applicants received an offer for a first preference Level 7/6 course in Round One of the CAO offer process this year, the latest round for which this data is available. This compares to 23,129 first preference Level 8 offers and 27,274 first preference Level 7/6 Offers in 2019.

These figures are from Round One only and do not include first preference offers received by applicants in Round A and Round Zero of the CAO offer process. Round A and Round Zero are in respect of deferred applicants, mature applicants and some graduate entry pathways. 12,443 offers were made during these rounds in 2020, and data on how many of these were first preference offers is not held by my Department.