David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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334. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of an additional 100 undergraduate nursing places; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35637/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has a Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM) which allocates core recurrent funding to institutions. The grant is allocated as a block recurrent grant and the internal allocation of this grant is a matter for each institution.

In the case of nursing students, State grant and fees are paid separately from ring-fenced Nursing funding (i.e. nursing students are not included in the RGAM). The HEA currently pays a fee rate of €4,106 per eligible student and an average grant per student of c.€3,350. These students are liable to make payment of the Student Contribution of €3,000 annually. Eligible students may have the student contribution fully or partially paid on their behalf under SUSI.

Please find attached a spreadsheet detailing the estimated additional cost to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for increasing the number of undergraduate nursing places by 100 students.

Please note the following:

- The attached represents the estimated additional cost to the HEA (excluding the €3,000 student contribution – some students may be eligible to have this paid under SUSI) using an average cost of €7,500 per student per year. This represents an average of funding currently provided by the HEA for grant and fees for nursing undergraduate places

- The attached excludesany rostered placements salaries– the costs of this fall on the Department Health /HSE.

- There may be other costs that fall to the Department of Health/HSE.

- The attached shows just the cost for onecohort of an additional 100 nursing students.

Note: excludes €3,000 student contribution (which may be paid by SUSI) and other costs (e.g. rostered placements salaries) which may fall on Dept Health/HSE.