Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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694. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total allocated in targeted spending in each year to address the backlog in apprentices accessing off-the-job training in 2018, listing any unspent funding in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52883/21]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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Funding for apprenticeship grew from €122m in 2018 to over €198m in 2021. The 2021 allocation includes €12m funding to the HEA to support increased provision targeted to addressing waiting lists for access to off-the-job training for a number of craft apprenticeships. 2021 also saw the allocation of €20m in capital funding across the further and higher education sector in 2021 to deliver additional workshop space and equipment to address the backlogs.

Ongoing COVID-19 restrictions throughout 2020 and in the first half of 2021 meant that the full budgeted cohort of apprentices could not be facilitated as expected. The annual breakdown information requested by the Deputy is being compiled by SOLAS. An answer will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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695. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details on the higher education strategic infrastructure fund including the terms for accessing funding; the amount allocated to the fund; the projects approved and denied; the status of all projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52884/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The funding allocations under the co-funded Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund (HESIF) programme were done by way of competitive call against set criteria outlined in the call document. The call document was published in December 2018 with the deadline for applications in April 2019.The Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund applications were appraised by a HEA-led team under the terms and conditions that issued to the Institutions in January and March 2019.

Applications from 15 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were received (see attached table) and assessed with the five successful projects listed below scoring highest.

The 5 successful projects are:

- Maynooth University Technology Society and Innovation Building

- IT Sligo Extension to Central Campus (E01)

- UCC Cork University Business School

- NUI Galway Learning Commons

- UCD Future Campus Phase 1

As the Deputy will be aware, delivery of projects in the higher education sector is devolved to the higher education institutions. Responsibility for the planning and procurement processes, as well as project delivery timelines, all fall within the remit of the HEIs. The projects identified above are now at various stages, from planning and design to construction.

Project reporting to the HEA is in line with agreed Devolved Control Procedures.