Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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67. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the investment made in public and private higher education as a proportion of national income, GDP and GNI; the way that this compares to other countries in the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12785/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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There are no officially published statistics for 2022 which provide the full information covering public and private expenditure on higher education as a proportion of national income of the type requested by the Deputy.  It is also difficult to compare these proportions across different EU Member States given that education systems are structured and funded in different ways. 

For International comparisons I can advise that the OECD, as part of its Education at a Glance publication, provides an assessment of expenditure on tertiary education as a proportion of GDP. In Ireland this includes further and higher education. Expenditure covers not just government expenditure but also expenditure by households; and expenditure from international and private sources. For Ireland, the most recent OECD report based on financial data for 2018 suggests tertiary education expenditure represented 0.9% of GDP, compared to an OECD average of 1.4%.  However, in reality this comparison is not meaningful, given that GDP is not a good measure of the size of the domestic economy in Ireland.  This is borne out by the fact that average figures for expenditure per student at tertiary level were slightly above the OECD average.

In terms of a more meaningful and recent comparison it is possible to give a general approximation of GDP, GNI and modified GNI proportions for the publicly funded Higher Education system, comprising funding investment by my Department towards grant funding and student support expenditure.

Based on the Central Statistics Office's assessment of the size of the economy in 2020 and expenditure on higher education via my Department for that year, the proportion of national income on higher education and student support was in the order of:

- Around 0.6% as a proportion of GDP;

- Around 0.8% as a proportion of GNI.

- Around 1.1% as a proportion of modified GNI, which is the measure which most accurately represents the size of the Irish economy.

It is also important to say that public investment in higher education through my Departments allocation is on an upward trend, and now stands at €2.4 billion. Annual current expenditure has increased by 40% since 2015.

I am committed to continuing the process of investing in our higher education system and to the development and implementation of a sustainable funding, reform and performance model for the sector.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides funding by way of the Students Assistance Fund to students attending eligible Higher Education Institutions who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending third level.  In general, the Fund has a dual focus. It is designed to support students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who have ongoing needs for financial support and also provide emergency financial assistance for other students.  The total allocation for the Fund in the current academic year, including additional Covid support, is € 18.5 million.

Students can be assisted towards costs such as food, rent, heating and lighting bills and other utility bills, books and class materials and costs associated with childcare, transport and medical.

Applications for the Fund can be made by students registered on higher education courses of not less than one year in duration who attend eligible institutions, including students who attend Agricultural Courses within these eligible institutions.

Universities, Technological Universities and Institutes of Technology are approved institutions for the receipt of funding through the Student Assistance Fund.  A number of other Higher Education colleges that receive recurrent grants type funding from my Department are also approved institutions for the Student Assistance Fund.  Agricultural Colleges operate under the remit of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and are not funded by my Department. Given limited resources it is not possible to extend funding to additional institutions without impacting on thoese learners who currently depend on the Fund.