Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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599. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline plans he has to move higher education to a unified funding system for universities and technological institutes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23012/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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On the 4^thof May I launched Funding the Future – a landmark policy on the future of higher education.

Funding the Future, which was approved for publication by Government, settles the question on sectoral funding Higher Education. The policy sets out the vision and direction of higher education funding, our commitment to addressing legacy issues in higher education and detailing our ambitious plans for investment and reform.

As outlined in the framework, my Department will engage with the HEA to develop and implement the necessary changes and updates to the funding distribution model to ensure it aligns with and facilitates key reforms necessary.  The objective of this process is to ensure a transparent funding model which reflects sectoral developments, encourages high quality teaching & learning provision, excellent research and the achievement of key strategic objectives. 

This will be supplemented through the development of cost reporting with the sector, which will inform the consideration of future strategic policy objectives and outputs. This will build on the progress realised from the RFAM report and will be further informed by the recent report between the HEA and the OECD on resourcing higher education.

The Funding the Future policy is available on the gov.ie website at the following location: www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/49e56-future-funding-in-higher-education/.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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600. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline plans he has to allocate additional resources from the National Training Fund to higher education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23013/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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On the 4th of May I launched Funding the Future – a landmark policy on the future of higher education. Funding the Future, which was approved for publication by Government, settles the question on funding Higher Education. The Government has decided that income contingent loans for fees will not form part of the future funding model. Instead, the Government is committing to a multi-funded model of additional Exchequer investment and employer contributions through the National Training Fund.

The policy sets out the vision and direction of higher education funding, our commitment to addressing legacy issues in higher education and detailing our ambitious plans for investment and reform. This includes planned additional investment of €307 million to address core funding challenges for our institutions, that will be made over a number of years through annual budgetary processes. This does not account for future demographic needs or new policy proposals for higher education.

Given the strong need for alignment of skills outputs with needs of employers, it is proposed that the National Training Fund will continue to form part of the funding model.  Investment to date through the National Training Fund has made a significant contribution, supporting apprenticeship provision, funding innovative approaches through the Human Capital Initiative and delivering enterprise focused programmes which are responsive to skills needs.  This continued investment is strategically important to the continued agility and responsiveness of higher education to national socio and economic priorities.  

The allocation for each scheme under the NTF is generally determined as part of the annual Estimates process with the NTF being included as an annex to the published Estimates of my Department. As the Deputy will appreciate the exact source of funding, either Exchequer or NTF, is subject to future budget considerations and it is not possible at this time to speculate on any changes to the NTF contributions.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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601. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if funding supports for apprenticeship are allocated from the National Training Fund; the total expenditure in each year since 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23014/22]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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Apprenticeship training is funded from the National Training Fund (NTF) and the expenditure on apprenticeship since 2011 is set out in the following table.