Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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112. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 120 of 8 March 2022, if the draft review by the expert panel on the further education and training funding model has been received to date by his Department; when he expects the final report to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25353/22]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has received the draft report of the expert panel commissioned by SOLAS to review the funding model for Further Education and Training (FET). The report was also sent to the Board of SOLAS and Education and Training Boards Ireland.

At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the work of the panel members in reviewing the existing arrangements and making a comprehensive set of important recommendations for improvement. I understand that the panel undertook extensive research, consulted with a wide range of stakeholders and tested funding ideas and approaches via a series of workshops with education and training boards (ETBs).

The report notes how the current funding model reflects a legacy approach, largely driven by established costs. This provides limited incentives through the funding model for ETBs to pursue more efficient delivery methods or to grow learner numbers in line with the objectives of ETB strategies and national FET strategy.

The first step following the completion of the review will be the establishment of an implementation group that will plan and oversee the roll-out of the new funding model, and my Department will participate on the group.

Implementation will require a phased and incremental approach, ensuring that ETBs can plan and respond to the new and evolving funding model. The review is an important enabler for the FET Strategy and I look forward to work with SOLAS and the further education and training sector more broadly to implement the recommendations.

SOLAS will publish the Review report once finalised in quarter 2 of this year.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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113. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the SUSI review. [25283/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I launched the review of the Student Grant Scheme on 4 May. The review was carried out by Indecon Economic Consultants, under the strategic direction of a steering group chaired by my Department. The review involved wide stakeholder engagement, a substantial student consultation as well as novel research on SUSI data and deprivation index data.

The report makes a number of recommendations on issues including the rates of grant, income thresholds, eligibility criteria, complexity of the grant system, part-time learning and postgraduate support.

My Department’s response to the report was set out in Funding the Future, the new funding and reform framework for higher education, which identifies the costs of education as one of my core priorities to address alongside core funding for higher education.

As set out in that framework, in advance of the Estimates process each year, my Department will publish a costs of education paper. This will outline the potential options and impacts of measures to address the costs of education, including changes to the student grant scheme and student contributions. This should inform public debate, and consideration in the Houses, in the same way that the Tax Strategy papers and options laid out by the Department of Social Protection do, in the run up to the Budget.

Informed by those considerations, I am committed to implementing the recommendations of the review in a phased way, in the context of successive annual Estimates processes, alongside other measures to address cost was a barrier to education.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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114. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will abolish all fees for further and higher education and for apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25332/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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On 4th May I launched the Funding the Future framework which includes the Government's policy response to the Cassells and DG Reform Reviews on the future of higher education and which sets out my intention to implement a progressive range of measures to address costs as a barrier to education, in the context of overall Budgetary decision-making.

The policy sets out the vision and direction of higher education funding, our ambitions to drive reform and support agility and responsiveness in the sector, and the need to ensure that students are supported in accessing education and training.

The Government has now made important decisions about the sustainable model for future funding of higher education. Critically, we have definitively taken student loans off the table. We have instead chosen a mixed model of investment, which includes funding from the Exchequer, employers and from students.

I have been clear, however, that I want to see the student contribution in higher education reduced in a meaningful way over the course of future Budgets. I want this done in a way which does not negatively impact on the sustainable core funding for higher education. Higher Education Institutions currently receive c.€438m from student contributions (€248m from students and €190m from the Exchequer through SUSI). Reductions in such income must be offset through increases in other sources of revenue if the quality of higher education programmes and the ability of institutions to meet growing demand is not to be significantly undermined.

With respect to Further Education and Training, provision is largely already free or heavily subsidised. I took the decision as part of Budget 2022 to remove the €200 PLC levy with effect from the next academic year. PLC students who are in receipt of student grants will also benefit from the positive changes I have made to increase the maintenance grant, increase the income threshold and change the non-adjacency criteria.

With respect to apprenticeships, there is no fee levied for the components of apprenticeship training which takes place in an Educational Training Board.

Looking forward to future Estimates processes, my Department’s intention is to publish an annual cost of education paper in advance of each Budget. This will set out the options available to address financial barriers to education, including changes to the student grant scheme, reductions to the student contribution, and other measures. This will seek to inform Budgetary prioritisation to ensure that we fund the most impactful measures to support students and their families.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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115. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he and his Department have identified gaps that would alleviate financial pressure on students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24928/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Addressing the costs of education for students and their families is a major priority for me. That is why I commissioned the review of the Student Grant Scheme, which was published on 4 May.

The review involved wide stakeholder engagement, an extensive consultation with students and research into the costs of higher education.

The review identifies a number of issues, including:

- the rising costs affecting students over the past decade,

- the fact that the income thresholds for eligibility in the scheme have not kept pace with the rise of earnings over the same period,

- particular costs for those who travel long distances to their place of education and the costs associated with postgraduate study.

I have already taken a number of steps to alleviate financial pressures, which help to tackle issues raised in the Student Grant Review. These include:

- Increasing the grant payment for all those in receipt of a maintenance grant by €200;

- Increasing the qualifying thresholds by €1,000 to bring more people into the grant scheme;

- Changing the qualifying distance for the non-adjacent rate of grant to help students who live further away from college;

- Increasing the postgraduate fee grant from €2,000 to €3,500 and increasing the postgraduate fee grant income threshold.

I have committed to publishing an annual costs of education paper, which will set out the range of options to address costs, including changes to the Student Grant Scheme and student contributions. This will seek to inform decision-making at Budget time regarding the measures which can be taken to continue to support students and their families.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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116. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of adult education tutors and the lack of engagement from his Department and the Department of Education on aligning them onto a public sector pay scale, despite clauses in numerous national agreements and an outstanding Labour Court recommendation from March 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25385/22]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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A range of industrial relations issues pertaining to adult education tutors have been under discussion for several years under the aegis of the Department of Education and Skills preceding the establishment of my Department.

Notwithstanding this progress, the claim to align tutors to a pay scale of an existing grade in education and training boards (ETBs) currently remains unresolved. The Labour Court recommended in 2020 that the official side identify the scale of cost it was prepared or able to absorb and make an offer within those parameters given the constraints applying under FEMPI legislation and the Public ServiceStability Agreement (PSSA) in relation to cost-increasing claims.

This recommendation was made in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic and consequently theDepartment's ability and capacity to develop a full response and engage on the issue was constrained by pressure of work arising from the public health emergency and the establishment of the Department during that period at which time responsibility for the claim transferred.

The Sectoral Bargaining Fund under Building Momentum is to deal with outstanding issues within the terms of the Fund and within the Exchequer funding limit in place. As the Department of Education leads negotiations for the ETB sector, my Department is liaising with it and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with a view to finalising the official position at the earliest opportunity. An assessment of the costs involved in any alignment to a pay scale is being undertaken as part of this work. Officials met with TUI and SIPTU representatives yesterday and it was agreed that a Working Group would be established to assist in that work.

Arising from the work of the group, I expect that my Department will in a position make a proposal to staff representatives in the coming weeks with a view to resolving this issue.

I will keep the Deputy updated on progress in relation to seeking to resolve this claim.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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117. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are plans to review the criteria for the SUSI grant to take into account of unavoidable outgoings such as mortgage repayments. [23264/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I very much recognise the heavy demands on families from outgoings of all kinds, including mortgage payments, but also many other unavoidable costs of living.

What is very important in any scheme which involves means assessment is that it is as fair as possible to all applicants.

The assessment of means under the Scheme is based on gross income from all sources before the deduction of income tax or the universal social charge. Certain social protection and Health Service Executive payments are exempt from this.

The assessment of income from the same starting point is deemed to be fair and reasonable because this approach eliminates any distortion which might arise from different spending patterns in different households. The retention of a gross income basis for assessment was recommended in the Review of the Student Grant Scheme, which highlighted the complexities associated with net income assessment.

My aim is to continue to make changes which help families in the fairest way possible. I have already made significant changes to the level of grant, to income thresholds and adjacency rates which will come into effect this September.

I will continue to put an emphasis on measures to address the costs of education in future Budgets. I have also committed, as part of the new funding and reform framework, to publishing an annual costs of education paper which will set out the options available in advance of the Budget to address costs and make changes to the Student Grant Scheme. This should enable consideration and debate regarding the measures which are most fair and impactful in addressing costs for families which could be prioritised in the annual Estimates process.