Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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171. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will detail any work his Department is undertaking to analyse the reason the numbers qualifying for SUSI grants has fallen over recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25206/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The principal support provided by my Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme. The Scheme is administered by SUSI.

The scheme is demand led and as such the numbers applying each year can change for reasons such as demographics and the expansion and extension of alternative educational opportunities.

For example, in 2020/21, there was an increase in the number of applications for support and an increase in the number of students seeking a review based on the change of circumstances provisions in the scheme. This was primarily due to the impact that Covid-19 had on people’s income levels. The 2020 Leaving Cert cohort was also up circa 4% on the 2019 figure.

In 2021/22, there was a reduction in application numbers. This may have been due to an increased number of alternative educational opportunities not supported by SUSI being rolled out during 2021, such as the expansion and extension of the apprenticeship programmes.

In relation to the percentage of overall applicants qualifying for a grant, these have remained relatively stable over the last number of years. For example, those awarded a grant in 2015/16 was 77.64% of the total applications received, compared to 78.23% in 2021/22.

The Student Grant Scheme is reviewed annually to ensure that it remains up to date with regard to policy issues arising across Government and my department also engages with SUSI on a regular basis to analyse possible trends on the Student Grant Scheme.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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172. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way his Department is seeking to target CAO places in areas of acute skills needs as identified through our national skills architecture and workforce planning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25269/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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At the request of my Department, the HEA has engaged with the higher education sector to seek proposals for increased provision in areas skills need. The areas identified are:

- Social Care and Social Work;

- Healthcare disciplines;

- Construction professions, including civil engineers, quantity surveyor and architecture;

- Science and engineering, particularly as relates to the climate agenda;

- Medical, Chemical and Life Sciences;

- ICT;

- Post-primary education areas covering STEM, foreign languages and modern Irish.

The areas of consideration were identified through the National Skills Bulletin which included a survey of recruitment agencies views on areas in which there was a noticeable skills deficit. My officials also engaged with the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on workforce planning requirements.

This work is at an advanced stage and it is hoped that a significant number of permanent additional places will be created.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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175. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on recent reports that 2022 CAO points are highly likely to reach the record high of 2021; and the steps he will take to increase third level capacity and address this matter. [25237/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The CAO process applications for undergraduate courses on behalf of the Higher Education Institutions. Decisions on admissions are made by the HEIs who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation of the CAO, or in the determination of points levels.

CAO points are determined by the grades received by students, the number of applicants for a course and the number of places available. The number of applications received by the CAO this year has declined slightly from last year's record high, but remains high over all. The Department of Education and State Examinations Commission have given an undertaking that the grades awarded in the 2022 Leaving Certificate will overall not be less than those awarded in 2021. Given these two factors it is likely that CAO points will remain at a similar level to last year although, as with any year, individual courses will see increases and decreases in the required points.

My officials, the HEA and the higher education sector have been engaging on a targeted expansion of places in the higher education system for the next academic year. These additional places will be created in areas of acute skills need as identified through our national skills architecture. The engagements on additional places are at an advanced stage, and I hope to update Cabinet on this shortly.

However higher education is just one element of our broader education and training system. We must also work to strengthen the further education and training system and create additional capacity in apprenticeship programmes.

Information on the options available in further education, higher education and apprenticeship are all available at cao.ie/options and I encourage any potential learners to take a look at see the range of opportunities available to them.