Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1274. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide the number of personal assistants employed in the further education and training system; the number of full-time equivalent personal assistants, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30625/22]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1275. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of personal assistants employed in the further education and training system; if he will provide a breakdown of the number of full-time equivalent personal assistants employed by ETB, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30626/22]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1276. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the justification for the working conditions of personal assistants in the further education and training system including no pay scale, pension and being forced to sign on in the summer; if he will consider providing personal assistants with similar employment terms provided to SNAs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30627/22]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1277. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to the Exchequer of providing personal assistants in the further education and training system with the same employment conditions as SNAs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30628/22]

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1274, 1275, 1276 and 1277 together.

The Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) provides funding to higher and further education institutions for the delivery of key services and supports for students with disabilities. It aims to support the personal, educational and professional development of the participating students. While historically administered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), responsibility for the Fund in the further education and training sector transferred to SOLAS during 2020. SOLAS provides FSD funding to the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) who independently manage the funding allocations to PLC further education providers for services and accommodations required to support students with disabilities. Funding can be used to provide a range of supports and accommodations including non-medical helpers such as personal assistants and notetakers.

Need assessments determine the supports and accommodations requested for students and the individual ETB/ further education college is responsible for decisions on the most appropriate support to meet the needs of the student, in accordance with the guidelines issued by SOLAS.

As noted in the SOLAS Guidelines, where an ETB or further education college employs personnel to deliver supports to individual students, responsibility for the terms of employment rests with the individual ETB / further education college.

The detail sought on the number of personal assistants employed by ETBs under the Fund for Students with Disabilities is being requested from the ETBs and will be forwarded to the Deputy when received.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1278. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of full-time PhD students in each higher education institution; the estimated number in 2022-2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30632/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The number of full time PhD students by higher education institutions for the last three academic years for which there is data available is attached. The most recent year available is data for the 2020/2021 academic year. While my Department produces projections of overall full-time enrolments in higher education, it does not produce projections for the number of PhD students.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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1279. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total cost of PhD stipends to higher education institutions; the average value of a PhD stipend; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30633/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Impact 2030, Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategyprioritises the nurturing and development of talent and excellence to build on Ireland’s reputation as an Island of Talent and a location for research excellence and impact. We recognise that the quality of our researchers is fundamental to the quality of our research system and its collaboration with partners in industry and policymakers, both in Ireland and abroad. The strategy also highlights the need to foster an environment within the research and innovation community that supports our ambition to be an Island of Inclusion and Engagement.

A stipend is a well-established feature of funded postgraduate awards globally, providing an income to the awardee in recognition of the need to devote themselves on a full-time basis to their research. My Department’s agency, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) does not currently collect data on the costs of PhD stipends to higher education institutions.

With regard to the total cost of stipends to higher education institutions and their average value, there are many ways in which PhD education is financed. By way of illustration, the most recent Higher Education Expenditure on Research and Development (HERD) Survey 2018/19 carried out by my Department, found that there were 10,044 research students (doctoral and masters by research) in 2018, of which 3,901 (39%) were fully self-funded. The majority of PhD students are in receipt of grants from their individual institutions and other research funders such as the Irish Research Council (IRC), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).

Our priority under Impact 2030is to ensure a consistent research student experience, regardless of funding source. This reflects the National Framework for Doctoral Education which is being advanced by the associated National Advisory Forum which is co-chaired by two of my agencies: the Higher Education Authority and Quality and Qualifications Ireland.

My Department monitors the issue of stipends, in the context of the resources available to the competitive research funding agencies under the aegis of my Department and the competing needs to which they can be allocated. In that regard, I was pleased to be able to allocate additional funding to the IRC in 2021 to enable it to increase postgraduate scholarships by €2,500 per annum, or 16%, from €16,000 to €18,500. This was made effective from 1 January 2021 and, together with an increase to funding for postdoctoral salaries, benefited close to 1,300 early-career researchers in the system. The move also aligned the stipend level for both competitive funding agencies within my Department, i.e. the IRC and SFI.

Under the Student Grant Scheme 2021, a student in receipt of a postgraduate research award where the stipend portion of the award does not exceed €18,500 may apply to the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) for financial assistance under the Student Grant Scheme 2021.

Other research funders in the national system include the Health Research Board and Teagasc. There are also typically a number of PhDs funded through European Programmes and individual HEI schemes. My Department allocates recurrent funding to the HEA for direct disbursement to HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding as a block grant to the institutions and as autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of this funding is a matter for the individual institution.

Research students in receipt of grants must comply with the terms of their funding award from these bodies, which can vary from funder to funder.