David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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119. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 91 of 18 October 2022, if the operational guidelines working group has presented its report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59831/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Operational Guidelines Working Group (OGWG) is an internal working group formed under the auspices of Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI).

The terms of reference for the group are to review the operational guidelines for Community Training centres (CTCs), Specialist Training Provision (STP) and Local Training Initiatives (LTIs) within the FET sector. In establishing the effectiveness of the current Operational Guidelines, the OGWP is examining the practices relating to learner registration, induction, attendance, holidays, sick leave as well as the termination and extension of training and the disciplinary procedures.

The OGWP comprises representatives from individual ETBs and relevant stakeholders are invited to meetings of the group where relevant issues are to be discussed.

The Working Group started its work in June 2022 and reports on its progress to the ETBI Directors Forum. While I understand that it is not proposed that a formal external report will be published, the work of the Group will inform the revision of the Operating Guidelines.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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120. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students and the sectors of the economy that will benefit from his excellent recent announcement of the redevelopment of the former Pretty Polly site in Killarney as a further educational campus and centre of excellence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59788/22]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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155. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to his very positive recent announcement, if he will provide a timeline regarding the future redevelopment of the former Pretty Polly site in Killarney as a further educational campus and centre of excellence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59787/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 120 and 155 together.

The College of the Future Major Projects Fund will support the implementation of the vision set out in the Further Education Strategy.

During a recent visit to Kerry last weel, I was very pleased to announce that Kerry ETBs proposal for a FET College of the Future in Killarney, which envisages the repurposing of an existing factory site, was successful in the first stage of the assessment process under the FET College of the Future Major Projects Fund.

KETB’s proposal envisages the repurposing of an existing factory site, including the existing on-site buildings and its' transformation into a state-of-the-art campus to develop a Centre of Excellences in a range of areas. Included in its' proposal are areas such Hospitality Training, Renewable Energy and Sustainable Green Technologies, Apprenticeship Training (Craft & 2016+), and Lifelong Learning.

The proposed development of Kerry College Killarney Campus envisages bringing the first training and education facility of its kind to Killarney and South Kerry. It is envisaged that the College would serve the needs of local industry, particularly in the provision of excellence in training and education in sustainability and hospitality.

This proposal will now progress to the next stage of the project lifecycle under the public Spending Code which requires the development of a detailed Preliminary Business Case which will begin in early 2023.

A further evaluation of preliminary business cases for the ten proposals will be undertaken in 2023.

My Department and I remain committed to supporting Further Education Institutes and the wider sector in achieving their vision for FET education and provision.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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121. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department intends to calculate or record the number of students from ethnic minority groups such as the Travelling community who are entering further or higher education per annum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58974/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department is committed to the continued roll-out of supports and targeted initiatives to tackle educational disadvantage and support equity of access, participation and success in both further and higher education.

The new National Access Plan (NAP) was launched in August and it aims to support inclusion and diversity in our student body. It recognises the needs of vulnerable learners, including those from the Irish Traveller and Roma Community.

The target set for the NAP has been to increase the number of travellers in higher education from 33 to 150, which represents around 0.32% of the new entrant population. Traveller participation in Higher Education should be much higher, however, given the current baseline data, it is felt that this new target is reasonable.

Only limited data is currently available on the Roma community in Ireland. However, for the first time, Census 2022 included ‘Roma’ as an option category. In line with this, the Higher Education Authority has adopted similar categories in its system.

The target for the number of Travellers in higher education will be reviewed at the Mid Term review in 2025 and this will determine whether this target needs to be revised. At that point we will also look to see if the Roma data available allows for targets to be set for that community.

Whether a person decides to classify themselves as a minority group when they enter Further and Higher Education is up to the person themselves and as such this can lead to difficulty with establishing the actual number of students from any such group.

In the Further Education and Training sector, learner data is collected on the Programme and Learner Support System (PLSS). One of the questions on PLSS is in relation to a learner’s ethnicity. However, it should be noted that information in relation to ethnicity is on a self-declaration basis rather than a mandatory basis.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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122. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to ensure that clinical, educational and counselling psychologists are all able to become fully qualified with funded MAs, PhDs and necessary placements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59754/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department is strongly committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health workforce and support a range of clinical teams in our mental health services.

In this context, the Department is engaging on an ongoing basis with the Department of Health, the Department of Education and other relevant stakeholders with regard to how the further and higher education system can best support workforce planning for the delivery of essential public services.

My Department understands there is a longstanding arrangement in place under which the HSE recruit Trainee Clinical Psychologists and sponsor their training in order to encourage employment with the HSE of suitably qualified professionals. This arrangement now includes Counselling Psychologist in the last budget and is made by the HSE and is not the responsibility of my Department. The question of any costs associated with increasing the number of such funded places are matters for consideration by the appropriate recruiting bodies.

A working group in the Department of Education has been examining the matter of how the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) can continue to recruit adequate numbers of suitably qualified staff and continue to respond to the educational psychological needs of children in recognised primary and post-primary schools across the country.

The group has agreed on a number of actions that must be taken to address supply issues in the medium to long term. These include the development of a workforce plan for educational psychologists within the Department of Education and work has begun with other Government Departments to advance this.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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123. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress that his Department is making to reduce third level fees for students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59308/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am acutely conscious of the challenges facing students and the need for the progressive implementation of measures to address cost as a barrier to education. I also recognise that costs are not limited to tuition fees payable by students and that students have real cost of living challenges such as fuel, food or accommodation and have specific costs associated with their courses such as books or materials.

In Budget 2023, I gave priority to introducing a significant package of measures that will see students and families directly benefit and will help them tackle the challenges posed by the increased cost of living.

In 2022 these measures include:

-A reduction of €1,000 in the student contribution payable by eligible free fees students for the academic year 2022/23. Students eligible for a 50% student contribution grant support as paid by SUSI will benefit proportionally and will see the amount they pay to their institution reduce from €1,500 to €1,000.

-A reduction of up to 33% in the contribution fee for apprentices

-Additional maintenance payment for SUSI maintenance recipients in 2022

-An increase in the SUSI Postgraduate Fee Contribution Grant

-Increased funding for the Student Assistance Fund for the current academic year

From January 2023 the SUSI special rate and Band 1 rate of maintenance will increase by 14% and all other maintenance grant rates will increase by 10%.

In addition to the once off cost-of-living measures, I was also very pleased to secure Government's agreement to the introduction of a permanent new rate of student contribution support through SUSI from September 2023.

For students whose families have incomes between €62,000 and €100,000, there will be a new grant of €500 towards the undergraduate student contribution. I am also increasing the income limit for students to avail of the 50% student contribution grant.

The Post Graduate Fee Contribution Grant by €500 will increase by €500 from €3,500 to €4,000 from September 2023. We have also made changes to allowable income and reduced eligibility criteria for “second chance” mature students from 5 to 3 years.

The changes I am implementing, in addition to previous measures such as removing the €200 PLC levy from September of this year, will see a real, tangible and permanent reduction in costs for eligible students and clearly demonstrate the Government’s commitment to sustainably address cost as a barrier to education.