Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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466. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he remains satisfied that science graduates in Ireland are on par with or above the skills emanating from third level institutions in other countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7400/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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467. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which he expects science to play an increased role in the higher education sector with particular reference to ensuring an adequate number of graduates to meet the demands of the workplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7401/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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469. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he and his Department propose to broaden the higher education opportunities for undergraduates with a view to maximisation of their opportunities in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7403/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 466, 467 and 469 together.

One of my goals as Minister is to ensure that potential learners have access to the educational pathways that allow them reach their potential in a way that meets the very broad and rapidly changing needs of our labour force, the economy and society. It is therefore my objective to ensure that there is access into either further or higher education for each person who wishes to pursue educational options at third-level. Last summer I announced over 1,000 additional places in higher education programmes, included nursing, medicine and ICT degree programmes.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) recently sought expressions of interest from higher education institutions interested in building additional capacity in Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, and Veterinary. Stage two of the review process by an expert panel is underway and I expect to receive a report of the proposals before the end of Q1 2023.

There are a number of key strategies in place at all levels to ensure we meet existing and future skills demands. These include policies designed to ensure a pipeline of suitably qualified science and technical graduates, and initiatives to equip young people and the working population more generally with the skills and capacity to meet these demands. Central to shaping these strategies is the partnership approach between the Further and Higher Education system and Government, Industry, the National Skills Council, the National Training Fund Advisory Group, the Regional Skills Fora and the Apprenticeship Council.

The National Skills Council (NSC) within its remit advises on the prioritisation of identified skills needs and on how to secure delivery of these needs. Key high-level trends identified at recent NSC meetings include automation and digitisation, digital literacy and transversal skills. Information on these trends is then used to formulate our skills strategies and initiatives such as the National Skills Strategy 2025; Technology Skills 2022; Springboard+ and the Human Capital Initiative.

There is an upward trend of students opting into science programmes, based on previous years' enrolments, the most recent data available from the HEA shows an increase of enrolments in the broad field of science, mathematics and ICT.

My Department will continue to advance efforts to ensure that Ireland offers learning opportunities to all who wish to pursue then and produces the graduates the workforce needs with the skills that our economy and society require.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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468. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects the third level educational system here to deliver adequate and suitably qualified graduates to meet the demands of the workplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7402/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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470. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he and his Department have identified specific issues likely to contribute to further improvement and achievement in the further and higher educational sectors with a view to establishing a reputation equal to the best globally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7404/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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471. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which he expects to be in a position to continue to influence the higher education system to ensure the ongoing availability of a steady stream of highly qualified technicians and academics on par with the best in the world, thus providing a workforce competent in the skills now required in the workplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7405/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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475. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which students with a technical qualification at a higher-level are becoming available to meet the market requirements throughout the country in sufficient numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7409/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 468, 470, 471 and 475 together.

A priority focus of my Department is to strengthen the skills ecosystem in Ireland to ensure it has the agility and flexibility to adapt to changing priorities in the skills landscape and the rapid, technologically driven changes that we are seeing in the world of work. This is essential to ensuring that Ireland continues to have a skilled and productive workforce.

My Department’s project with the OECD, to review Ireland’s skills approach has seen a comprehensive review through 2022 and the early months of 2023 of these issues.Clear areas of focus emerging include our need to have more dynamic, granular, real-time data to inform how we respond rapidly to industry's needs, particularly across digital skills demands in all sectors; our intent to continue focus on short, flexible and blended skilling options for individuals entering and for people transitioning in the workforce; and, our ambition to progress ease of navigability through options for skilling and ensuring individualised, continuous learning journeys are enabled, encouraged and as easy as possible to undertake.

Our existing National Skills Strategy (currently in place 2016-2025) got a lot right. Partnership was woven into the central fabric of our skills policy approach and continues to be a central focus in how we address future skills needs. Skillnet Ireland are undertaking a significant programme of work to embed enterprise driven responses to Ireland’s skills needs.

There are a number of key skills areas which are being progressed at present, including digital skills, green skills, and transversal skills, all of which will have a significant and long-lasting impact.

For example, in February 2022 government launched ‘Harnessing Digital – Ireland’s National Digital Strategy’, through which we have committed to driving digital skills offerings to enable all across the labour market. This is in addition to providing digital skills for all, with a target of increasing the share of adults with at least basic digital skills to 80% by 2030; and, increasing the numbers of learners graduating with higher-level digital skills to over 12,400 graduates, apprentices and trainees, with ambition to further increase digital skills provision in following years.

In addition, the Green Skills for FET Roadmap 2021-2030 launched in March 2022 and incorporates the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and the Green Skills Action Programme, which began in 2021. This document captures key areas for the FET sector that are necessary to meet the challenges of the green economy and tackle climate change. My Department will continue to work to develop enterprise-relevant courses / micro-credentials to support reskilling and upskilling for residential retrofitting, green skills and offshore renewable energy.

In May last, I launched ‘Funding the Future’, a landmark policy which sets out an ambitious programme of reform. This includes five priority strands of work, one of which is focused on ensuring that our higher education system can deliver on the skills and talent needs of our society and economy.

In Higher Education, the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) forms a key part of the strategic response to a changing world of work and the challenges the economy will face in the period ahead. With a strong focus on innovation and agility, the programmes being supported will ensure that graduates from the education system as a whole, are in a position to respond positively to the challenges and opportunities ahead.

In relation to research talent, I launched Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategyin May 2022. A key aim of Impact 2030is to ensure that researchers have the right skills development and career opportunities so that they can make their maximum contribution, whether in academia, industry, the public sector or elsewhere. Career pathways will be improved, starting with the national review of State supports for PhD researchers that I announced in October 2022. Having identified the need for more evidence (for example, around intersectional mobility, career pathways and demand for research talent), my Department leads, in partnership with the OECD, the aforementioned 2022 Skills Strategy Project. Pending finalisation of the outputs of the2022 Skills Strategy Project, further more focused work may be undertaken in order to inform future policy development and investment decisions.

It is these collaborative partnerships that are ensuring that Ireland’s future skills needs will be met, and will respond with agility to the needs of industry.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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472. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which higher education costs have increased over the past number of years; the extent to which the proportion of the national budget under that heading has varied in the past ten years; his plans to ensure continued access to third level for all students seeking to avail of third-level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7406/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Higher education costs encompass both costs to the higher education system in delivering provision and costs to the student in accessing higher education.

The Deputy will be aware that the period 2008 to 2015 saw a significant retrenchment in public funding to the higher education system. However, since 2016, public investment in higher education has again been increasing.

In Budget 2023, the Government took important steps that address both the increasing costs of higher education, particularly due to enrolment growth, and the historic underfunding of the sector.

€32.2 million was provided to build capacity in the system for up to an additional 4,125 students, while €40 million was secured under Funding the Future, the agreed policy and funding framework for the sector. This €40 million is the first tranche of funding to address the acknowledged core funding gap of €307 million, with the remainder to be delivered over successive budgets in tandem with agreed reform measures.

As regards the costs of higher education for students, Budget 2023 also included a range of measures to alleviate the pressures on our students, in recognition of the increased cost of living, as well as to advance implementation of the new National Access Plan.

For example, all maintenance grants have now increased, effective from January 2023. The special rate and Band 1 rate of maintenance has increased by 14% and all other maintenance grant rates have increased by 10%.

From the 2023/24 academic year, a reduction of €500 in the student contribution fee will be applied for eligible grant applicants earning between €62,000 and €100,000. This measure will benefit some 42,000 students. The threshold for the student contribution 50% grant will increase from €55,240 to €62,000.

Providing accessible, affordable education to all citizens will continue to be a core priority for me and for this Government.

The budget for further and higher education, research, innovation and science totals €3.89 billion in 2023, just under 3.9% of the total national budget. We have grown our spend significantly since forming the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (from €3.59 billion two years ago) demonstrating the Government's commitment to helping the sector fully realise its potential in contributing to economic and societal priorities.