Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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458. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the main policy achievements of his Department since 27 June 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31863/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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There have been significant policy achievements made since the establishment of my Department in August 2020. The 2021 Annual Report for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science provides a comprehensive overview of the Department's achievements in 2021. The link for the Annual Report can be found here: www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/76993-annual-report-2021-department-of-further-and-higher-education-research-innovation-and-science/.

2022 and the first half of 2023 have seen a similar level of achievement and delivery in my Department, some of those key policies are listed below.

Higher Education

Funding the Future:Funding the Future was a landmark policy announced on May 3, 2022. After considerable consultation with stakeholders it set forward a long-term viable finance plan for higher education. With an approximate 25% increase in additional investment for each new student in the higher education system made accessible in Budget 2023, the work on Funding our Future to address basic funding needs also serves as a standard for the sustainable funding of additional spaces.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:In May 2022, I announced funding of €3 million a year to 2025 in order for higher education institutions to implement universal design and inclusive practices on their campuses in order to improve the opportunities for students in higher education with intellectual disabilities.

In October last, I launched the Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment Implementation Plan. This supports a zero tolerance approach already in place to issues of sexual violence and harassment in our Higher Education Institutions. The Plan has also secured funding of an additional €1.5 million in Budget 2023. This will support the appointment of Sexual Violence and Harassment (SVH) Prevention and Response Managers in our Higher Education Institutions.

National Access Plan: The fourth National Access Plan was launched in August 2022 - 'A strategic action plan for equity of access, participation and success in higher education'. The National Access Plan, which covers the period from 2022- 2028, is a national priority and a key commitment in the Programme for Government. Additional funding of €35 million will be provided by the Department to deliver the targets over the course of the 7 year plan.

Technological University Agenda:The South East Technological University, the fifth TU in Ireland, was officially opened in October 2022. It is the first University in the region and demonstrates both the regional impact and national reach of these institutions. It will remain a key focus for myself and my Department to support the TUs in achieving their goals over the coming years.

Higher Education Authority Act 2022: The HEA Act was commenced on November 10^th2022. This framework sees a significant strengthening of governance structures across the higher education sector and provides a robust framework in which agile higher education institutions can deliver on their mission.

Student Accommodation: Secure and affordable accommodation is essential for ensuring that students can focus on their studies and achieve at their highest level. To help deliver this, for the first time, the State will assist with the cost of building student accommodation to ensure increased availability and promote greater access, particularly for student groups in need of additional supports. My Department has recently established a dedicated unit to support student accommodation matters. The immediate focus will be to engage directly with Higher Education Institutes to activate those building projects which have already secured full planning permission.

PEACE PLUS:Since the establishment of my Department, there has been significant focus on our shared island. One major outcome of this is the PEACE PLUS Programme (2021-2027). This Programme is aimed at reinforcing progress towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous society in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. The total value of the PEACE PLUS programme will be €1.145bn. The Department, along with the Department for the Economy in NI, has been designated as an Accounting Department for one of the key investment areas under this heading, which focusses on up/ re-skilling for persons in the programme area i.e. Northern Ireland and the 6 border counties. A total of €50 million has be set aside for this proposal, over the lifetime of the programme.

Further Education and Training

Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) Strategy:In January 2022 I announced that €3 million will be allocated for the implementation of the Adult Literacy for Life Strategy. This investment made it possible to build the resources needed to meet the adult literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy goals, such as the recruitment of regional literacy coordinators. An additional €2 million was allocated in Budget 2023 to support the Adult Literacy for Life Strategy.

Apprenticeship: My Department introduced the National Apprenticeship Alliance (NAA) in March 2022. The NAA has an advisory role in the development of the apprenticeship system and is entrusted with monitoring and approving the growth of new apprenticeships over the next years.

In April 2022, I launched a new gender-based bursary for apprenticeship employers. This bursary covers all new apprentice registrations from that date on the eligible programmes. The bursary, which is worth €2,666, is available to employers who employ apprentices on any national apprenticeship programme in which there is more than 80% representation of a single gender.

Employers who hire apprentices on post-2016 programmes now qualify for a new award of €2,000. This removes a significant barrier to employer involvement in apprenticeship by providing financial support to all apprentice employers for the first time. Budget 2023 included €400,000 for the Access to Apprenticeship initiative's expansion and the creation of an apprenticeship bursary for underrepresented groups.

The ‘Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025’ sets out a five-year strategy to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to reach 10,000 new apprentice registrations per year by 2025. In 2022, there were 8,286 registrations, an indication that the addition of FET options to the CAO in 2021, meaning the full range of options was visible to school leavers for the first time, had a positive impact.

Ukraine: 2022 saw large numbers of displaced students coming from Ukraine to Ireland. My Department has worked tirelessly to facilitate these students to pursue Higher Education in Ireland. The majority of Irish students who lived in Ukraine were studying medicine or dentistry. The Irish Universities Association (IUA) has put in place a working group to allow Irish students returning from Ukraine to continue their education and integrate into the relevant programme at the correct level. My Department has also introduced Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses for Ukrainian people to allow them to progress their education and skills while in Ireland. This will greatly benefit Ukrainian people gaining Temporary Protection in Ireland.

Further Education:Following on from the findings of a review conducted by an independent expert panel, I announced plans to switch to an outcome-based funding model for further education and training (FET) in July. This will allow for a simplified approach to funding education and training boards (ETBs), while new funding models will allow more flexible spending and learner-driven education. There is now also the '5-pot' structure which provides students with more autonomy and flexibility.

In August 2022, my Department announced 13 projects to be funded around the country under the Further Education and Training Strategic Infrastructure investment Fund. SOLAS and the HEA have been allocated a total of €17.2m in additional capital investment which will allow for the development of further training capacity, including the development of two large training hubs dedicated to electrical training for the next three years; expansion of electrical, plumbing and carpentry programmes across further and higher education; the construction of electrical workshops at Kilkenny and Carlow ETB and the development of a training facility in Donegal, along with the expansion of electrical apprenticeships in ATU Donegal and MTU Kerry.

Research and Innovation

Impact 2030:Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy: In May 2022, the Government approved Impact 2030. The main purpose of this national strategy is to guarantee that Ireland's investment in research and innovation has the greatest impact on the broadest range of people as possible.

Innovate for Ireland:In July last, I, along with Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced Innovate for Ireland, an ambitious partnership between industry and government. The State will invest several million euros over a number of years, subject to matching funds from private investors, to attract and keep research talent. The Innovate for Ireland initiative's initial phase aims to draw up to 400 PhD students of the highest calibre to Ireland to conduct research on important national and international issues like climate change and adaptation, global health and pandemics, water scarcity, the digital society, and cyber-security.

Other Research Projects:The past year has also seen strong investments in Ireland’s research landscape, such as undertaking preliminary work on the new Research Bill, for which the General Scheme has been published, progressing Irish projects under EuroHPC and creating the National Grand Challenges Programme, to name but a few.