Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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119. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans for increasing North-South mobility in third-level education institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40590/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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One of the key instruments to enable North-South mobility is the Memorandum of Understanding on Education and the Common Travel Area, which I, along with my colleague, the Minister for Education and the UK Secretary of State for Education signed in 2021. This lays the foundation for North South student mobility in the basis that it ensured there was no change to the fee/ student support post-Brexit;

Furthermore, the Government and I are very conscious about impact of the UK's non-participation in Erasmus, and have committed to financially supporting Northern Ireland students to continue their mobilities, which is very important as many Northern Ireland students undertake internships in Ireland. More than €2 million has been allocated this year, and payments will be made to Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions within the next few weeks.

In 2022, the Taoiseach and I launched the Shared Island North-South Research Programme, which allocated some €37 million to promote research collaboration between institutions, North and South. This initiative is further enhanced by the recent announcement of the agreement between the EU and UK on the basis for the UK to participate in Horizon Europe, which will provide additional opportunities for mobility in the research domain.

Earlier this week, I launched the Economic and Social Research Institute Report - ‘Student Mobility in Ireland and Northern Ireland’. The report highlighted admission issues around the treatment of the A Levels for the purposes of accessing programmes in Irish Higher Education Institutions. While this is a matter for each HEI, I am delighted to note that a Working Group by Universities Ireland (a cross border group composed of the Presidents of all HEIs on the island of Ireland) has been established to take a fresh look to the equivalencies for A Levels.

Finally, my officials are working with their counterparts in the Departments for the Economy and Health in Northern Ireland on the provision of 'ring-fenced' places for CAO applicants for third level places available in healthcare courses, including therapy places to support disability services from September 2023. The Deputy will be aware that following engagement between Queens University Belfast and Ulster University, 200 places in nursing will be made available to students from the Republic of Ireland to be funded by?the Department of Health. Students will avail of these places on the same terms and conditions as other students on the programmes. A further 50 places were also made available in therapy disciplines in Ulster University – 20 places each in occupational therapy and physiotherapy, and 10 places in speech and language therapy.

Engagements are also taking place to advance proposals, which would allow for additional students from the Republic to study medicine in the north. It is hoped to make a number of places available in both institutions from 2024 for students from the Republic who would return to complete their intern year in the HSE.

Finally, the Deputy should be assured of my willingness to explore additional opportunities to promote student mobility, North and South.