Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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503. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans for a future third level institute in Portlaoise town; the scoping and research advance work done by his Department and his Department’s planning unit; the advance work research and Proposals by the HEA; the planned commencement date of any such Institute; the subjects to be taught; the proposed level of staffing; the plans for student housing to accompany any such institute;- his views on the optimum status of Portlaoise as a well serviced location for a third level institute; and if he will provide any further information in relation to such plans. [23780/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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My Department is committed to delivering a high standard of third-level education across Ireland, as we acknowledge the crucial role that further and higher education institutions play in both regional and economic development.

While there are no current plans for the development of a future third-level institute in Portlaoise town, the established Portlaoise Institute provides opportunities for students to access a range of tertiary qualifications. The Institute offers a range of courses and professional certifications in fields such as Computing, Healthcare, Nursing, Business Studies, and Creative Digital and Animation.

Moreover, as part of the National Tertiary Office's Tertiary Programmes, Portlaoise Institute offers students the opportunity to complete the first year of a four-year Level 8 Degree, and then complete the remainder of the course in South East Technological University's (SETU) Carlow Campus. The courses included in this provision are in Software Development, Business Studies, and IT Management.

The Tertiary Programmes have been available to students since September 2023, and have been met by students with great interest. These programmes signal that there is more than one route into third level education, and that no one pathway is better than another. Further information on these programmes is available at www.nto.ie.

The populations of Portlaoise and Co. Laois are also served regionally by two Technological Universities (TUs), namely Technological University of the Shannon and Mid-West (TUS,) Athlone campus and South East Technological University (SETU), Carlow campus. TUs regional remit stretches beyond the counties in which their campuses are located and embrace their regions as a whole. Since 2019, TUs have provided enhanced progress in the delivery of national priorities relating to access to higher education, research-informed teaching and learning, research capacity building, increased support for enterprise and the skills agenda and enhancement of socio-economic progress and regional development, in particular encouraging regional economic development and indigenous and Foreign Direct Investment.

TUS was established on 1 October 2021, the third TU to be created since 2019. With a student population of approximately 14,000 supported by nearly 2,000 staff, TUS encompasses six campuses spread across four counties: two in Limerick and one in each of Athlone, Thurles, Clonmel, and Ennis. TUS’ strategic plan sets as a major priority the building and enhancing of relationships and partnerships that drive the sustainable development of the region, while their purpose statement emphasises the provision of leading student-centred higher education that is research-informed, regionally-relevant and accessible to all.

South East Technological University (SETU) was established on 1 April 2022 and serves the South East region including County Laois. With a student population of over 18,000 supported by over 1,500 staff, it is spread across 4 multi-campuses in Waterford, Carlow, Wexford, and Wicklow. It is the fifth TU to be created since 2019 and represents a milestone in higher education provision for the South East in being the first university presence in the region, filling what had been a major lacuna. SETU’s strategic plan places a major emphasis on increasing the knowledge capital of the south east of Ireland, in particular driving the social and economic development of the region in domains of regional specialism and high impact, and responding to the need within the south east for the scaling up of quality education provision, with a focus on increasing the level of educational attainment amongst the population, addressing the outward migration of talent from the region, and increasing the flow of students into the south east.

TUS and SETU are major destinations of choice for students from County Laois. In the 2022/2023 academic year, HEA data shows that 355 students from Laois were enrolled in TUS, and a further 710 were enrolled in SETU, representing 1.065 students in total, nearly a third of the 3,580 people from Laois who were enrolled in Higher Education Institutions in that year.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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504. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether a statutory instrument can be altered to include Ballyfermot College of Further Education as an approved provider of third level programmes for SUSI maintenance grant purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23936/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Section 7 of the Student Support Act 2011 outlines the position with regard to approved institutions for the purposes of the Student Grant Scheme. Ballyfermot College of Further Education is approved Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) centre which is managed and funded by City of Dublin ETB. As such, it is comprehended within Section 7(1)(d) of the Act as an “education institution in the State in receipt of grants out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas for the provision of post-leaving certificate courses”. Further education centres are not designated as approved third level institutions for the purposes of providing higher education awards under the Student Grant Scheme.