Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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69. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the professions of planning; his plans, if any, to introduce measures to increase the number of planners who graduate with environmental and climate expertise; if he has worked with an organisation (details supplied) to increase the number of planners who graduate with environmental and climate expertise; the number of planners who have graduated over the past five years with environmental and climate expertise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27023/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I recognise the importance of enhancing environmental and climate expertise within the planning profession. Indeed, it is clear that sustainability needs to be embedded in a whole range of disciplines in order to prepare learners for the world of work.

At the same time, it is important to recognise that it is higher education institutions and relevant professional regulators who are responsible for the academic content on higher education programmes. Neither I nor my Department have a role in this, but clearly the expectation is that institutions will be responsive to the evolving skills needs of the sectors they serve.

In line with Ireland’s Second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development, ESD to 2030, my Department has established a sectoral advisory group to support the further and higher education sector in exploring issues including best practice in embedding sustainability within programmes.

My Department liaises with the professional representative bodies of key professions, including the Irish Planning Institute, in order to discuss skills supply and demand. Discussions with the Irish Planning Institute were focused on supply and demand of professional planners in the broad sense, and not specific to those with environmental and climate expertise.

Funding is also provided under Springboard+ and the Human Capital Initiative for programmes that support the development of professionals in areas of identified skill need, including planning.

My Department and the tertiary education sector will continue to support and enable expansion of relevant courses to help equip planners with environmental and climate expertise through targeted funding and appropriate collaborations, to promote a responsive and well-prepared planning workforce.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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70. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the supports provided to third level students with ADHD. [27060/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Inclusion is one of the six strategic goals set out in my Department's Statement of Strategy. The National Access Plan has identified a number of priority-groups who are underrepresented in higher education and need additional focus, including students with ADHD.

My Department has provided funding of an additional €35 million to support the objectives of the NAP over its lifetime from 2022 to 2028, including a new PATH 4 stream, which puts a particular focus on students with a disability, including those with an intellectual disability.

PATH 4, among other things, has supported the development of inclusive, universally designed higher education environments.

The first phase of funding of €3m was distributed in the 2022/23 academic year and supported higher education institutions to embed universal design approaches and inclusive practices. This included the introduction of quiet spaces within campuses.

An additional €1.8million was announced in February of this year to continue the Phase 1 implementation of universal design. This extra funding was to assist the HEIs in providing sensory maps and assisted tours of campuses to assist those with Autism and ADHD.

In addition, the Fund for Students with a Disability also supports participation by students with disabilities including ADHD, in approved further and higher education courses in Ireland. Last December, my Department announced an increase to the annual FSD of 5% or just under €383,000. This brings the total funding available in 2024 to over €8 million (€8,040,900) in the higher education sector.

In Further Education and Training, additional investment was secured in Budget 2024 for the Fund for Students with Disability and universal design as well as the specific investment announced to support learners with an intellectual disability.

The fund administered by SOLAS for the further education and training sector will amount to €5.7m, reflecting the additional allocation of €2m to support the progressive roll-out of the Fund for Student's with Disabilities across all Further Education programmes. Some of this allocation is being used to fund the increase in the hourly rate payable to Personal Assistants in the ETBs. The overall allocation for 2024 will therefore be in the region of €13.7m compared to €11.9m in 2023.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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71. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 1828 of 17 January 2024, if he has put funding in place for new undergraduate students from the Republic for the 2024-2025 academic year to study key healthcare and therapy areas pertinent to the staffing needs of children’s disability network teams in Ulster University; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27054/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for her question. I am working to ensure that we have more graduates in healthcare disciplines, and particularly the therapies, to supply the children's disability network teams, and the broader healthcare workforce needs. Work is ongoing in collaboration with the Department of Health, HSE and the Higher Education Sector to maximise the expansion in key discipline areas which can be delivered in the immediate term.

The Government in this jurisdiction funded 80 additional places in allied health disciplines in Ulster University. Students commended study on these programmes in September 2023. These included 30 places in Physiotherapy, 28 in Occupational Therapy and 10 in Speech and Language Therapy. This is in addition to 140 nursing places being funded across Queens University Belfast and Ulster University.

Minister Nesbitt and I have been in correspondence in relation to further cross-border collaboration, and we share the objective to extend these innovative arrangements into the 2024/25 academic year. This will strengthen the healthcare workforce on the island. My officials are continuing to work with Ulster University and colleagues in relevant Departments in Northern Ireland in this regard.

My priority is to ensure that we build capacity which will allow for steady growth and forward planning by both the health and higher education sectors for a graduate pipeline to meet the needs of the health system and society as a whole.