Written answers
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Department of Education and Skills
Further and Higher Education
Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)
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1900. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to list the academic scholarship programmes available to Palestinian students in each of Ireland’s higher education institutions; the funding available for each programme; the amount of spaces available and occupied in each programme; and the qualifying criteria for each programme, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10748/25]
James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has two scholarship programmes - the Government of Ireland International Education Programme and the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme - which are open to applications from Palestinian students.
I also wish to advise that within the Ireland Fellows Programme, run by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, there is a specific strand - the Ireland-Palestine Scholarship Programme (IPSP) - which provides the opportunity for successful candidates to complete a one-year Master’s-level programme in Ireland.
As autonomous bodies, it is open to Higher Education Institutions to also put scholarship programmes in place, and a number of our universities have already done so.
My officials are currently gathering details of the number of Palestinians availing of these programmes, and the details will be sent to the Deputy in the coming weeks.
Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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1901. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to a research report into the prevalence of neurodiversity among people accessing addiction services (details supplied); if he will commit to working with further and higher education institutions to ensure that all relevant educational programmes in health and social care contain a module on neurodiversity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10758/25]
James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is determined to provide the best possible training in health and social care programmes, to provide the best health service possible to the public. These professions are regulated by CORU and the Nursing and Midwifery Board Ireland (NMBI). CORU and NMBI set the standards and requirements for health and social care professional and nursing and midwifery education programmes and ensure that the relevant educational bodies deliver qualifications that prepare professionals to provide safe and appropriate care.
It is important to note that Higher Education Institutions are autonomous under the relevant legislation and manage their academic affairs. It would be the responsibility of the specific regulator, under the aegis of the Department of Health, to advise the Higher Education providers of changes to the curriculum for these programmes, under their accreditation process.
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