Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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67. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the demands by an organisation (details supplied) for protections for staff on precarious contracts in the tertiary education sector. [14650/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I fully agree that our third level institutions should be able to offer the career opportunities, pay and terms and conditions that serve to attract and retain quality staff.

It is important to recognise the autonomy of our third level institutions and the legitimate need for an appropriate staffing mix that supports a high-performing sector. Notwithstanding this, my Department is already implementing a number of measures to help address the issues raised by IFUT and other representatives bodies in the sector.

In particular, a significant uplift in the ceiling of core staff has been approved for the sector aligned with the substantial additional funding provided in recent Budgets under the Funding the Future framework. Since 2020, the ceiling has increased by over 4,300 posts, bringing the total approved ceiling for core-funded posts in higher education to over 23,800 for 2025. This includes an uplift of 715 posts in respect of the Budget 2025 investment.

It is only through such planned and sustained investment that our universities and other higher education institutions will be able to recruit the permanent staff they need.