Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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2518. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills how his Department is supporting technological universities in defining and delivering their strategic missions; the steps being taken to ensure sufficient institutional autonomy for long-term planning and regional impact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19509/25]

Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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2554. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being taken to increase research funding and infrastructure for technological universities; how his Department is supporting their development into research-intensive institutions on par with traditional universities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19871/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2518 and 2554 together.

To support the ongoing development of the sector and enable TUs to deliver on their strategic missions, my Department has made significant funding available to this sector. Our Technological Universities have a pivotal role in supporting regional development, employment and industry successes through their teaching, learning and expanding research missions. To support these developments my Department has provided significant targeted funding in recent years to enable TU success.

• €31 million under the HE Landscape Fund between 2013/14 and 2019/20, which was aimed at supporting the establishment and expansion of TUs.
• €90 million under the Technological Universities Transformation Fund between 2020/21 and 2022/23, which was used to provide financial support for the TUs in their establishment phase.
• The ongoing Technological Sector Advancement Fund, which makes €50 million available for the technological sector to support the consolidation phase.
• A new phase of this structural support funding will be activated by my Department and the HEA with a call for proposals to be issued in May 2025.

As per the recommendations of the 2022 OECD report, my Department is also working to assist the TUs in the development of the new Professor grade. The role of Professor is a pivotal one in any university. They are the cornerstone of their institutions and will underpin high-level skills development and nurture the knowledge creation and transfer required to drive Research, Development and Innovation. My officials are conducting extensive stakeholder and staff representatives engagement and progressing the introduction of professorships in the sector as a matter of priority.

It must be noted that as matters already stand, under the Technological Universities Act 2018 Technological Universities are autonomous bodies and have full control over the regulation of their own academic affairs and administrative processes.

The HEA in accordance with the System Performance Framework 2023-2028 has developed Performance Agreements with the TUs, under which the HEA can measure and assess the strategic performance of a TU via an annual cycle of reporting against the agreement and Strategy and Performance Dialogue. In conjunction with the System Performance Framework, this provides TUs with a flexible mechanism to identify performance objectives that are aligned to institutional strategy and to address challenges and opportunities that may arise.

Both my Department and the HEA remain fully committed to supporting our TUs through this development phase and into the future, in accordance with our commitments in the Programme for Government.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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2519. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans for ensuring that all learners are enabled to access the supports they require, specifically those with disabilities as outlined in the Statement of Strategy 2024-2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19510/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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My Department places the learner at the heart of it's statement of strategy, and in this regard there are many wide ranging supports available throughout their journey in further and higher education.

The National Access Plan (NAP), sets out the ambition for an inclusive, diverse higher education sector. Specific targets to increase new entrants with a disability from 12.4% in 2022 to 16% by 2028 have been set in the NAP. The latest figures available to the Department show that the rate of new entrants with a disability to higher education stands at 14.7%.

The Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) 4 funding stream, which supports the implementation of the NAP, puts a particular focus on students with a disability, including those with an intellectual disability.

PATH 4 supports inclusive, universally designed higher education environments and course provision for students with intellectual disabilities. Phase 1 funding of €5.8m has been provided for a range of projects to improve Universal Design across the Higher Education Institutions and to assist institutions in preparatory work for phase 2 of programme.

Phase 2 is a pathfinding programme on the provision of higher education courses for students with an intellectual disability, with investment of over €11 million for the approved courses commencing this academic year. Courses have commenced in 11 Institutions with 161 students enrolled to date.

This year, my Department will commence work to look at the most impactful interventions and supports for students with disabilities. This will inform the process of developing a policy framework on the design and implementation of more flexible, responsive, and tailored model of supports, services, and will explore work experience opportunities for students with disabilities in the tertiary education and training system.

In addition, my Department has also increased the Fund for Students with a Disability (FSD) in higher education this year, by over 18% to €9,540,900. The Fund is provided to higher education institutions to assist them in offering supports and services to students with disabilities to enable them to access, fully participate in and successfully complete their chosen course of study. 19,488 students availed of FSD supports in academic year 2023/2024.

In Further Education, €5.7 million was allocated to ETBs for the FSD in 2024. In 2023, 6.8% of all FET learners (14,825 individuals) reported having at least one type of disability. To support these learners, Education and Training Boards (ETBs) are enhancing mainstream FET programmes through Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, which provide equal learning opportunities. Additionally, efforts are underway to improve ETB capacity for making 'Reasonable Accommodations' for learners. In 2024, SOLAS, ETBI, and AHEAD published research on 'Reasonable Accommodations in FET', highlighting a culture of inclusion and identifying areas for development.

My Department, in collaboration with SOLAS, is developing the new FET Strategy 2025-2029, which will continue to prioritise accessibility and inclusion for all learners, particularly those with disabilities. Building on the progress made under the FET Strategy 2020-2024, the new strategy aims to create a consistent learner experience across all Further Education and Training (FET).

My Department is also working together with the members of the National Apprenticeship Office’s (NAO) Access and Inclusion Subcommittee. A guide for employers titled “Tips for Apprenticeship Employers on Disability Inclusion” is being developed in partnership with the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD) and in consultation with employer groups via the Access and Inclusion subcommittee. The NAO is at an advanced stage in the development of this publication, and it is due to be published in 2025.

The NAO launched the Apprentice Survey in October 2024. One of the aims of the survey was to capture data on apprentices with disabilities which will help drive action plans regarding supports for people with disabilities for 2025. The findings of the survey are due to be published this year.

Impact 2030: Ireland's Research and Innovation Strategy affirms that equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in our national research and innovation system leads to improved research outcomes that are more reflective of the world in which we live and make effective use of our talent. Pillar Four of the strategy commits to improving the system's EDI performance, having regard to both researchers and research activity, and to providing opportunities for all.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.