Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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36. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the proposed new further education college in Galway city; if the evaluation which was scheduled to take place in the first week of April has now concluded; the outcome of that evaluation; the timeline for the delivery of the college; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26175/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I am very pleased to be able to inform you, Deputy Connolly, that I have just announced that Galway and Roscommon ETBs (GRETB) proposal for a new FET College in Galway city has been successful in moving forward to the next stage of development - the Pre-tender, Project Design, Planning and Procurement Strategy stage. This is following the evaluation process which was undertaken in April.

GRETB’s proposal involves providing a state of the art, purpose-built college building, which will increase GRETB’s capacity in the city and its environs and enable a wider integration of FET services. This college will become the beacon for FET programmes and services in Galway, providing high-quality facilities for learners and staff.

The intention is to use this new infrastructure to develop skills in crucial sectors such as the Creative Arts, MedTech, Engineering, Culinary & Hospitality, and to meet the skills demands of emerging business opportunities in the region.

I also took the opportunity to travel west and visit Galway and Roscommon ETBs Galway training centre in Mervue, which is adjacent to the proposed site for their College of the future project.

SOLAS and officials from my department will continue to support GRETB through the next stage of the development of its proposal. My department and I remain committed to ensuring there is appropriate infrastructure in place to meet the needs of FET learners and teaching staff in the Galway Roscommon area and broader region.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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37. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he is taking to assist young people who grew up in State care in accessing third level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25487/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The National Access Plan (NAP) 2022-2028 aims to support inclusion and diversity in the student body, address the wider struggles and challenges for students, and deliver sustainable progress. It recognises the needs of vulnerable learners, the most marginalised and those with experience of the care system.

The plan targets and supports students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. The NAP 2022-2028 has, for the first time, recognised children in care/care leavers, as a target sub-group within the overall policy.

Data on care-experienced young people’s entry to higher education is limited and it is a priority for this Plan to consider ways to collect more reliable data on higher education students who have experience of the care system. This will form part of the remit of a new Access Data Plan which is to be completed shortly.

Within the NAP, the Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) 2 provides bursaries to students identified by their HEI’s as being the most socio-economically disadvantaged students in the target groups under the Plan. One of the indicators for awarding of the bursary is care leaver or experience of the care system. In the 2024/25 academic year, 65 applicants qualified for a bursary who experienced state care.

Students who grew up in State care can apply for the Student Grant Scheme which is the main support available to assist students with the cost of attending higher education. Under this Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved full-time course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. Students need to check if they are eligible for funding, they can logon into www.susi.ie and use the Eligibility Indicator.

A new Part Time Fee Scheme for Specified Undergraduate Courses was introduced by my Department for the 2024/25 academic year which provided fee support to eligible part-time students attending specified publicly funded undergraduate courses leading to a major award. This is an important new initiative which has opened the doors of higher education to many groups who cannot participate in full time programmes.

In November 2023, my department was awarded €600,000 in Dormant Accounts Funding to pilot a scheme to increase access and alleviate the cost of accommodation as a barrier to higher education for those with experience of the care system. The student’s can get up to a maximum of €6,000 per academic year to help with their rental costs on and off-campus.

For the 2024/25 academic year, €462,000 has been allocated, supporting 93 students: 25 of which had experience within the care system in Ireland. A further €600,000 has been secured to continue the scheme for the 2025/26 academic year.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.