Written answers
Wednesday, 2 July 2025
Department of Education and Skills
Departmental Funding
Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context
287. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) is recognised as a ‘designated institute’ will it have access to funding streams like other HEIs within the Higher Education Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36354/25]
James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context
At present Marino Institute of Education (MIE) is not a 'designated institution of higher education' as prescribed by the Higher Education Authority Act 2022. MIE receives funding from a mix of sources including government grants, student fees, and internal funding schemes.
When the Higher Education Authority Act 2022 was commenced, sixteen higher education institutions were automatically designated as “designated institutions of higher education”.
The automatically designated institutions of higher education are:
The seven traditional universities:
- Trinity College Dublin (TCD)
- University College Dublin (UCD)
- University College Cork (UCC)
- University of Galway (UG)
- Maynooth University (MU)
- University of Limerick (UL)
- Dublin City University (DCU)
- Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin)
- Munster Technological University (MTU)
- Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest (TUS)
- South East Technological University (SETU)
- Atlantic Technological University (ATU)
- Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)
- Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT)
- the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), and
- the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).
The Higher Education Authority Act 2022 also provides for a designation by order process which allows other higher education institutions, including private and not-for-profit higher education institutions to apply for designation. However, these provisions have not yet been commenced. Work is underway on developing the designation by order process, including consideration of the conditions for designation for inclusion in regulations to be prescribed by the Minister under the Act. Once these are enacted, it will then be open to MIE to apply for designation by order under the legislation.
Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context
288. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) will be allocated capital development funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36355/25]
James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context
The Deputy will be aware that Marino Institute of Education (MIE) is a private higher education institution who receive funding from a variety of sources, including I understand some limited funding for approved teacher training activities from the Department of Education. MIE is not in receipt of core funding from my Department and competes with other eligible institutions for capital programme calls. At present MIE does not have any successful capital funding proposals.
On the non-capital funding, MIE is an approved institution for SUSI grants purposes, along with some other access measures including the Student Assistance Fund and the Fund for Students with Disabilities. It is open to the MIE to apply for funding through competitive call processes such as Springboard+ or other HEA funding calls to provide courses in response to national skill needs.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
No comments