Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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191. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the details for the past three years and the current year funding allocated or paid out for Departmental employees for legal study programmes including EU law in the past three years, detailing the course title, the course provider, the course fees, grade of employee supported, whether course was in person or online and name of the scheme providing the support; if employees received any other supports such as time off; if so, the details of same, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38555/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides support to officers in their formal learning and educational attainment through the Advance of Academic Fees Scheme, which operates in line with Department of Finance Circular 23/07: Post-Entry Education - Refund of Fees, Study Leave and Examination Leave.

In the last three years to date, the Department has allocated funding for legal study courses under the scheme, details of which are set out below:

My Department provides officers availing of the scheme with a paid study leave entitlement based on the level of the course they are participating in, as outlined in Section 16 of Department of Finance Circular 23/07:

“16. Officers who qualify for a refund/advance of fees, may be allowed paid study leave as follows:

(a) ten days in respect of the final year only of a third level primary or masters degree;

(b) five days for the other years of a third level course. The Head of Department/Office may, in particular instances, where the course of study relates very closely to the business objectives of the Department/Office, have the discretion to increase the amount of paid study leave granted. Any increase would be subject to there being significant benefit to the Department/Office or Civil Service by way of skills or expertise gained by the officer;

(c) the Head of Department/Office may also grant an additional 2 days in each year of the course, exclusive of the normal 5 days study leave, in order to facilitate compulsory attendance at residential schools in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the attainment of a degree by distance learning; these additional days may be granted only in respect of days on which the officer is scheduled for duty;

(d) three days for each year of a second-level course, subject to a maximum of ten days overall;

(e) officers may be allowed carry forward up to five days paid study leave from the second last year to the last year of a course;

(f) officers not attending/undertaking the whole course in a given year will have said study leave reduced pro-rata;

(g) paid study leave will not be allowable for a year when an examination has to be repeated; (h) study leave for officers availing of work-sharing arrangements will apply on a pro-rata basis.”