Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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3365. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the work his Department has carried out on the review of the gender equality action plan for higher education referenced in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42039/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for her correspondence in relation to the programme for Government commitment made in January 2025 to implement the recommendations of the review of the Gender Equality Action Plan for Higher Education during this Government’s lifetime.

In 2022, a second HEA Review of Gender Equality in Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) was conducted. The Review assessed the progress made in the sector and the perception of gender equality among HEI staff since the 2016 Review and the Gender Action Plan 2018-2020.

The Expert Group findings and recommendations were published in November 2022 in the Report of the Expert Group: Second HEA National Review of Gender Equality in Irish Higher Education Institutions.

The report sets out key recommendations for HEIs to ensure the continued advancement of gender equality. HEIs report annually to the HEA on their progress in implementing these recommendations. HEIs also set out their contribution to the achievement of institutional and national strategy in Performance Agreements with the HEA and comment on how equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) has been considered in the development of their performance objectives.

The HEA Centre of Excellence for EDI provides a centralised support for HEIs to help to embed an institutional culture of equality, diversity, and inclusion. It is pivotal in enabling the sharing of good practice, joint initiatives, and co-operation between HEIs. The HEA EDI Enhancement Fund includes advancing gender equality as a priority area, with €250,000 to support collaborative HEI projects in this priority area.

An aggregated sectoral report was shared by the HEA with HEIs relating to academic year 2022-2023. Reports for the academic year 2023-2024 were received by the HEA in Q1 2025 and are currently being reviewed. The HEA expects that reports for the academic year 2024-2025 will be received in Q1 2026.

Data provided by HEIs relating to the breakdown of staff by gender are published annually on the HEA website.