Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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756. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a report on the progress made implementing the Programme for Government commitments within his remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41387/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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There are over 60 commitments outlined in the Programme for Government that fall within the remit of my Department. The attached table provides an update on each of these commitments.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that substantial progress has been made in advancing these commitments. In particular, I would like to highlight the following developments:

• The National Training Fund (Amendment) Act 2025 was signed into law on 23 December 2025 and commenced on 19 January 2026. This legislation enables the unlocking of the €1.485 billion National Training Fund package announced in Budget 2025 and supports sustained investment in higher education, skills and workforce development over the period to 2030. Budget 2025 also secured an additional €50 million in core funding for higher education from the National Training Fund, with plans to invest a further €100 million in core funding by the end of the decade.
• The Department has secured €4.55 billion in capital funding under the National Development Plan Review process. The Tertiary Sectoral Capital Investment Plan 2026–2030 has now been published, setting out an ambitious vision for Ireland’s tertiary education, research and innovation system. This is being complemented by the launch of INSPIRE, a landmark €750 million research infrastructure programme, alongside wider investment of €2.1 billion in higher and further education infrastructure. This will support research capacity, including High-Performance Computing and the Tyndall National Institute, while also delivering new and upgraded facilities, modernised campuses, modern equipment and additional capacity to meet growing regional and national demand.
• On 16 December 2025, Government approved the introduction of a Professorship grade in Ireland’s Technological Universities for the first time, supported by €65.8 million under the Targeted Enhancement Fund. This is a landmark reform for the technological university sector and will strengthen academic leadership, research capacity and international competitiveness.
• Progression of the Higher Education Public Private Partnership programme saw the first six buildings under Bundle 1 completed, handed over to the higher education institutions and operational by the end of Q2 2025. Contracts for the remaining five buildings under Bundle 2 were signed in June 2025 and construction commenced immediately thereafter. When all 11 buildings are completed, they will comprise approximately 72,800 m² of additional space and support around 8,500 additional student places.
• The National Student Accommodation Strategy 2026–2035 was published on 24 March 2026. The Strategy sets out the Government’s framework for increasing supply and improving affordability. It supports new delivery through the Higher Education Institutions Student Accommodation Programme and includes measures relating to Technological Universities, Rent-a-Room supports and better alignment of student accommodation leases with the academic year. The Design Guide for State Sponsored Student Accommodation was published in June 2025 and supports the delivery of high-quality, sustainable accommodation.
• Budget 2026 delivered significant additional supports for students and learners. These included a €500 reduction in the student contribution for the 2025/26 academic year, increases in non-adjacent maintenance grants, funding of over €19.3 million for the Student Assistance Fund, an additional €3 million for the Fund for Students with Disabilities in further and higher education, and an additional €1 million for student mental health and wellbeing supports.
• I increased all non-adjacent maintenance grant rates under the Student Grant Scheme administered by SUSI by at least €200 from September 2026, with a pro-rata benefit applying in the current academic year. This measure is expected to benefit approximately 30,000 PLC, undergraduate and postgraduate students whose normal residence is 30 kilometres or more from their institution and who may face rent or higher transport costs. I also increased the income threshold for the €500 student contribution support from €115,000 to €120,000 from September 2026. Combined with the permanent fee reduction, this means that eligible undergraduate students from households with incomes below €120,000 will pay no more than €2,000 towards the student contribution charge in the 2026/27 academic year.
• During 2025, two further proposals under the FET College Major Capital Programme progressed to the pre-tender stage, bringing to eight the number of projects that have now reached this point. Significant progress has also been made on the advancement of preferred site options for the remaining four proposals, with acquisition, due diligence and preliminary business case development continuing.
• There are 78 tertiary degree programmes available for the 2026/27 academic year across 24 counties - this is a 70% increase on last year, giving more people than ever the opportunity to access higher education. Work is continuing to expand these pathways through new partnerships between ETBs and higher education institutions.
• Significant progress has also been made in expanding high-demand healthcare provision. New programmes in Nursing (Maynooth), Dentistry (RCSI), Physiotherapy (ATU) and Pharmacy (University of Galway) commenced in September 2025. New programmes in Pharmacy (ATU), Medicine (University of Limerick) and Rural and Remote Medicine (University of Galway) are due to come on stream in 2026. Two new veterinary schools will also commence taking students in 2026 in SETU and ATU, meaning that for the first time there will be three institutions offering veterinary programmes across the island.
• Additional places were also created in a range of high-demand healthcare disciplines. 320 places commenced in 2025 in areas such as Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy and Dietetics, with a further 141 places due to come on stream from next year. A further 20 medicine places were created in September 2025. CAO offers in 2025 saw 80% of Level 8 Round One offers going to candidates who received their first, second or third preference, with points decreasing in a number of high-demand areas including physiotherapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.
• Supports for students with disabilities have continued to expand. Funding for the Fund for Students with Disabilities has increased to over €10.5 million in 2026, supporting more than 22,000 students. In addition, 193 students are enrolled on PATH 4 courses for people with intellectual disabilities, and funding for this provision has been extended through to 2028 pending the outcome of the evaluation.
• The Student Part-Time Fee Scheme was launched in August 2024 to provide fee support to eligible part-time students attending specified undergraduate courses leading to a major award. This scheme has continually expanded since its launched with the number of participating HEI’s increased from 7 to 9 for the 2026/27 academic year, with the welcome addition of Maynooth University and National College of Art and Design (NCAD).
• Apprenticeship numbers increased from 29,772 at the end of 2024 to 31,165 at the end of 2025, representing growth of approximately 5%. An additional €79 million was secured in Budget 2026 to support apprenticeship commitments in the Programme for Government. In October 2025, the first all-island apprenticeship, Accounting Technologist, was launched as a Level 8, two-year programme. Work is also progressing on the new Apprenticeship Action Plan 2026–2030, with public consultation concluded in Q1 2026.
• Ireland also continues to make strong progress in research and international collaboration. Ireland became an associate member of CERN in October 2025, has signed the European Quantum Pact, secured €5 million from the European Commission for the AI Factory Antenna, and will leverage EuroHPC co-funding to procure the next national high-performance computing infrastructure. The Government Science Advisor has also established the National Science Advice Forum, which held its inaugural meeting in April 2026.