John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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561. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the intention within his Department to implement the recommendation of the higher education authority advisory working group established under the HEA’s framework for ending sexual violence and harassment in higher education, that the best option for sourcing SVH investigators for the higher education sector is the establishment, for and by the sector, of a shared service entity (SSE) investigations unit which will recruit a team of investigators which can be deployed by HEIs to investigate formal complaints of SVH arising in a Higher Education Institution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50597/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Government’s Framework ‘Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive: Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions’ (2019), and its associated Implementation Plan (2022), continue to provide the basis for ongoing work across the higher education sector to strengthen responses to sexual violence and harassment, including investigative processes.

As part of this work, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) convened a working group that undertook a feasibility study in 2023 to examine options for strengthening investigation capacity across the sector, including the potential establishment of a shared service model. This study recommended the creation, for and by the sector, of a Shared Service Entity (SSE) investigations unit to provide access to trained investigators to support higher education institutions (HEIs) in the investigation of formal complaints.

Further work was undertaken in 2024 through an Implementation Working Group to develop design and operational options for such a shared service, including governance, funding, and operational arrangements. An Expression of Interest (EOI) process was subsequently launched in 2024 to identify a body to take forward the establishment of the SSE; however, no applications were received.

While recognising that investigations of complaints arising within institutions remains the responsibility of the HEIs, the Department and the HEA continue to support and facilitate sector-led collaboration to strengthen consistency and capacity in this area.

This includes a collaborative initiative, led by the Technological University of the Shannon with a group of participating higher education institutions, to develop trauma-informed investigation guidelines aimed at promoting greater consistency of practice. This work is ongoing.

The question of how best to ensure sustainable, expert, and independent investigation capacity across the sector, including the potential for shared or coordinated approaches, remains a matter for ongoing engagement with higher education institutions, recognising their autonomy and the voluntary, sector-led basis on which any shared approach would need to be developed.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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562. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the institutions served by the annual funding provided by the HSA to support the establishment of 16 dedicated sexual violence and harassment prevention and response manager posts across higher education institutions; whether his Department intends to increase the resources provided for the expanded provision of role; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50598/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that Deputy Connolly has clarified that the question relates to HEA (Higher Education Authority) funding. On this basis, I can advise that funding support for the 16 dedicated sexual violence and harassment prevention and response manager posts is allocated to the following 16 HEA funded higher education institutions (HEIs):

• Atlantic Technological University (ATU)
• Dublin City University (DCU)
• Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT)
• Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)
• Mary Immaculate College (MIC)
• Maynooth University (MU)
• Munster Technological University (MTU)
• National College of Art and Design (NCAD)
• South East Technological University (SETU)
• Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin)
• Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest (TUS)
• Trinity College Dublin (TCD)
• University College Cork (UCC)
• University College Dublin (UCD)
• University of Galway
• University of Limerick (UL)