Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Section 9 is on the functions of the agency and amendment No. 39 proposes to amend section 9(e), which relates to engaging with An tÚdarás on skills development and ensuring that is a consideration in programme design and participation. The proposed amendment is not appropriate to this provision, as it relates to the completely separate issue of career progression, which is not within the agency’s remit. Therefore, we do not propose to accept this amendment.

Regarding amendment No. 40, the existing provision is aligned with Global Citizens 2030: Ireland’s International Talent and Innovation Strategy and the function of the research attachés, who will be working on embedding talent and innovation as a flagship initiative. The intent relates to attracting international researchers to Ireland and the provision does not deal with researchers currently working within the State, who are dealt with in section 9(e). Our Department is working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and will appoint six talent and innovation attachés in Ireland House locations in priority regions by 2030. It is envisaged that they will work closely with the new agency, the Department of enterprise and the Department of Foreign Affairs on promoting Irish research and Ireland as a research location. We recognise the intention of the amendment, which is fully in keeping with our policy intentions and the talent pillar of Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy, but it is not appropriate to this section of the Bill. For this reason, we do not propose to accept it.

Amendments Nos. 41 and 42 are not within the remit of the agency or the scope of the Bill and we do not propose to accept them. The agency will not be employing any researchers directly. It is an entity charged with funding research projects that are carried out by employees of research-performing organisations or by researchers in higher education institutions. It is neither appropriate nor possible for it to also take on a HR function in managing the careers of hundreds of different researchers at various career stages on dozens of campuses around the country unless it is structured and operated in a way that is fundamentally different from how it is set out in the Bill.