Results 761-780 of 1,104,994 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Catherine Murphy OR speaker:Peter Fitzpatrick OR speaker:Verona Murphy OR speaker:Louise O'Reilly OR speaker:Pearse Doherty OR speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:Kathleen Funchion OR speaker:Johnny Guirke OR speaker:Denise Mitchell OR speaker:Patrick O'Donovan OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:Gerald Nash OR speaker:Martin Heydon OR speaker:Patricia Ryan OR speaker:Michael Creed OR speaker:Brian Leddin OR speaker:Joe Flaherty OR speaker:Ossian Smyth OR speaker:Michael Healy-Rae OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:Paul Donnelly OR speaker:Thomas Byrne OR speaker:Francis Noel Duffy OR speaker:Ruairi Ó Murchú OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Pádraig O'Sullivan OR speaker:Alan Dillon)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I have often attended committee meetings with the Department of Finance or the respective line Departments over Estimates. There will be a Supplementary Estimate – there always is – and the Department is in discussions with the Departments of public expenditure and reform and Finance.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I was at University College Cork recently where this matter was raised with me. I was told that some of the apparatuses that I had trained on 30 years ago when I studied chemistry had not changed a whole pile, but the world has changed a great deal. Many of our universities have relied on foundations, philanthropy and industry. We acknowledge that. It is not where we would like to be, but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: It does, but I wanted to refer to the sciences.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The capital research devolved grants for 2023 amounted to €15 million and to €25 million for 2024, so they have increased substantially. I do not have the date, but it will be soon. We have gone through this process with the HEA. I hope to be in a position to have favourable news this month. No less than was the case with veterinary training, we take our guidance as a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Was it not the right decision to set up a Department on its own, so?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Give it to a Fine Gael Minister.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: My view on this is simple: if technological universities are to attract research and philanthropic development and if they are to be drivers of economic development in their areas, they need to have access to academic staff, and that must include professorships. We are in active discussions with the Department of public expenditure and reform on this matter. We hope to be in a position to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Yes. The representatives of the people who teach in the universities are also critical to the issue, and we engage with them regularly. I am confident that we will get sanction for this from the Department of public expenditure and reform soon.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Yes, unless the Senator knows something I do not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: The establishment of new leadership structures and the organisational review process have been progressing in each of the TUs and a business case has been submitted to our Department. The Department supports a sectoral approach to the development of senior management teams across the five TUs. Such an approach is vital. We have been engaging with the Department of public expenditure and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Wexford County Council is progressing the acquisition of the preferred site by way of compulsory purchase. The intention is for a portion of the site to be used to facilitate a new Wexford campus. The HEA recently received a business case from SETU outlining the proposed infrastructure. That business case will require evaluation. Regarding SETU Waterford, final contracts for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I will have to revert to the Senator regarding the Confucius Institutes. He and I have constructively debated in the Seanad the importance of academic autonomy, which Senator Mullen will ask me about shortly, the autonomous nature of the higher education institutes and where the Government begins and ends where they are concerned. Recent weeks have raised interesting questions about where...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: Since 2023, my Department has been engaging with the research and innovation community on this matter. We promote the concepts of due diligence, proper risk management and ensuring that international co-operation is properly risk-checked but at the same time I would be loath to say - I know this is not what the Deputy is saying - that international co-operation is something that we should all...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Pádraig O'Sullivan: I also acknowledge the progressive steps that were taken in the budget. In fairness, the Minister was central to many of the big decisions that were made and I congratulate him on that. I was with the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, in the Dáil last night. The Minister of State was taking questions in the Chamber specifically about apprenticeships. We have had SOLAS in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: With regard to the budget, I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for acknowledging the positive in it. The budget for last year versus this year for apprenticeships has gone up by €10 million. Obviously, the backlog is a huge issue that we are concerned about but, as has been acknowledged by all parties, we have made a huge amount of progress on it. Eighty-seven instructors were recruited, with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Pádraig O'Sullivan: The Minister mentioned women and female participation, particularly in craft apprenticeships. Like the Minister, I was a teacher. In the latter part of my career, I noticed that more girls were taking on woodwork and metalwork. It has reached the point now where we see girls in my former school winning national awards. It is great to see the progress in that regard. Could the Minister...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: There is only one, which is pipefitting, which is significantly longer than four years. That is only 1% of the apprenticeships. I am not in any way saying that is not something that we want to make progress on. On what the Deputy said about female participation, 8% of the total apprenticeship population at present are women. It is an improvement but it is not where we want to be. We,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Pádraig O'Sullivan: The Minister referenced the pipefitters specifically. If the Minister has any other analysis, would he forward it to us?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Patrick O'Donovan: I will. We can email it to the Deputy afterwards.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Pádraig O'Sullivan: I would appreciate that. Lastly, because the Minister mentioned the CAO system, some people think it is very unfair. Some people think it is the only fair system that we have. In terms of reviews or the Minister's own opinions in relation to the CAO lottery system, where does he see it going?