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Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education and Training Boards (8 Oct 2024)

Education and Training Boards

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education and Training Boards (8 Oct 2024)

Matt Carthy: 6. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that adult education classes proceed this term through Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40073/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education and Training Boards (8 Oct 2024)

Matt Carthy: 12. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on reports that adult education tutors with Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board were informed at minimal notice that their contracts were suspended and that classes would not commence as planned this September. [40072/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education and Training Boards (8 Oct 2024)

Matt Carthy: The Minister of State may be aware that in Cavan and Monaghan ETB and in the other ETB areas, virtually at the last moment, a number of tutors of adult education courses were told those courses had been suspended. Students of some of those courses attended only to find out they had been cancelled. What are the Minister of State and the Government doing to resolve this situation?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Education and Training Boards (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 12 together. I share the Deputy's concern to ensure that adult learners are supported in their learning journey in our further and education and training system. On the issues raised in the Deputy's question, the Minister has no function in respect of the operational management of our education and training boards, ETBs. As independent statutory...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: The provision of student accommodation has become incredibly bad in the time of this Government and the previous one. The Minister of State outlined that it is proposed to spend €100 million on student accommodation over three years. He also outlined some of the measures that have been delivered. He referred to the fact that 30% of what will be delivered will be provided at below...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: I wish to refer to the student accommodation strategy. The long-term student accommodation policy was approved by the Government in January 2024. This policy will inform future student accommodation strategies and schemes that are being developed throughout 2024 and beyond. The dual-benefit policy aims to increase the supply of specific accommodation, therefore removing students from the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I thank the Minister of State. I am well aware of the technological university sector. The Minister and I have spoken before about the fact that Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT, is not in that box at the moment, but we hope the relationship with Maynooth will be successfully concluded. Across the board, we must make sure that places like Dundalk and the other TUs will have the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Student Accommodation (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: The key to student accommodation is the same as it is for housing: to increase the supply. We must bring on more supply to address the demand. We also have an obligation to try to reduce costs. That is the reason we put a lot of work into the standard design for purpose-built student accommodation, which is similar to the school building programme, for example, whereby there is a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Third Level Education

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Mairead Farrell: 3. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills regarding changes to Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, thresholds made in budget 2025, the estimated additional number of students who will now qualify for the grant. [40347/24]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: Could I ask the Minister of State about the changes to the SUSI thresholds, as per budget 2025? Could he provide an estimate for the additional number of students who will now qualify for the grant? That is the information we seek. We are all well aware that students are struggling with the cost of living and the cost of accommodation, as per the previous question. If more people can...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: We are pleased to be in a position to increase all income threshold limits for student grants in budget 2025. From September 2025, we are increasing the special rate of maintenance threshold from €26,200 to €27,400 in line with social welfare increases. We are increasing all other maintenance and student contribution grant thresholds by 15%. We are also increasing the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: We all know from people who approach us in our offices, that some miss out on the basis of what are sometimes very small amounts. We are talking about people that do not necessarily earn spectacular amounts of money, and who are under severe pressure. It would make a great difference to increase the number of those availing of a SUSI grant, or to provide an increased level of grant. I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Third Level Education (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: In addition to what I outlined in my previous contribution, we have also introduced a number of other measures to reduce the cost of education, including providing €9 million to increase the PhD stipend from €22,000 to €25,000 per annum. That will benefit approximately 3,000 postgraduates. As the House will be aware, we have a one-off reduction in the student...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy. There has been a high demand from employers and learners alike for craft apprenticeship in recent years, reflecting a strong construction sector and the Government's commitment to the targets within Housing for All and the climate action plan, and to the delivery of the national development plan. Craft apprentice registrations increased by 25% from 2019 to 2023. As a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: We all know there have been major backlogs in the apprenticeship system. We all know of the necessity of apprenticeships across the board and particularly craft apprenticeships. It is not uncommon for apprentices wait for up to 18 months to be called for the relevant phase of their off-the-job training, whether in a technical university, TU, or education and training board, ETB. There has...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: I will clarify a point because I may have misspoken earlier. The number of training places has grown by 40% since the end of 2023, from over 5,600 places in December 2023 to 7,500 places in August 2024. As I previously said to the Deputy, over 130 instructor posts have been sanctioned to date. As I said, 80 such posts have been filled. The Deputy asked for a timeline. The remaining posts...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I welcome that information. We need to see this happen quicker and better. It is as simple as that. Some of the difficulty with the backlog and filling the spaces is that some of these qualified tradespeople can earn more on site than in the classroom. In its alternative budget, Sinn Féin set out €4.4 million in financial...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Oct 2024)

Niall Collins: The Deputy is asking what else can be done to help to reduce the backlog. The National Apprenticeship Office launched a recruitment campaign across several media in November. That campaign used a centralised National Apprenticeship Office platform for applications. Added to that, a new advanced block approval process for the posts was put in place and the approval process was delivered...