I thank the Deputy. I thank him also for the invitation to Cavan recently. I was delighted to be able to take that up. We visited the Cavan Institute, where we saw, among other things, the original equipment manufacturing, OEM, apprentices at work on the advanced manufacturing side. We also saw the students at Youthreach, which is a very critical intervention with youth. From there, I went to Monaghan Institute and finished the day in the Atlantic Technological University, ATU, in Letterkenny, where we launched the new vet school. That, as just a snapshot of a day visiting key sites, shows the activity and investment going on in the north west alone by Youthreach and interventions with disadvantaged learners - giving them an opportunity to succeed - right through to the new professionals being created by the vet school in ATU. It is very much a snapshot of the opportunity that is available through education. Our future prosperity depends on our ability to compete globally and lead out as a small, advanced knowledge economy. We are a knowledge and skills economy. People are our greatest natural asset. I see my job, as Minister in this brief, as unlocking that potential. People have the talent, skills and knowledge, and they need to impart them. We need to nurture it and allow them to reach their full potential. That is key to our economic success, particularly in a changing world with trade, tariffs and a number of unknowns. What we do control and have as a known is our people and talent, and being able to nurture that. Just last week, I launched the Infreastruchtúr don nuálaíocht, staidéir, páirtíocht, imscrúdú, rath eacnamaíochta agus eolaíocht, INSPIRE, programme, a €750 million commitment to research and innovation funding in the State. It is unprecedented in recent years. It is a successor programme to the PRTLI, which was successful at the start of the century in driving on our economic position as well. I want to acknowledge that Deputy Smith was a member of the Government in 2010 that committed to the PRTLI programme at a time when economic conditions were difficult, to say the least, and the wolf was at the door. That Government had the foresight and belief to commit to that again. Unfortunately, after that point, it lay fallow for some years until I came to office. It has now been relaunched with a €750 million fund to again drive on our economic prosperity and research and innovation commitment.
Sentiment score: 0.36
Absolutely. The opportunity that Cavan provides was very evident on the day of my visit. There is a great opportunity to continue to expand educational provision there on site at the Cavan Institute. That would be encompassed by the college of the future programme, which I am working out through the national development plan. I am examining progress on that at the moment but I would be confident that will be one of the projects that will do well from the fund. On the all-island dimension, I was pleased to be able to announce the collaboration between Queen's University Belfast and Dundalk Institute of Technology very recently. I spoke to both colleges a number of times in relation to this and I am very keen that we advance that expeditiously. There is ambitious programme shared by both colleges. It is fair to say that the reaction to the first all-island university has been extremely positive and strong across the board. That all-island dimension to education and our schools is so important.
Sentiment score: 0.49
All-Ireland entities are always fashionable in my household. We can have all the citizens' assemblies and deliberate as much as we want to but doing it for real is what counts and that is what we are doing here. There is a very ambitious timetable to make that collaboration come together. I intend to bring legislation through the Houses in the new year to set out the mechanics of how it will be enabled. It is important that Dundalk Institute of Technology continues to enjoy strong autonomy as part of the HEA landscape while being a fully fledged university institute and college of Queen's University with all the powers to award degrees conferred by Queen's University as part of that. Both entities will benefit. Queen's University will also benefit significantly from the collaboration. There are specialties, disciplines and knowledge in each institution that can be shared and benefited from. I always say "ní neart go cur le chéile" - we are stronger together and that is evident in this all-Ireland collaboration.
Sentiment score: 0.34
I thank the Deputy for his continued advocacy, support and championing of ideas for this sector. The national student accommodation strategy 2025 to 2035 is due to be published in the coming weeks and will be considered and agreed by Government before being officially launched. It is at a very advanced stage. The strategy aims to make higher education more accessible by addressing both affordability to ensure students can afford rents and secure accommodation and also the viability of supply, which the Deputy's question goes to, to ensure the units come into being quickly and are built out to meet that demand that very evidently exists. By providing targeted financial supports and accelerating the development of purpose-built student accommodation, PBSA, the strategy aims to remove barriers that prevent students from accessing college and pursuing their academic goals. The strategy builds on wider Government initiatives to support viability of student accommodation such as rental legislation reform where I am working closely with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on how rent pressure zones might apply to student accommodation; the budget 2026 VAT reduction on the sale of new apartments, which will be very helpful; the rent-a-room tax relief, which is a key measure involving up to €14,000 per householder tax free; and the introduction of streamlined design standards under the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2025. This is a revised set of guidelines published in June 2025 setting out a blueprint for student accommodation that delivers maximum beds per block, uses clever use of space and shared facilities such as lounge rooms and laundry rooms and seeks an optimal return on available bed usage. They are some of the measures I am introducing. I will say hello to the students from Athy as well while they are here today. It is good to have them in the audience.
Sentiment score: 0.48
I have to wish Sallins the best of luck on Sunday in its own intermediate final, so we have to get that in as well on the day. I will take Deputy Cahill's question first and then revert to Deputy Connolly. It was good to visit Killarney and Tralee recently along with Deputy Cahill, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, and the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. It was a good visit. The Pretty Polly site is moving ahead. I know this is very important to Deputy Cahill. I was pleased to be able to confirm the progression of that site very recently, which I know was welcomed locally as well. There are still a number of steps to go through in terms of the different gates but the education and training board is progressing that project. I was delighted to visit the education and training board that day as well. The breadth of apprenticeships, in particular the wind turbine maintenance apprenticeship and the hospitality apprenticeships, and some of the other courses and skills on display that day were very strong. I thank Councillor Norma Moriarty, who is the chair of the education and training board, who gave a great tour that day. That was particularly interesting. Deputy Cahill mentioned Killarney Technology Innovation Centre. I might get one of my officials to come back to him with details on that. An issue was raised on my visit to the MTU campus in Tralee. It was mentioned that students were not receiving the green cert despite taking an agricultural course. I am engaged with discussions on that. I met the students that day and committed to coming back on that.
Sentiment score: 0.38
The Deputy made a number of points. I totally agree with him that the provision of serviced sites on or adjacent to campuses is key. There is a significant earmarked fund within the student strategy and my national development plan budget to allow for those sites to progress, and to be identified and serviced, with facilities where necessary. The local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF, was used in the housing sector and the technological sector student accommodation programme is under way. The Deputy might be interested that in his own area, nine submissions are in for ATU Galway. Queen Street accommodation, with 345 beds, has been developed and is due to be completed in 2026. At the end of November 2025, over 4,000 rent-a-room, or digs, beds were made available across Galway. I presume that is positive news in the Deputy's area. It is just to apprise him of that. On the borrowing framework, intense engagement is under way between my Department and the Departments of Finance and public expenditure with regard to a financial framework that will allow the technological universities partner with the private sector to deliver accommodation on or adjacent to the campuses. That will be very positive for the sector. I hope to unveil that very soon.
Sentiment score: 0.32
This is a consistent theme of the Deputy's and an area he takes a significant interest in. I thank him for his ongoing advocacy. The Government is committed to increasing healthcare training places more broadly, but very much including dentistry, in line with commitments in the programme for Government. I like to think I made some good inroads into that in the first ten months of the term. At present, University College Cork admits around 50 students annually to its dentistry programme, split evenly between Irish or EU students and non-EU students. In consultation with the Department of Health, which has advised that dentistry is an area requiring an additional supply of graduates, we are working to expand opportunities for Irish students, particularly given the demands for oral healthcare and the need to reduce waiting lists in the south west of the country. My Department is actively engaging with UCC and the Department of Health on a proposal to establish a dental outreach centre in north Cork. This initiative will enable training and additional undergraduate dental students each year. My officials are engaging with UCC with a view to maximising the number of Irish and EU students this could support. It also supports a community-based model of education giving students earlier clinical exposure in primary care settings which enhances readiness to enter practice when they graduate. In parallel, UCC is refurbishing its dental school and hospital, co-funded by the Department of Health and UCC, to increase capacity for future growth. My officials are actively engaged in this process to examine all options to increase places there. These developments complement the new BA in dental surgery programme at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, which commenced in September with 20 places for EU students. The intake on that programme is projected to increase to 35 places annually by 2027. I recently visited and saw the wonderful new facilities and the great work being done to increase our dental graduate output. We remain committed to working with those stakeholders to increase the number of dental training places available to align with the Smile agus Sláinte oral health policy and to increase the number of healthcare places available across the State.
Sentiment score: 0.52
The planned intake in the current year is 78 Irish students, with 26 of those in UCC, 32 in Trinity College and 20 in RCSI. The UCC outreach proposal I mentioned has the potential to raise intake by another 35 student places. All those measures combined strengthen and increase the opportunities for domestic students. It is the case that a course like this cannot be ramped up overnight because it requires extensive practical training. That can limit capacity, but my Department and the Department of Health are helping UCC to refurbish its dental school and hospital, at a cost of €15 million, to support future growth. With all these measures, we are working hard to increase the number of dental places and dental graduates. There is also additional funding for UCC across a variety of projects. I might touch on those shortly.
Sentiment score: 0.32
I will leave my colleague the Minister for Health to answer more comprehensively on the issues the Deputy raised regarding public health provision in Cork and the south west and how dental places fit into that. My Department is working to increase the number of places and courses and invest in the equipment and facilities in UCC, RCSI, Trinity College and elsewhere to ensure there is a sufficient and expanded pipeline of dental graduates coming on stream. I expect many of those will feed into public sector provision and increase the quality and availability of dental care in Cork, which I know is a key issue for all families. That is something we are committed to doing.
Sentiment score: 0.47
I am glad the Deputy raised this programme because it is extremely important. It has served us and our students and educational institutions well. I was in Europe on Tuesday at the Competitiveness Council. I attended the research and innovation meetings. I will be back in the near future attending the education Council at which Erasmus will be on the agenda. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, recently attended a meeting of a similar nature, in Copenhagen I think, where some of these discussions took place. The current Erasmus+ programme supports education, training, youth and sport and aligns closely with the objectives of the European Education Area as well as the ambitions set out in the European Commission's Union of Skills communications of March this year. The goal is to develop high-quality adaptable training and skills systems that strengthen the EU's competitiveness. When people travel the mind broadens, the experience is wider, people are generally richer for the experience and bring back an enhanced skill set as well as relationships and networking that stand to them in due course. It is part of our competitiveness as a Union and a Continent. There are also measures such as the European universities alliances. I had the pleasure of opening the conference these had in UCC earlier this year. The alliances also create long-term partnerships and deepen collaboration across the sector. Erasmus+ remains one of the key European Union initiatives with significant impact. It has played a central role in promoting mobility, strengthening intercultural understanding and expanding exciting opportunities for learners. Last year, more than 6,200 Irish higher education students participated in Erasmus, with strong engagement across schools, vocational education and training, youth and sport. I expect that trend to continue in an upward direction as the programme evolves. There is an emerging shape of the new Erasmus programme from 2028 to 2034.
Sentiment score: 0.31
I will take Deputy Burke's question first and then come back to Deputy Timmins. Regarding the Northern Ireland dimension, I am glad the Deputy raised this important point. Unfortunately, with the UK leaving the European Union, Northern Ireland is not eligible for Erasmus programmes. However, the Government supports Northern Ireland students to allow them to continue to participate. Northern Ireland students are funded by the Republic to partake in Erasmus. We have done that repeatedly in recent years to ensure students there have the opportunities available to students elsewhere on the island. I am proud we are able to do that on an all-Ireland basis. I take the Deputy's point about the potential for a placement in a Northern university and vice versa. I mentioned a few moments ago the Queen's University Belfast and Dundalk IT collaboration under which we will have the first all-island university very soon. The next question goes to that issue and I will speak more on it when we reach it. I will respond to Deputy Timmins shortly.
Sentiment score: 0.18
The Deputy is absolutely right and I completely agree. The point is well made, particularly now, when we have the shadow of war on the Continent and tensions internationally. Perhaps, we do not have the same community of nations that we might traditionally have enjoyed. It is all the more important, therefore, that we better understand each other, communicate and exchange with one another, and have shared experiences, including the pan-European experience Erasmus can afford. The shape of the new programme proposes to merge Erasmus with the European Solidarity Corps, which will create a new single integrated programme that will go beyond the university experience, viable though that is, to also incorporate volunteering and community activities. That would include learning opportunities across volunteering, youth and sport, as well as the purely educational aspects and promote co-operation between institutions. It will encourage institutions to engage in universities alliances and other European initiatives that bring universities together at European level. This is a positive development, which will deepen and strengthen the programme. I am very much committed to supporting it.
Sentiment score: 0.48
I was delighted to recently announce this partnership and my support for it. I brought the proposal to the Government to receive all-of-government support and endorsement for it. It is a very exciting and historic proposal. This will be the first all-island university, which speaks to many of our aspirations about our shared island and all-island dimensions. It is a programme that will enhance both DkIT and Queen's University. The partnership will include an integration of DkIT within the academic framework of Queen's University, ensuring that students studying in Dundalk will graduate with a Queen's University award. It also envisages a joint research and innovation centre on the Dundalk campus, which will be a close collaboration with enterprise and industry as part of a research and industry foundational partnership. It will further strengthen regional development in the north east and along the Dublin-Belfast corridor. It also places a full university education within reach of students in the north east, perhaps filling a gap that may have existed previously between Dublin and Belfast. With this partnership, university education will be accessible and available to students in Dundalk. Of course, student mobility skills development and shared learning are part of that as well. It is worth noting that the proposal will see DkIT, while becoming a college of Queen's University, remain an autonomous, self-governing university college and retain its rights. It is part of a new model within the Irish higher education landscape. It is a slightly different model from other technological universities and my expectation is it will require legislation. I hope the Deputy and his party will support that, as I imagine they will, and that others in the House will support it too. There is a very exciting and ambitious timetable for it, which I certainly intend to do my best to work with.
Sentiment score: 0.39
I thank the Deputy for that. Discussions are ongoing and intensifying between the two institutions. My Department and I remain in close contact with both institutions. From the early stages, I indicated my full and strong support and shared ambition to develop and progress this partnership. My understanding is the institutions intend to sign heads of agreement this month. This is happening now; it is not an abstract, down-the-road initiative. I am particularly pleased and supportive of this. I communicated to the colleges that it was my wish that this progress with pace. The engagement will continue into the new year in 2026. There are a number of toll gates we will go through. I expect to be in a position to bring legislation before the House at that stage. There are some technical details that we need to work through. It is important to restate that DkIT will remain within the existing legal and governance frameworks, remaining an active part of our technological and higher education system. There are some alignments that need to be made there but the proposal is certainly moving in the right direction and going well.
Sentiment score: 0.35
As I have said previously, the Deputy and I share those aspirations in every sense. The Deputy mentioned the mechanics of how we develop the working patterns between Dundalk IT and Queen's University, and referred more broadly to apprenticeships on the island. On apprenticeships more broadly, I launched the first-ever all-island apprenticeship, namely, the accounting technician programme, along with the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin. We recently worked with the Minister for the Economy, Caoimhe Archibald MLA, in the Northern Ireland Executive, and I was very pleased to be able to do so. We have had a number of very positive engagements at the North-South Ministerial Council. Not so long ago, I also attended the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Surrey, which I think the Deputy attended as well. We have had some really constructive conversations with stakeholders in the North and the UK on things like UCAS and the CAO, in respect of which there is some alignment, and in terms of A levels versus the leaving certificate and so on. There are a number of differences but I think differences can be overcome, and these are details that we can work through. I would not want that to stop and I know the Deputy is of the same mind. It is very important that we just work out how to make it work, and that we go on to make it work. That will be a good day's work when that happens.
Sentiment score: 0.28
Under budget 2025, additional funding was announced for Research Ireland in order to increase its PhD stipend level to €25,000, representing an increase of 31% in just two years. This announcement builds upon my Department's consistent focus and progression on this issue. That came into effect from 1 January this year and, given the significant growth in such a short space of time, I have no immediate plans to increase the figure further. The €25,000 was the ask very recently. It was a significant increase on what was there previously and we have done that now. As of this year, we have reached that €25,000 figure for PhD stipends. My Department has also implemented the recommendations of the independent review of State supports for PhD researchers for an optimum stipend level of €25,000. This review exercise was the first time that PhD provision in Ireland was comprehensively reviewed. For those PhD students in receipt of stipends from national competitive funding agencies outside the remit of my Department, the level of stipend awarded is at the discretion of each funder and its parent Department. Put simply, those agencies under my remit and my Department and in receipt of funding from Research Ireland are providing the €25,000 stipend. There may be other funders outside the remit of my Department which have their own arrangements, but certainly they are all encouraged, at least, to reach that threshold. There are also institutional scholarship supports, sometimes provided by the higher education institution, primarily, and of course there are some private sector sponsorships, etc., as well. In terms of the higher education institutions and universities, how they use and distribute their core funding is at their own discretion. They are autonomous institutions and those in the private sector will have their own arrangements they enter into with individuals freely. There is a degree of discretion on those but certainly the agencies I fund and control are required to meet the €25,000 stipend and I understand that they are doing so.
Sentiment score: 0.32
One of the first things I changed was the equipment and infrastructure available to them. Just last month, I launched the new Inspire programme. This is a €750 million capital envelope to support research infrastructure and equipment across our higher education institutions. That was a very clear ask of me by the research community and it had long been sought. Coming into the role, it was something I was determined to address as soon as possible, and I was able to secure funding through the national development plan to do that. That is now live. That call is starting and will be opening in the new year. It has been welcomed almost universally across the research sector. In terms of the PhD stipends, the statistics the Deputy mentioned are fair. I think 3,000 of the 10,000 students are supported by Research Ireland, 1,000 by other public funders, 2,000 by institutional scholarships from the universities directly, and then 4,000 are funded through the private sector or the employer. There are 4,000 supported by the private sector and 3,000 by Research Ireland and, for the 1,000 supported by other public funders, it is within the discretion of those public funders to choose how to use their funds.
Sentiment score: 0.33
I fully support the research and development tax credit of 35%. In fact, I engaged with the then Minister, Paschal Donohoe, to seek it. I think it is really impactful for the research and innovation and advanced knowledge industries. That ultimately is what creates the resources, jobs and enterprise and, indeed, creates the tax intake that allows us to deliver the public good in other ways. Many of our PhD students may well aspire to work for those same institutions when they complete their education, and many of them may do so in actuality. I would not make any assumptions as to the recipients of that funding. I worked in the sector before I was in political life and a number of smaller institutions, including indigenous ones, also availed of those kinds of supports. On the stipend itself, my understanding is that the ask was €25,000. The Deputy mentioned the campaign in that regard. A 31% increase was achieved in two years. That is quite a significant increase by any standard. Another point to note is that as the researchers not classed as workers, they do not pay any tax, PRSI or USC. It is entirely tax-free. That is a corollary to bear in mind on that.
Sentiment score: 0.29
I am familiar with the issue. The Deputy has engaged with me on it on a number of occasions. He and I met a group of personal assistants during the summer. Supporting learners with disabilities is a core priority for my Department. In the budget just gone I was pleased to be able to invest a further €3 million in support for the fund for students with disabilities as well as an additional €1 million for students with mental health challenges. That was along with many other targeted interventions to help address the cost of college and to support students in the different situations they face. Last year, my Department hosted a national disability symposium in Dublin, bringing together students, families, educators, disabled persons' organisations and other stakeholders to share their experiences and consider further actions that would be appropriate. Following that engagement, the Department commenced a project focused on better supporting students with disabilities. This project is to examine transitions into further and higher education, to map out the supports and services available to students with disabilities within the further and higher education systems and to develop new approaches to supporting students as they move into employment following college. The latter is perhaps a gap at the moment. That transition to the workforce is essential. I have met many groups both in my constituency and around the country, and the point is often made to me that, even with the additional supports and pathways through education, the transition to the workforce can be challenging. There is an intention to encompass further supports for people to make that transition. That is very much on my mind and the Department's mind as we role out this plan further. A key element is to map out and identify the supports required and those that are available for students with disabilities across the education sector. This is the first step to ensure the right resources as regards that mapping exercise to see what is needed, what is there and what is missing. That is a sort of gap analysis that will help to map out where to go to, the next stage. That work is expected to commence in 2026, and it is a very important piece of work.
Sentiment score: 0.34
A couple of items arise there. I know personal assistance for students with disabilities is an area of interest the Deputy has raised here a number of times. National policy on personal assistance is being reviewed by the HSE-led personal assistance review group. My Department is not leading that particular aspect of the review. We are very much engaged with it and remain committed to ensuring that students with disabilities can have full access and participation in further and higher education. It is separate from the demonstration project. It is a separate project also looking at how personal assistance can be best utilised within the system. Personal supports are primarily facilitated through the fund for students with disabilities, which is administered by the Higher Education Authority. I have increased that by 10% this year with the additional €3 million funding I mentioned. Any recommendations that come from that review group that are pertinent to my Department will of course then be actioned. It is also worth noting that personal assistants provide logistical support to learners with disabilities on PLC courses. As of February of this year, there were approximately 104 PAs employed at the ETBs providing those services.
Sentiment score: 0.27
I will pick up on the WRC claim because the Deputy mentioned that as an item of interest. I think the Deputy is well familiar with it, but the position is that ETBs employ staff in some cases to deliver PA services, and the contractual relationship is between the employee and the ETB.
Sentiment score: 0.30
Personal assistants are employed usually under fixed-term contracts and, therefore, do not get paid outside of term time, nor do the public servants under section 19 of the ETB Act. In early 2024 my officials embarked on a review of the hourly rate of pay of personal assistants employed by ETBs. That followed discussions between a representative group of personal assistants and one of my predecessors. I think the Deputy may have been involved in that at the time.
Sentiment score: -0.03
Subsequent to that, ministerial approval issued to SOLAS to increase the hourly rate of pay by 42%, which is very positive and I am sure was very welcome, bringing the rate up from nearly €15 per hour to €21 per hour, with 8% holiday pay included as well. I know there are other claims before the WRC subsequent to that, but I think it is fair to say that significant progress has been made, notwithstanding those other claims. I do not want to get into commentary on claims that remain before the WRC.
Sentiment score: 0.58