Irish Budget 2011: the key higher education figures
The impact of the Budget and Estimates on higher education can be worked out here, and may be summarised as follows.
• Overall the Education and Skills vote is down 2.6 per cent compared with the expected 2010 outturn (but marginally up on the Estimates figure this time last year).
• The higher education vote is down substantially: 7 per cent, from €1,194,183,000 to €1,112.717,000. Although I have not yet been able to track how the new student contribution is being factored in, I suspect this means that the increase is being clawed back by the government – though this in turn may mean that the net position to universities is less severe than the above figure implies.
• PRTLI expenditure for 2011 is being estimated at €55m, which suggests that most of the investment for Cycle 5 will be taking place after the next 12 months.
• The science and technology development budget in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation for 2011 is €320m, which presumably takes in Science Foundation Ireland. The sum is a 9 per cent increase on 2010.
More analysis later.
Explore posts in the same categories: economy, higher educationTags: Book of Estimates, Budget 2011
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University Blog 
December 7, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Looks like he has effectively reintroduced third level fees by replacing the registration charge. Surprised there has not been more comment on this. Green’s staying studiously ‘Mum’ on the issue. Well at least it’s not £9,000, or £6,000 which looks likely to be the new limit here in Northern Ireland. The reduction of the student grant is particularly punitive.
December 7, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Absolutely correct, Marie. In fact, the reintroduction for all practical purposes of fees was signalled in the government’s four-year plan released last week, and I commented on it at the time… More later.
December 8, 2010 at 2:23 am
He has simply increased it by €500 (& for the first born only!). So he hasn’t re-introduced anything. I presume the Greens will eventually come out of their closet and say the IMF made us do it or something equally pathetic.
The reduction in the student grant is 4% I think. Inflation was negative from early 2009 untill recently so in real terms the grant hasn’t changed much and may have even increased.
But the Educational Disadvantage Budget (cut by 60%) has certainly not increased in real terms.
December 7, 2010 at 9:32 pm
It appears in London the Parliament will vote for the
new fee, and govt will win looking at the arithmetic. At least here , the govt is honest in saying it is tuition fee!!
December 8, 2010 at 12:59 am
Currently students have to reside more than 24km from their place of study in order to qualify for the non-adjacent rate maintenance grant, which currently stands at up to €3,250. Those living within 24km receive an adjacent rate of up to €1,300.
The government has announced plans to reduce the proportion of students qualifying for the non-adjacent rate by changing qualifying criteria from 24km to 45km.
This is effectively a 60% cut for thousands of students.