1265. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware that there is no bereavement leave as part of Research Ireland's post-graduate scholarships and that bereaved researchers must take unpaid leave; and if he will direct Research Ireland to put in place bereavement leave as part of the scholarship contract. [34707/26]

Under Budget 2025, further funding was secured to increase the PhD stipend provided by the research funding agency now under the Department’s remit, i.e., Research Ireland, to bring it up to €25,000 per student per annum. This represents an increase of over 30% in just two years.

Research Ireland’s policies include reference to specific statutory entitlements such as maternity, paternity and adoptive leave, and disability supplements.

Students in receipt of a funding award are registered with the HEIs, and are therefore not directly employed by Research Ireland. Research Ireland does not have a formal bereavement leave policy but would have an expectation that such situations are managed locally by the HEIs with care and compassion, whereby students are never deprived of their stipend in these scenarios and that the leave they need to take is accommodated.

Institutional scholarship supports received by PhD students from their higher education institution are funded primarily by the core funding provided to the sector. The use of core funding is at the discretion of each higher education institution whose autonomy in this respect is established in legislation.