Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is true, it has increased. However, there is still a significant percentage who do not continue to third level. I am asking questions and not being negative about this.

With regard to funding, I note that it is mentioned in Mr. Costello's contribution that the average cost of funding per student is €10,000, yet private colleges are offering what are considered to be high quality degrees, with an average cost per student of €6,000 to €7,000. How can they do it and the universities cannot?

I congratulate the delegates on the ECOFIN report and the notion of mission-based collaboration and centres of excellence. I know the universities and institutes are looking at that aspect in line with the Hunt report.

To move to the question of ratios and the salaries of academics, the delegates said the ratio had increased from 20:1 to 24:1. How is the ratio worked out? In some lecture halls one can see 300 students, while one can have a ratio of 10:1 at some tutorials. That does not matter, however, if that is the basis on which it is worked out. What matters is having a maximum size, for which I have argued at primary and secondary level. Rather than coming up with a crude average figure, we should specify that there should be no more than X number of students in a lecture hall and at a tutorial. What are the delegates views on this point?

With regard to the salaries of academics, one of the delegates has said the average levels here do not reflect those internationally and that we are not accessing the best talent pools, yet many universities across the country attract enormous numbers of international lecturers. Therefore, Ireland has an appeal. It has been mentioned that there is a restriction in terms of the first point on the scale; I presume it is being said credit is given for experience. It would very serious if that was not the case. If the delegate is telling me that if I was a lecturer in the United Kingdom and came to Ireland, regardless of my experience, I would have to start at the first point of the scale, I would concerned be that this requirement would seriously damage the quality of our teaching profession. On average, lecturers here are paid 30% more than their UK counterparts. What is the average weekly teaching load of a lecturer in the institutes and universities? I was previoulsy a lecturer and would have had teaching practice and research duties, but I wish to focus on teaching duties.