Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to ask a general question on third level funding. Over the lifetime of this Government and the Minister's period in the Department of Education and Skills, in what direction is funding going? Does he envisage putting forward proposals to address the issue of third level funding? The funding of third level institutions has been decreased by the guts of 20% at a time when student numbers have increased by 20%. There was some wastage in the system but now the reduction in funding is severely impacting on the quality of the service being provided. The Minister has indicated that he will increase the registration fee annually by €500 to the year 2015. I am aware of a landscape document and a clustering arrangement between institutes of technology and the universities to try to bring about greater collaboration and effectiveness and efficiencies but so far that is as much as the Minister has indicated he will do. During the previous Government's term in office the Fine Gael Party had a document on a proposed loan scheme. Prior to the election, the Minister had indicated he would not increase the registration fee, but his position has changed and the registration fee will increase every year until 2015. How does he propose to deal with fees?

The Minister made a recent announcement on the IT sector, with the door being opened to two proposed universities in the south east and the south west. They must hit certain benchmarks, such as increasing the quality of education on offer and the overall facilities at each institution to achieve the potential to reach the university status. That will cost money, yet there is no parallel outlay or programme in place that will enable them to reach that. That being the case, it would be very difficult to reach without some type of collaborative effort to see how they would be supported financially. They are stretched to maintain the quality of the product as opposed to developing it.

The Minister has often said that if were at the starting point today, he would not start with 18 institutes of technology but he is now proposing potentially technological university status for two institutes of technology, both based in the south, one in the south east and the other in south west. There is no national regional approach. In this case the Minister is starting from a blank page as such. How does he stand over two new potential universities in the south and none in the north west or no potential development in the north west? I acknowledge it is up to the institutes of technology to come forward with a proposal but that is the landscape that is being developed.