Mr. Ned Costello:

It has not impacted as badly on research as on teaching. There is an interesting point regarding regulation. When the second ECF was produced, we negotiated a flexibility within it for non-core funded research staff. For example, if somebody got a grant from Science Foundation Ireland, the staffing associated with that grant was outside the confines of the ECF. There had to be a 20% contribution to take account of the continued liability of pension costs but the staff associated with it were outside the confines of the framework. Non-core funded research has done relatively much better but it has an impact in that the principal investigators are predominantly tenured academics. The ECF has bitten on that side. It has affected both research and teaching but, as Senator O'Donnell has pointed out, it has affected teaching more than it has affected research.

Senator Craughwell raised the issue of attrition rates and I will ask Mr. Lewis Purser to comment on the non-completion rates.