Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sure they will be good enough to do so and that it will all be included in the Official Report.

Sinn Féin is opposed to the funding of higher education by way of student loans or graduate taxes. Does Mr. Cassells concur with that view? I am concerned that the current funding model is corporatising third level education. In the case of NUI Galway, for example, I am told that the model is having a knock-on effect on equality issues. Representatives of the Higher Education Authority, when they attended a meeting of the committee recently, indicated that this corporatisation was endemic across the sector. In a context in which large multinational companies are funding universities to a great extent, we are seeing a type of boys' club growing in the sector, with less of a focus on education and more on training people for jobs.

What recommendations will the expert group be making to eliminate wasteful spending within universities? We have heard examples of expenditure on taxis in certain third level institutions and other outrageous expense claims. Does Mr. Cassells have proposals in that regard?

One of the cuts that really irked me in recent years was the removal of supports for postgraduate students. This has meant that unless one has money in one's pocket, one cannot progress past undergraduate level. It was a very retrograde step. Will Mr. Cassells be recommending that this cut be reversed?