Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On third level funding, there is an issue to be addressed immediately. We cannot wait for the fallout from the Cassells report before addressing all the issues. I referred earlier to the materials required in institutes of technology for the teaching of practical subjects. I am told by those who are teaching practical subjects in institutes of technology that there are insufficient funds and that this is causing chaos. I am also told about the overcrowding. Deputy Thomas Byrne alluded to this. Students must sit on steps in lecture halls, etc. I was told yesterday that there are ten administration jobs to go in GMIT, Castlebar, for example, and that there are staff there who believe the campus is in jeopardy. These are immediate issues. We cannot wait couple of years to address them. What are the plans to address some of them in the coming year?

With regard to recruitment, the gender equality issue across the third-level sector is considerable. Many people have been trying to keep quiet, particularly the higher management of universities. This matter needs to be addressed in any recruitment processes that are being put in place.

I wish to mention the point mentioned by Deputy Catherine Martin. Does the Minister have figures on any rural schools that do not have physical education rooms or multifunctional rooms? There is a legacy in this regard affecting very many small rural schools. So many of them do not have a multifunctional room in which physical education, etc., may be taught. This applies at both primary and secondary levels. Are there statistics available on this? What are the plans to address the circumstances I describe, particularly in rural areas?

An apparently small issue - it is actually quite bit - has been brought to my attention. It concerns students in second year who do a lot of outreach work with local groups, such as disability groups. There is a considerable backlog in the issuing of Garda clearance for those over 16 years of age. As part of transition year work, for example, students may be assisting in a local voluntary organisation. After the age of 16, they must wait for Garda clearance. Apparently, there is a huge backlog. Clearance can take a number of months while the students are in the middle-----