Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Technological Higher Education Association for the ongoing work it and the institutes do. I also thank the witnesses for the work they have done for attending this meeting. I am glad the association put forward its view on this issue. It is very helpful and it probably moves the debate forward significantly. Certainly, we will consider it.

I am interested to know the extent of the crisis. Professor Ó Catháin possibly underplayed it slightly. There have been serious reports on the financial sustainability of a number of the institutes. Will he comment further on that? A report was published only last week by the Higher Education Authority, HEA. Quite frankly, it appears that a number of the institutes are in trouble. What I would like Professor Ó Catháin to confirm, if that is the case, is that it really is a question of funding, and that money is the reason for the severe difficulties a number of the institutes have.

My next question is one I put earlier to the Irish Universities Association. An action plan on education was published by the Government in the last two months. There is precious little in it about the funding of the third level sector. Did THEA make a submission? Was it as surprised as I was? Indeed, Mr. Costello of the Irish Universities Association also said he had been surprised at how little mention there was of the third level funding crisis in the action plan on education. It is a crisis, and everybody believes it is a crisis. To return to the option THEA has presented, one issue struck me immediately and the Chairman mentioned it too. Does it devalue qualifications below level 8 if there is a different price structure, as it were? All of us accept that they are extremely valuable qualifications. It certainly opens up access, but it has the potential to create possibly more of a two-tier approach. It is incredibly good food for thought, however.