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

It is great to have so many senior educationalists in the room, telling us and the watching public about the situation they face in the universities. It is an issue I have tried to highlight since my election, as have other members. I will not ask questions on the presentation as it sets out the position very starkly. Some of the language is very strong in describing the crisis.

Are there different views on rankings? Do some of the witnesses believe they are important while others do not? I would like to hear both views. Is this affected by funding and what are the general effects on universities? Does it affect non-EU students? We know that these provide funding. What are the links between public funding and non-EU funding? Is there any effect on standards and on reputation? The action plan on education, which was published just before the budget, has very little mention of this issue. Has the association, or have any individual witnesses, made any submissions on this? We put considerable political pressure on the Government to have some sort of a plan for third level when we saw it was not part of the action plan. Then all of a sudden, a €160 million plan was announced. We are happy that an extra €160 million has been promised, although we would like it to be a hell of a lot more as the students and teachers need more. What were the association's interactions with the Government on the action plan for education?

In Cassells 2, the issue was raised of the grants for postgraduate students being abolished. How did that affect students and universities? The grants are back to some extent but I would like to know what the effects were.