Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Doris. The issue of access for students, particularly those who come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, came up in a couple of presentations. That is a major priority for us for any new funding arrangement. Do we accept that there is a danger that the introduction of student loans may serve as a deterrent to these students who wish to pursue full-time undergraduate courses? Anecdotal evidence suggests that low income families may be very apprehensive about their children taking out significant loans. Maintenance costs were mentioned in a separate context but would also be a big deterrent. The presidents of the institutes of technology, ITs, made the point at our meeting on 10 November last that their cohort of students includes a larger group of disadvantaged students compared with universities. They would require more significant supports. Did the expert group fully take account of that distinct challenge in the IT sector? Are there any views on the best way to structure the ICLs? I am interested in the approaches made internationally. The witnesses have said there are some disadvantages. What type of loans would they single out as good examples and what are the models in other countries that would not be good or should be avoided?

We spoke in private session about the national training fund levy. University presidents proposed that an increasing amount of the large surplus in the fund would be directed towards higher education and that the employer contribution be increased. What are the witnesses' views on that?

What type of indicators would be suitable to measure quality and verification to measure how effectively money has been spent? Accountability is significant. That was the subject of some comment in our previous meeting in terms of gaining and winning public support too, because as Mr. Cassells said, we are competing with the health sector and many other areas and within the education sector for the money that needs to be spent in primary, secondary and special education.

Will Dr. Doris put the Government subsidy into the international context? She assumes emigrants will pay nothing towards their student loans while abroad. There is a fundamental inequity if that is the case. Could there be a mechanism to allow graduates accelerate repayments of loans? For example, graduates who have significant earnings in their early careers could pay those off.