David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have two remaining questions. We have acknowledged that the core grant and the fees paid to the institute were quite substantially reduced. We have acknowledged that over a reasonable period of seven or eight years the enrolment figures have stayed pretty much static. We also know from the institute and the Department that the percentage of pay versus its funding is 87%, which is above the threshold. Is it the case then, that it is essentially departmental cuts to the institute that have led to it being in such a significant deficit, which Dr. Love has said is the biggest concern to the HEA?

Regarding a transition to a technological university - Waterford and Carlow constitute one of the four consortiums - what funding model is being examined for technological universities in respect of, first, their ability to borrow and, second, baseline funding for research and development, in comparison with existing universities? Will this help all these institutes' deficits?

I will leave it at that to be fair to the other members.