Mr. Fintan Moloney:

The Senator has asked many questions and I ask him to remind me if I do not cover them all. The number of full-time and part-time students on campus is 4,316. With regard to accommodation, believe it or not, there is not an accommodation issue with the campuses in Letterkenny or Killybegs. This comes from the student representatives themselves on the governing body. I have asked them specifically whether there is a problem with accommodation. Of the 4,316 students, 75% are Donegal-domiciled. This makes a major difference. It is different from the situation we find in Dublin, Galway or Cork where accommodation is under pressure.

The full employment factor creates pressure on increasing student numbers. We have seen growth and been successful in collaboration with local industry and local businesses on part-time distance learning courses geared towards what the employer wants. They have an input into how the courses are formed. We target the larger employers most and bring potential employers on board. We ask them what type of people they need to fulfil their staff complement. They are active in designing the courses and allow their employees off work to do the courses on a part-time basis and make it easier for them. There is a dividend at the end of the day because there are bonuses for the company if it ends up with better educated employees.