Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, the Minister of State at the same Department, Deputy Niall Collins, who has responsibility for skills and further education, and their officials to this meeting. I thank them for the briefing documents which were provided in advance of the meeting. Before we begin, I must point out that the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science will meet at 1.20 p.m. to consider a motion on the date of commencement of the Munster technological university. As the support services need 15 minutes to reorganise this room in advance of that meeting, I must ask members, in a spirit of working together, to ensure that this meeting finishes at 1.05 p.m. This means that speaking slots will be reduced to two minutes each. I thank members for their co-operation and forbearance in this regard.

As the Minister and Minister of State are present, officials should not speak in public session. I will invite the Minister to make his opening statement, after which members can ask general questions on Vote 45 but before doing so, I wish to inform members that I asked the Minister to appear before the committee early in the new year to discuss the technological universities and related matters. In that context, I ask members to be as brief as possible and to be aware that I will cut them off if they go over time.