Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the issue of software costs, I must have a separate conversation with the Deputy, because he clearly has a concern in respect of some examples and I am very happy to take them up. As a Department we engage very regularly with the Irish Universities Association, the Technological Higher Education Association and directly with the institutions, so if there are specific programmes, I would be happy to look into them.

The issue of lifelong learning is a key issue. Most of the questions I am asked are about universities, as though I am the minister for universities, but one of the big priorities for my Department has to be that of lifelong learning, the fact that we still have a level of participation in lifelong learning that is below the OECD average, and that our adult literacy levels still mask the veneer that we like to promote in terms of our country being a knowledge-based economy. That is why we are doing a few things to improve that. The educational disadvantage fund of €8 million that we have given to SOLAS for the first time ever is specifically about trying to engage with vulnerable learners, which is a bit of a catch-all term for those who might not otherwise be in a position to continue to interact with education in the community. Today, as part of the dormant accounts funding, I have announced funding of €600,000 for Travellers and Traveller education. Yesterday I had a joint meeting with the Minister for Education about a Traveller education plan, which is a commitment in the programme for Government.

We also need to ask ourselves why people are not engaging in lifelong learning in Ireland in a way that they are in other countries. I think there are two answers to that. One, is perhaps the rigidity of our education system, the idea being that the system has not been that responsive to people dipping in and out of education. Even when I have conversations with those in universities on this issue, there is this rigid idea that one goes and does a three- or four-year programme, but that does not work for everybody. I think a modular system could be a big thing. The second point is that, culturally in business, we need to change the attitude as well. I addressed Skillnet Ireland yesterday, and we are funding businesses - quite a lot now, thankfully - to help them with skills and retraining. However, we need to help employers - whether it requires Government help is a different day's work - so that it becomes a normal part of being in the workforce that a person can take time out to reskill and upskill, because we need that and we are not where we need to be on that.

On the issue of equality budgeting, I will come back to the Deputy with a proper note that perhaps I could send to the committee. However, I do take his point, and wherever I look in my Department I do see huge issues of inequality, and the whole area of gender inequality is very pertinent. As the Deputy said, we have made progress in respect of apprenticeships, but we still have a long way to go. There is a degree of "if you see it, you can be it", to the issue. For example, up until a few weeks ago we had never had a female president of a university in this country.