Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To go back to an initial comment I made, I referenced the six implementation bodies that were established as part of the Good Friday Agreement. There are six other areas for co-operation. Would Professor FitzGerald or Professor Morgenroth see merit in a seventh implementation body being established in the area of further and higher education and innovation to give a structure to the type of issues we want to see addressed? Professor FitzGerald rightly referred to the fact that in the late 1960s or early 1970s when the regional technical colleges were established, their remit was to be a driver and a major contributor to much-needed regional and economic development. They have been hugely important. He rightly cited their importance in attracting particular industry clusters and providing the skilled people and the people with expertise to service and lead those industries.

My understanding is that the further education colleges were established with a similar remit. Having chaired one of those colleges in its early days, I have seen that one of their great traits and successes has been that they have improved access to education. They catered for many people who, after the leaving certificate, would not have gone on to an institute of technology or a university. In many instances, those young people went to a college of further education and then progressed to institutes of technology and universities. We all know plenty of young people who not alone went on to get primary degrees but got master's degrees as well. Access and progression are important. Would the witnesses see merit in a structure being put in place on an all-Ireland basis to try to tackle those particular issues?

Like Professor Morgenroth, I very much regret the low numbers of students from Northern Ireland who are in colleges in the South and, similarly, the low numbers of students from the South who are in colleges in the North. There was better participation years ago when the participation rate in general was much lower on both sides of the Border.