Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I say that in jest of course. I thank the witnesses for appearing. I found the material very informative. It covered a large area, some of which falls outside the scope of our task this afternoon of drawing up a Brexit report. Nevertheless, it is very useful material. I was a member of the education committee during the previous Seanad and I recall much talk at the time about the potential for the Republic of Ireland to snatch business from under the noses of institutions in the UK in areas such as third level research. Has that potential manifested? If not, where are we falling down in our pitch for that business?

A number of speakers touched on our ability to attract more students from the point of view of our existing capacity. Ms Trench Bowles mentioned a lack of investment over the years. That is a major concern for us and calls to mind the Cassells report and the recommendations flowing from it. Where does that report fit into today's conversation? It is a can that has been kicked down the road for some time now. The Chairman referred to it this morning in the Seanad. It is an issue that needs to be grasped. Where does it fit in to today's discussion?

Dr. Mulvey and Mr. Hannigan referred to a shared island and capacity. I sat in on a presentation from Dundalk Institute of Technology a few weeks ago. It was very informative in relation to technical university status and DkIT teaming up with other institutions down the road but I was more excited about the cross-Border potential, which has not been fully utilised. Incidentally, that is not the fault of the educational sector. I would like to see what more we could do and what recommendations we should include in the report to move that on to a different plane. Dr. Mulvey alluded to DkIT teaming up with the University of Ulster and Queen's University Belfast on a number of issues but it is doing so on its own initiative. We need a more national approach.

Mr. Hannigan gave good examples of what is happening in Letterkenny Institute of Technology. Coming from that neck of the woods, I am familiar with Donegal County Council teaming up with Derry City and Strabane District Council and the great progress that has been made. In health, the relationship between Letterkenny University Hospital and Altnagelvin Hospital has grown. This shows the potential for co-operation. How does the current political unease in the North act as a barrier to fast-tracking the ambitions the institutes of technology have in the educational sphere?

If I could end on a lighter note, while the welfare of all of Mr. Hannigan's staff and students is always a concern, there is one member of his staff whose current good health and well-being concern me greatly, namely, Michael Murphy. How is Michael's hamstring healing up. Mr. Hannigan might comment on that.