Mr. Jim Miley:

I very much share the Chairman's view on access. It is critically important and it speaks to both the legislation and the upcoming announcements we hope to see on the sustainable funding for the sector that the Minister and Taoiseach have pledged for this year. It is vital that we have a system that is accessible and fair. This means doing something, for instance, for the 85% of pupils who are not getting access in the school Professor Hegarty mentioned earlier, which is located not far from where I am sitting. We must ensure that more of the children in that school who have the ability to go to third level are given the capacity to do so. There is a more complex issue around this in that the pathway starts in primary school. It is not something that just happens at the end of the cycle. There is a larger question to be considered in that regard but I very much share the Chairman's sentiment.

The Chairman referred to the high-skills aspect and what is needed in that regard. In essence, we would say that something in the order of €80 million to €100 million per year in extra funding for research is needed over the next five years. We have proposed a €3.5 billion investment over a decade for the entire sector, through the national development plan, a substantial portion of which should be on the research side.

That is to deal with the infrastructure issues we have outlined. I urge the committee to think about this. This is not a matter of funding something for the sake of it. It is about funding a working asset for the country and economy. We should view it in those terms. There is a discernible return on that asset.