Professor Diarmuid Hegarty:

That is certainly relevant to our institution. One thing that I constantly ask myself and that we in Griffith College and indeed HECA colleges constantly ask ourselves is if we are giving students the capacity to earn to repay the debt. The reality of the matter is that the Chairman is correct that accommodation costs are out of hand, and education costs and living costs are not getting lower, so students have to borrow. It is important that they get skills from their years in college that will quickly enable them to earn salaries at a decent level so that they can repay those loans and they are not hanging over them for life. The loans are not terribly large relative to potential incomes but we have to give them the skills to get into the workplace quickly. That is imperative. I would be delighted to contribute to the committee's deliberations on that aspect. It is vital for both students and for the economy.