Mr. Jim Miley:

There is a risk that if we do not turn the corner meaningfully now with this package, it will decline. There can be no doubt about that.

The second area is capital investment. Our universities have borrowed €1 billion but, in doing so, they can borrow to build facilities only if they can match their borrowings, in some cases with State funding and in other cases with philanthropy funding. One cannot get 100% borrowing to do anything. In spite of having borrowed €1 billion, we still have a major capital funding deficit. Bríd Horan, who chaired the funding committee, has made a submission to this committee and outlined to it that, since 2016, taking the Cassells recommendations, we are now of the order of €2.5 billion behind the curve on core recurrent funding for the system and €2.2 billion behind the curve on capital funding. There is therefore a huge demand for extra facilities, and we are now bulging at the seams. We are in a discussion with the Government about producing extra places on medical courses. There is absolutely no lack of willingness on the part of the sector to do that. The reality, however, is that if a medical student is to be trained, labs and facilities are needed. In some situations they are now up against a brick wall on that, so unless the investment is made, we cannot do that.