Mr. Jim Miley:

I wholeheartedly agree that all-Ireland partnership is something for which we need to push harder. The shared island fund has opened a window of possibilities in that regard, with funding available for research on both sides of the Border. There are structural barriers to all-Ireland partnerships. I have raised previously at the committee the issue of the timing of leaving certificate results, for example, which mitigates against Northern Ireland students applying for places in colleges down here. Consideration should be given to a change in the timing of those results. That does not relate to funding, which is the topic for this discussion. As regards international partnerships, we welcome the supports the Government has given to the European Universities Initiative and the universities participating in it. We need much more such support going into the future.