Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I thank our witnesses. I congratulate them on their relatively new appointments. It is appropriate, given these are three relatively new institutions, to acknowledge the work of their new presidents, in addition to the management, governing bodies and everyone who has got the institutions to where they are today.

Deputy Conway-Walsh touched on many of the issues around the discrepancies in funding between what might be called the traditional sector and the new sector. I certainly agree the committee's recommendations that come from this process should address that. Every institution should be treated in an equitable way. I will talk about the broader funding priorities question, namely, the major issue of higher education and funding. Some of the witnesses have this experience, but if they were in the Minister's shoes and decisions had to be made now, where would they allocate the priority funding? Is it around addressing core funding? Is it around reform of the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grant scheme? Is it around cutting the student contribution?