Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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I thank Deputy Harris. I will go straight for it so in terms of North-South enrolment and the Minister's comments on it. I welcome some of the Minister's comments but am a bit concerned that he talks about what has already been done. I acknowledge the good collaboration between some of the institutes, and the research hubs and the development in that regard. There is still greater potential there. It is the student mobility part that we have to take very seriously. I am disappointed and maybe we can have further discussions on why I think we need targets. It is a bit like increasing female representation in politics if we do not have targets. I feel we are a quarter of a century after the Good Friday Agreement and it concerns me that we still have such a low number of students going from North to South and South to North. There is a much wider issue here than education in terms of embedding peace and reconciliation, and increasing the understanding that we need across the island. I see the way those who are at third level from North and South engage and it does not matter what their constitutional aspirations are. The engagement that is there and that then spreads out in third level institutes is really positive and something we need to do. I ask that we look to see what more can be done there with the shared island unit.

I would particularly like to highlight the recommendation around adjusting grades from A-levels into leaving certificate points because that is probably the single biggest barrier to students from the North coming South. It has become more acute in recent years as we have had grade inflation in this State. It is something we need to look at further. We will have a number of witnesses before the committee to discuss this further so I ask the Minister to keep an open mind on it and see what ways we can work together specifically to get rid of some of these barriers. I know from talking to students and parents from the North that it is easier for someone from the North to go to Oxford or Cambridge than to go to the University of Galway, Dublin City University or one of those. We have to hear that and try to unblock those things so I hope we will have further discussions on it.

I welcome the setting up of the review group. Deputy Harris said in May this year that the funding gap would be closed over the next three budgets. Is that still the Minister's intention?

Regarding student accommodation, I want to ask about the links to affordability and how the Minister will ensure it. If third level institutions were to borrow all of the money they would have to charge roughly more than €12,000 per year to cover the cost of student accommodation as it is at present. That is not affordable accommodation as I know the Minister will understand.

We talked last night about the PhD researchers and we need to look at the apprenticeship model to see what we can learn from that and how we can put that into place.

It is very important that each of the CORU students have a place and have a pathway. There needs to be lessons learned for the future from what has happened to them. I want to see each and every one of those students have a pathway and obviously be reimbursed. We have a responsibility, albeit that their education was being provided by a private institute.