Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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On the veterinary issue, it is critical that the accreditation covers the whole of the island. There is a responsibility to have collaboration on that, wherever that school is. There is no veterinary school in the North. We need a veterinary school that will serve all of the island. That is one of my Priority Questions to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Simon Harris later today. It is vital. We have to get this right.

From our work and engagement with the sector, it is obvious that the single biggest barrier to students coming South is the system of converting the A-levels to the leaving certificate points. As six leaving certificate subjects are used for scoring four A-level subjects, it was determined that the leaving certificate higher qualification was two thirds of an A-level. It is broadly recognised to disadvantage students from the North. I speak to students all the time about this. The maximum number of CAO points an A-level student studying the normal number of three A-level subjects can achieve is 550 points if three A* grades are achieved, while a leaving certificate student studying the normal number of six leaving certificate subjects can achieve a maximum of 625 points.

Although students can choose to study additional subjects, three subjects tends to be the norm. However, it is kind of like expecting students in the South to do eight subjects for their leaving certificate. It can be done but very few do it. The system for providing additional points for higher level maths also disadvantages students from the North given the different systems. The need for a modern European language for many courses is another barrier. We cannot hide behind these things. We can research the matter and research it again in ten years' time but we have to listen to what students are telling us. I meet them in the car parks of Trinity and in other places. I talk to students who managed to break through all of these barriers but they really have been up against it and we have a collective responsibility to address those barriers. That is the one thing I would leave the witnesses with today. I know I have not left them much time to answer but theirs are the key organisations in making this happen and the committee will work with them to make sure that it does.

I say to Mr. Brownlee that, even though the numbers have not moved much since, I can very clearly see what SOLAS is trying to achieve and the willingness in all of the strands he outlined. I expect that we will begin to see the results of what it is doing in the numbers in further education.

I will finish up by thanking Ms Cousins for being with us today. Her presence is crucial and I hope she will continue to work with us for the benefit of everybody on the island. We are mostly talking about young people, but this involves people right across the life cycle. We are all conscious of our responsibilities and I see a willingness to work across the island to create opportunities.