Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on her appointment. I, like others, warmly welcome her introductory remarks. She covered the broad area of the remit of this committee. I particularly welcome her focus on inclusion. She said it has to be at the front and centre of all our work and that is important at every level of education.

During the previous Oireachtas, the Cathaoirleach, Senator Tully and I were members of the Good Friday Agreement committee. We did a lot of work in the context of examining issues on an all-Ireland basis. This is one area we have often referred to. We did some work on it, but we have to be very strong in this committee with regard to further and higher education and research on an all-Ireland basis. Northern Ireland and our State are too small as jurisdictions to be thinking in an isolated manner. Our island is too small not to be co-operating on an even more intense basis.

There has been a sea change in collaboration and co-operation on an all-Ireland basis since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, but there is much more we can do. One area I have a particular interest in is further education. The development of the further education sector on an all-Ireland basis must be progressed intensively if at all possible.

Senator Daly mentioned agriculture education. I was involved many years ago with having a course established in Ballyhaise agriculture college that gave a pathway to the food science degree course in Dundalk Institute of Technology. We know that many students who did not have the points to go directly into UCD to do the bachelor of agricultural science or go to Dundalk got a pathway through the agriculture colleges and have gone on to top-class careers in the areas of food, science, agriculture and farming practices. Senator Daly made the valid point that colleges, be they further or higher education, will complain to us that they are not funded enough, but by God, the agriculture colleges have a bigger grievance in that respect. It is an area we should look at.

All the comments that have been made are valid and important. I presume that over the next few meetings we will be developing a work programme, and that will be important. As the Cathaoirleach knows from her experience on previous committees, we need to get out and visit those colleges and meet the people. It is better than people sending memos and presentations and them coming in here and putting their best foot forward. Let us go out and meet them in the colleges and see what deficiencies and challenges they have, as well as the opportunities they have to develop.

The parliamentary term goes round very quickly. If we do not do some visits on our island - not abroad although they have to be done as well - in the early part of the Oireachtas term, they will not be done at all. That is the reality. We should give some consideration to trying to get out and meet people in the sectors in all the regions. I would start in the north east, in Dundalk, Cavan and Monaghan, just as an example or suggestion, and I presume the Cathaoirleach will agree with that.