John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I received an email to tell me that my local institution, the ATU, has been rated the number 1 university in Ireland and number 3 in the world for marine pollution research. I congratulate Mr. McGarvey and everyone involved.

I share the generally positive commentary engaged in by all members about the impact the sector has had on education, society and life in the country. I wish the institutions, individually and collectively, continued success into the future. I hope they can continue to grow. I fully recognise that the accommodation issue is important and pertinent to that continued growth.

I will preface all my remarks with the recognition that, as we have all noted, more needs to be done by the Government by way of funding and governance, and allowing the institutions to go ahead and borrow the money that is needed. That is the best way to develop this type of accommodation. I have some specific questions about the issue in respect of which the witnesses might be able to provide an answer. The first relates to the current constraints that the witnesses have mentioned in the context of developing accommodation. SETU seems to have overcome those constraints at some point. It developed somewhere in the region of 400 units of accommodation for students. How did SETU do that at the time? I do not know far back I am going. I am not sure. Professor Campbell's remarks did not comment on when that occurred. It would be interesting to know how it was that SETU was able to do that. Mr. McGarvey has said that unlike traditional universities, the technological universities have been unable to develop their own managed student accommodation but clearly, SETU has been able to. How was that possible? How did it overcome the barriers we are discussing this morning?

Senator Tully touched on the following point. The representatives from SETU and the MTU indicated that they have concrete plans ready to go. Senator Dee Ryan elicited from the Shannon Technological University its plans. Do the Technological University Dublin and the ATU have specific plans ready to go if all the constraints disappear?

In terms of their current operations, do all the institutions have an accommodation office which new students, in particular, but also returning students can contact to see if help can be found to avail of accommodation in the locality? What level of outreach does the office conduct with residents in the wider communities in the cities in which they operate to try to encourage people who might have capacity within their homes to enter the scheme that allows people to earn €14,000 without any tax implications? Does the outreach extend to that? Are the colleges doing that?

My greatest concern from the general conversation has been touched on previously by many people. It is the theme that this difficulty is preventing people from accessing third level institutions. Dr. Lillis said that it has the impact that people may be dropping out as a result. Do we have data on that? If people are dropping out, do the institutions pursue them to find out why exactly they do so? At that point, what help can the institutions offer to try to prevent it from happening? It is disappointing to think that people would be dropping out, but I understand it could well be happening. It is disappointing to think that the accommodation crisis is preventing people from accessing third level institutions.

I was taken aback by one thing that Professor Cusack said because it is a sign of excessive governance at a national level. She said that permission from the HEA is required to seek planning permission. Could she talk me through the process as it goes from coming up with a concept and then moves to the HEA to ask for permission to apply for planning permission? That seems excessive.

The witnesses might have general comments about the current standard of student accommodation that has been developed. Perhaps that will not have been in their institutions but to facilitate neighbouring institutions or other examples of which they might be aware. There is a sense, although I am not sure I share it, that the standard is excessive and is intended to facilitate the use of that accommodation for a different market when students are not there. Do the witnesses have any opinion on that matter?

Is there potential for collaboration with other institutions? Deputy Smith mentioned the ETBs and the further education sector. In the locations the technological universities operate, there are also traditional universities. Surely there should be some capacity for collaboration between the third level institutions to develop accommodation together. That would make sense. Synergy and some economies of scale might be available in those circumstances.

Professor Cunnane made a point about the formation of the new body, the TUA. Some more information in that regard would be helpful. How will it operate? How will governance apply? Will it be State funded? Are we seeking State funding for it? It would be nice to get some information on that point.