Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

I will speak about my amendment No. 35. These objectives for the development of the agency are crucial to its long-term success and include tackling education disadvantage and the provision of educational programmes for the local community. The Higher Education Authority report of December 2004 Achieving Equity of Access to Higher Education: Setting an Agenda for Action in Ireland was severely critical of the way in which resources are allocated to improve access to third level. The report called for extensive collaboration between higher education institutions and second level schools. This agency provides the Minister with an excellent opportunity to act on the HEA proposals and make tackling educational disadvantage one of the agency's core objectives. To use the cliché, my amendment would give another positive role to the agency. It outlines: "The provision of educational programmes and facilities for local communities and in particular programmes aimed at tackling educational disadvantage". We have spoken about the community in the area and this amendment strengthens the call made time and time again today in this House.

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