Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

This Bill deals with the institutional arrangements for a sector which has evolved over many years and made a significant contribution to third level education. It would be difficult to imagine the third level sector without the institutes of technology and many of the provisions of the Bill are welcome in that they make arrangements for further progress to be made in this area.

In the pre-Celtic tiger days, when there were queues at the unemployment offices and the ports were full of those seeking opportunities in other countries, one group of colleges, the regional technical colleges, was producing graduates who found it easier than others to secure work in the economic climate of the time because they possessed relevant skills. The RTCs have since transformed into institutes of technology which have continued to cater for the needs of those seeking education to gain employment and have maintained links with industry, an approach that has worked well.

The institutes of technology complement the university sector, thus creating a clear space for them as individual entities. This contrasts with the position in the United Kingdom where the polytechnic sector was amalgamated with the university sector. A strong argument can be made for maintaining and expanding the independence of the institutes, and this is the clear purpose of the legislation.

I read the article on institutes of technology which featured in yesterday's edition of The Irish Times. It can be difficult to construct a corporate identity when a sector is spread over a series of campuses, each of which comes under a separate authority. The Dublin Institute of Technology's physical move to Grangegorman is a step in the right direction in that it will consolidate the identity of the institute in the capital. This consolidation stands side by side with a real example of decentralisation in action. It would be difficult to imagine towns and cities such as Carlow, Waterford and Athlone without institutes of technology. In this respect, I am surprised that spontaneous recognition of the sector is as low as one third of the population, given the number of people who have studied or are studying in the institutes. I was also surprised to learn that 90,000 students are enrolled in the institutes, a figure equivalent to the population of a decent-sized county.

A measure of the importance of the institutes of technology and university sector is that counties which do not have ITs view the establishment of such an institution as a fundamental necessity given the proven linkage between having a third level institution and the ability to generate employment. Their role in creating research and development linkages is also important.

While I welcome the Bill, a number of problems have been highlighted. The Teachers Union of Ireland, although it welcomes the Bill, has expressed disappointment and concern about the diminution of security of employment for future appointees in institutes of technology. The union has highlighted the difference in job security between future employees of institutes of technology and employees in the university sector for whom the concept of tenure is enshrined in legislation. The TUI describes the statutory right to tenure as an essential bulwark for academic freedom. Such a right could be enshrined in the legislation by way of amendment, but this hinges on whether the Government views the role of the institutes as equal to that of the universities. If it takes this view, academic freedom will be an essential requirement if institutes and universities are to operate on an equal basis. The fears in the sector concerning security of employment must be addressed.

The institutes of technology have already established a pattern of accommodating students from disadvantaged backgrounds and I have no doubt this trend will continue. I also welcome that this function is provided for in legislation. It is essential for those with disabilities that adequate financial provision is made to ensure their inclusion. With significantly more funding available to the university sector in this respect, the funding issue for institutes of technology will need to be addressed if inclusion in this sector is to materialise.

The flexibility afforded to students, many of whom study part-time, is an important component in the education system. With jobs for life no longer available, it is vital that workers are facilitated to engage in life-long learning. Co-operation between institutes of technology allows students to accumulate credits towards academic qualifications which are recognised nationally and internationally.

From my dialogue with some of the industries located in my constituency, I am aware that specific courses are designed with the needs of employees and industry in mind. This approach works very well and benefits both parties. The institutes of technology have been at the forefront of developing such linkages.

The institutes of technology developed out of the regional technical colleges when the need to develop the sector was identified on the basis of a bottom-up approach. The post-leaving certificate, PLC, sector has developed in much the same fashion. In light of the perceived lack of commitment to deliver on the recommendations of the McIver report, what was the purpose of commissioning the report in the first instance? One expects that reports are commissioned with a view to completing the project in question. A timeframe for the implementation of the McIver report must be announced soon if the widespread frustration in the PLC sector is to be addressed.

Under the new arrangements students should be a given a role on the boards of the institutes of technology because students are a key component in feeding information to boards and ensuring they are inclusive.

It is difficult to understand the reason certain graduates are precluded from participating in Seanad elections while others, with whom they compete in the jobs market and every other walk of life on an equal basis, have a right to vote in them. Given that graduates have equal qualifications, all of them should be entitled to participate in Seanad elections. While I favour extensive reform of the Seanad, at a minimum, this inequality should cease.

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