Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)

Bills of this nature show the House in its best light. This Bill, for example, gives Deputies an opportunity to work together for the betterment of the institutes of technology sector. It is clear from the contributions of Opposition Members that their views do not differ from those Government Members.

We are all conscious of the role the institutes of technology have played and will continue to play in third level education and this legislation facilitates them in fulfilling their role with greater power and confidence. As Jim Devine, chairman of the council of directors of institutes of technology, noted in a newspaper article published yesterday and referred to in this House, the institutes are different but equal. It is important that the Bill enhances the status of the institutes of technology and gives them autonomy. It is also vital that any organisation seeking to provide educational courses should be autonomous and have the ability to determine and award its own degrees.

I listened with interest to Deputy Boyle's contribution in which he made valid points about the need for organisations to be able to award their own degrees. The Bill will deal with this area. I also agree with the previous two speakers who said that the effect of the Bill will be much more positive than the development of the third level education sector in the United Kingdom where polytechnics were amalgamated with universities. The method proposed in this legislation is a better way.

A refreshing aspect of the education provided by institutes of technology is their close collaboration with industry. In my constituency, the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology provides a good example of this. It is a pioneering institute in the area of digital media, including photography. As the institute develops, we are getting great incubation spaces for the key element of research. Students are learning about the cutting edge of technology and its close application to industry. That is vital as we develop our knowledge economy, which is where Ireland needs to prosper if we are to make further progress.

My one concern is that institutes of technology have not had tremendous success in gaining access to research and development funding, which is worrying. Nonetheless, the Government has demonstrated its commitment to research and development, especially in the previous budget with the development of the strategic initiative fund. Concerns have been expressed that before we develop fourth level education, we need to ensure that primary, secondary and tertiary education are well resourced. It is one of those radical measures that Deputy Boyle was lamenting the Government does not have enough of and, from time to time, I share that sentiment.

It is important to get added value from our education sector. Looking back, anyone would recognise that Ireland's economic success was built on the education system provided to citizens from the 1960s to date. This includes the measures initiated by the Labour Party when last in Government, such as the abolition of third level fees.

The disparity of access to research funding between the university and IT sectors is slightly worrying. A report commissioned by the institutes of technology entitled Building Research Capacity indicated that while 44% of all new entrants to higher education have entered institutes of technology, such institutes' access to funding has been minuscule. The report stated that of a total research funding by PRTLI to date of €600 million, the institutes have received €14.5 million or 2.5%. The institutes have received 1.5% of capital expenditure. It is no wonder, therefore, that this causes a certain level of concern in the IT sector which feels at a significant disadvantage given that it caters for 44% of all new third level entrants.

Deputy Boyle asked how we can redress that imbalance. The ITs provide an excellent service so we must ensure that they also have access to research and development funds. We need to be careful in examining how that can be done. All research funding should be allocated on a competitive basis but the statistics are worrying. We should try to address this matter within the provisions of the Bill. We are all used to flying the flag for our constituencies.

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