Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

That is barely time to warm up. I welcome the Minister of State. My comments are almost complete. The one area that this Bill does not address is physical accommodation for third level students. Since the Short Title of the Bill is the Student Support Bill, I want to give notice of my intention to bring in a series of amendments which I hope the Minister of State will accept as admissible on Committee Stage in this area.

We probably have the lowest provision of dedicated accommodation for students attempting to get to college in northern Europe. It is a major issue for the USI. Mechanisms could be put in place to enable third level colleges, the Construction Industry Federation and the Departments of Finance and Education and Science to ease part of the pain of the current down turn in the construction sector by the provision of dedicated student accommodation. This could be on campus land surplus to educational requirements or in conjunction with local authorities in areas unsuitable for family accommodation but which are required for urban renewal. It would tap into the section 23 sentiment and culture we have had for the last 20 years.

That is all I have left to say in the time available. As I indicated to the Minister yesterday evening, the Labour Party will bring forward a series of amendments on Committee Stage. I again ask the Department to revisit the nonsense of having 33 VECs administering the same scheme and to examine the organisational efficiency of the Department of Social and Family Affairs, which is used to evaluating family income and performing means testing. This Department could provide a unilateral and similar quality of service across this Republic in a manner that a VEC, whether in Cork or Leitrim County Council, cannot do. We must bite that bullet and perhaps the Opposition can make it easier for the Government to bite it.

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