Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I am aware of the annual demands for additional resources for the higher education sector and have afforded significant priority to investments in this area. Spending on higher education has increased dramatically over the periods mentioned. Over €836 million in recurrent funding has been allocated to the seven universities for 2008. This excludes separately provided programmes of funding for capital, research and development and the strategic innovation fund. It represents an increase of approximately 25% since 2005 and an increase of 152% since 1997, when recurrent funding amounted to approximately €332 million.

When all higher education funding is taken into account, the overall provision by my Department for the sector amounts to some €2 billion for 2008. This represents a 230% increase on the 1995 provision.

In terms of international comparisons, between 1995 and 2004, in real terms, allowing for inflation, total public and private spending on higher education here has increased by 74%. This scale of increase was the sixth highest of any Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, country. Spending per student in higher education increased by 26% compared to 9% on average in the OECD.

Support for reform and development at third level and the creation of world-class excellence at fourth level are central Government priorities. The National Development Plan 2007-2013, recognises the critical role of higher education in the national innovation system that will be the basis of Ireland's economic and social development. The plan identifies the full funding of the sector, over €13 billion through the period, as a key strategic investment.

In 2006, the Government introduced a multi-annual strategic innovation fund for higher education with significant additional recurrent funding of €510 million over the seven years of the NDP. To date, some €140 million has been allocated, of which €100 million is earmarked for the university sector. The Government's strategy for science, technology and innovation also involves major investment in higher education infrastructure and skills over the period of the NDP.

Unprecedented investment is now being made in our higher education infrastructure, in promoting excellence through system-wide collaboration and change, in widening access and in creating a vibrant fourth level sector. These are key long-term investments in Ireland's future.

I recently announced that a national strategy for higher education will be developed which will outline the national ambitions for higher education over the next number of years. This strategy, as part of a number of objectives, will review the current use of resources and identify the medium-term resource needs of the sector.

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