Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I thank Deputy Quinn and the Labour Party for sharing time with me.

The Bill seeks to make an extra investment of €20 million in the Mitchell scholarships programme which every year brings approximately 12 students to Ireland to study. No one is disputing the benefits for research and development that such students bring to our universities, nor is there any disagreement over the great work undertaken by Senator George Mitchell during the peace process. However, I have small reservations about the Bill in the context of massive cuts to our education system. It is estimated that by the end of next month, March 2010, as many as 1,200 special needs assistants will be sacked from our schools. Some school buildings are falling apart and students face massive increases in the student registration fee, which they are struggling to pay. In light of such massive cutbacks, I cannot in good conscience give unqualified support to a Bill which seeks to make such a large investment in such a small programme.

For George Mitchell scholars, tuition, flights and accommodation are all supplied free of charge, and scholars are also provided with a living expenses stipend of $12,000, which is approximately €9,000. As well as this, each scholar is given a €1,000 stipend to be used for travel throughout the island as well as in Europe. This may not seem like a huge amount but is it something we can really afford in such a depressed economic climate?

Post-graduate courses in Ireland vary in cost, from approximately €1,600 for ICT courses, to €4,000 for research degrees, to as high as €10,000, usually for business courses. These are huge costs, particularly in times of recession when people are out of work and grants and social welfare payments are being cut. Severe cuts have been made to third level education in particular in recent months. The budget for 2010 introduced measures for an overall reduction of 4% in provisions for institutes of technology and universities. This will see students having to deal with diminished practical and tutorial supports, shorter library opening hours, overcrowded lecture halls and limited access to laboratories. The recent fiasco at Dublin Institute of Technology, whereby laboratories were cancelled, student services were severely curtailed and libraries services cut, show just how bad an effect a cut such as this will have.

The budget also introduces a 5% cut to the student maintenance grant. It is estimated that approximately 60,000 students per year avail of this grant. With the cost of going to college estimated at approximately €7,000 to €8,000 per year, this will mean that thousands of students literally will not be able to afford to go on to higher education and will end up on dole queues.

Perhaps the programme could be improved if it were expanded with a view to bringing over more students with specific research and development goals with direct benefits to Ireland. I am not sure of what direct economic benefits those 12 students per year would bring although I accept that potential indirect benefits exist. The University of Notre Dame brings over 100 students to the island every year and Boston College has a similar programme. These universities do not receive any funding from our Exchequer.

My party and I have some reservations about the Bill. I welcome new ideas and innovations to our universities and our knowledge sector. I welcome anybody who wants to come to study in Ireland and I welcome the all-Ireland approach that this programme has taken. However, I question whether now is the right time to make such a big investment in such a small programme. That said, if our reservations find no resonance with other opinions in the House then Sinn Féin Deputies will not oppose the passage of the Bill. I acknowledge the historical role played by George Mitchell and the huge debt we owe him for his extremely important work during the peace process.

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