Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

When did the Minister receive the report? Why does it have to go back to the board of the Higher Education Authority, given that the authority drew up the report in the first place? I would have assumed that the board cleared the report before it went to the Minister. I ask the Minister to impress on the authority the need to publish the report. Perhaps it is within his own capability to do so. People are anxious to have certainty in relation to this issue, which needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. When the Hunt report was published a year ago, the Minister, as his party's education spokesperson of the time, called for any follow-on studies to be published immediately. I ask him to ensure this report is published as quickly as possible. The parents of students who aspire to go on to further education at third level want to know what the financial position is, what choices they might face and what onus will be on them with regard to costs at third level.

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