Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

I strongly welcome this Bill for a number of reasons. It makes absolute sense that the services being provided by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, the Further and Training Awards Council, the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland and the Irish Universities Quality Board are to be combined and streamlined. The two previous speakers have mentioned that this measure will save money and help to remove a little of the excessive bureaucracy that exists in this country. That aspect of this legislation must be welcomed. It makes eminent sense that we should have a National Framework of Qualifications, particularly one that is internationally recognised. The more we move towards bringing qualifications in Ireland on a par with qualifications in other European countries like France, Britain or Germany, the better. Given that the people of this country are primarily English-speaking - ach amháin sna háiteanna ina chónaíonn daoine mar an Aire Stáit atá i láthair - Ireland is in a particularly strong position to benefit from this development. We can build on the advantage we have by further developing our standing in the area of the teaching of English. By moving towards internationally recognisable qualifications, we will help to encourage more foreign students to come here to learn English. Given that English is in such demand as an international language, I hope our efforts in this regard can contribute in some way towards tackling the jobs crisis and putting Ireland more prominently on the map.

I would like to make an appeal to the Minister. I have a great deal of indirect experience of seeing people having to operate the FETAC system. It was an excellent system, in many respects, in the sense that it was independent and it insisted on decent standards. The operation of the system was extremely difficult for those who were providing courses, however. Many people submitted course proposals only for them to be returned with pretty unhelpful comments, for example about not enough detail or too much detail being included in them. I am aware of cases in which people had to submit their proposals on four or five occasions before they were given validation. I appeal to the Minister to ensure the new system is much friendlier towards users, given that bureaucracy is meant to serve the user and not the other way around. There has been a serious problem in that respect. I am aware of a person who took early retirement recently for the sole reason that he could no longer cope with having to get validation from FETAC. When I was teaching, the bureaucracy was so horrendous that I studiously avoided FETAC on all occasions with one exception. It was very bad in the early days, when it was insisted that everybody should do everything online even though the system was not working properly. On one occasion, a situation arose where tutors were brought to a venue in, I believe, Tullamore but the person showing them how to use the system could not get it up and running, which demonstrated to them the problems for the ordinary people trying to operate the system. While that has improved, at the same time, there has been a huge problem of people having their suggestions returned. The area in which I have known people to work this best is in regard to literacy. In some areas, it should be possible to provide the basic core of courses rather than people having to invent the wheel over and over again. It is important that it be possible to adapt courses according to the needs of individual students. However, in many areas it should be possible to provide core courses.

I regret that the Minister for Education and Skills has left the Chamber. It is very important that bureaucracy works for those whom it is meant to serve rather than just being a hindrance to them. I appeal strongly that it is ensured that whatever new system emerges works effectively and, if it is seen not to work effectively, that it be tweaked until it does. In spite of this appeal, I welcome the Bill as a very positive step towards integration of further and higher education which should make lifelong learning easier and should help to enable Ireland to become even more of an international provider of many areas of education, particularly English as a foreign language.

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