Seán Conlan (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

The Bill is a positive instrument of change in that it addresses a prevailing situation whereby awards are being issued by different authorities with an obvious overlap occurring. The new authority will inject clarity into the awards process, while at the same time offering a more cost-effective awards authority. While NQAI, HETAC, FETAC and the IUQB were all excellent authorities and performed and served the nation well, the new QQAAI will offer the opportunity to amalgamate the services of all these bodies in order to deliver an improved, more focused and more cost-effective service.

The new body is charged with maintaining the NFQ and introducing more clarity on the organisation of qualifications. Being a single body it will be better placed to monitor and review policies regarding the NFQ and manage the access to courses, inter-course transfers and the progression of students through the system. It will also be better placed to advise the Departments of Education and Skills, and Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on national policies on qualifications and the directions required for national policies on the certification of lifelong learning, which is an important new development in the education field and more important than ever now in the present climate, where the necessity for further education, retraining and re-employment has become a major issue for the workforce.

This new body will be able to advise both Departments on national policy regarding the accumulation and the transfer of credit and the recognition of prior learning, both here and internationally, which will become a greater issue when, hopefully, the young people who left these shores to find employment and further education, return.

The authority will set quality standards and procedures to apply across the universities of the NUI and will decide the standards of learning to be met in order to achieve an award. A single organisation must be more efficient than a number of organisations trying to provide one service and now is certainly the right time to establish the QQAAI. However, in doing so we must be aware that the amalgamation is a difficult process. I wish the IAG every success in undertaking this difficult task, which when completed will provide benefits, including a leaner, more agile and more responsive agency which will be better positioned to keep pace with international best practice. It will be more accessible and simpler to deal with for education and training providers. It will enhance the National Framework of Qualifications, NFQ, providing clarity for students and award holders and, in doing so, will enhance Ireland's provision of education and training.

In conclusion, there will be added benefit to those in our economy who are developing Ireland's reputation as a high quality provider of educational services, an area of great growth potential at this time when such was never as badly needed. They will benefit from the international education mark and code of practice, which will introduce a greater degree of strategic planning and implementation among all participating in the development of education services in this country.

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