Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

A couple of issues arise. The college has developed and moved on from the theological base on which it was founded. Its current ethos is very much based on social justice and community. As already stated, it has a particular focus on mature students who want a second chance at education. On foot of its ethos, it has certainly inspired people to undertake voluntary and community work. It is quite important, therefore, that it should be saved. As the Minister of State indicated, the problem which arises in this regard relates to money. All Hallows is a private college but, as he also indicated, the State pays it some money on the basis of the number of students pursuing particular courses. However, this money is capped. If the cap were lifted, that might assist in alleviating the situation.

One of the solutions being discussed relates to the fact that DCU has decided to accept a different combination of subjects in respect of the relevant courses and this would help in attracting more students. I do not wish to be disrespectful but dropping many of the theology combinations and focusing more on the other programmes might be the way forward. DCU has agreed that this would, in fact, attract more students. The difficulty is that the Department must lift the cap to which I refer. It must be accepted that All Hallows is a fine educational facility on the northside of Dublin. The premises in which it is located is extremely impressive and it would be tragic if it was lost to the education sector. The college has relied on philanthropy to survive and is existing on the basis of endowment funds, which are being depleted, and some fees. It sold some land a number of years ago in order to fund its operations.

Could the State not intervene and negotiate with the authorities at the college in order to try to preserve it as an educational facility? We know, on the basis of population projections, that we are going to require more such facilities in the future. I accept that this matter is not relevant to the Minister of State's Department but I request that he impress on the Minister for Education and Skills the need for an intervention in respect of it. A further meeting of the ALBA students is due to take place tonight. Most of the latter are mature students and they are extremely concerned. The Government could, without breaking the bank, secure what is a fine educational establishment. If it lifted the cap in respect of the courses to which I referred earlier, the number of students would increase and this would be enough to keep All Hallows going. The college estimates that it would required €2 million in order to get through the next academic year. That is not a huge amount and most of the students who attend the college pay fees. As stated earlier, many of them are former colleagues of mine at Dublin airport. All Hallows provides a fine service. I appeal to the Minister for Education and Skills to link up with the authorities there in order to discover what might be done in the context of securing its future for both current and prospective students.

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