Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The reality of the economic situation and the public expenditure corrections which had to be made in recent years presented challenges across all areas of public expenditure, including higher education. The sector has responded well to these challenges and has continued to provide opportunities for increasing numbers of students wishing to undertake a higher education qualification. In recognition of the pressures that higher education institutions are under, an expert group, chaired by Peter Cassells, has been established to examine future funding options for higher education. The objective is to identify a range of approaches which, combined, will achieve a sustainable funding base to address the continual expansion of the sector while protecting the quality of education. The group is due to report at the end of this year and its report will help inform decisions on future funding for the sector. I believe that seeking to pre-empt the conclusions of the group at this stage is unhelpful.

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