Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We all remember the infamous photograph of Deputy Ruari Quinn outside Trinity College Dublin in advance of the 2011 general election, when he signed a big banner and the students' petition, saying he would cut rather than increase student fees. Of course, subsequently, when he took office as Minister for Education and Skills, he blatantly and cynically disregarded that commitment. Ever since then third level funding has been on a cliff. It is in a seriously difficult situation. Pupil-teacher ratios have got progressively worse, going from 16:1 to 20:1. There is little or no capital investment, apart from the Grangegorman campus, in third level education. The central role of third level education in economic development is not reflected in current Government policy and has not been for some time. It is indisputable that over the past 40 years investment in third level education was central to economic and social development, particularly in attracting foreign direct investment and in developing small to medium sized companies and giving young people a chance in life. The great success story of modern Ireland has been the degree to which we have opened up third level education through institutes of technology and universities to far more young people than was the case in the 1950s and 1960s.

The quality of the experience for students is in decline. That is a real worry for those in charge of the universities and for those who have analysed this. There will be more young people going into third level education in years to come. Population growth and the numbers coming through second level all point to far greater numbers attending. The quality of the experience should be good. We have been slipping in some of the world league tables of university rankings and that is a considerable worry.

The report of the expert group on future funding for third level education, the Cassells report, has highlighted much of this and pointed to the urgent need to restore and enhance quality. It has recommended an immediate increase of €120 million per year over the next five years. It recommends spending €5.5 billion over the next five to six years on capital infrastructure in third level education. Students need additional supports. Postgraduate students should be prioritised and their grants restored. I have been saying this for the past three to four years.

Do the Taoiseach and the Government accept the recommendations of the Cassells report? As discussions and negotiations begin about the forthcoming budget, will the Government reflect significantly increased funding of approximately €120 million to the third level education?

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