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

I am not convinced at all by the Taoiseach's reply. This is about strategic direction and how we should take the country back. In the 1960s, the likes of Donogh O'Malley, Paddy Hillery and Seán Lemass had a vision about how to take the country forward and that is why they set up the regional technical colleges. Their impact was extraordinary for the time. I attended an event last week hosted by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and Cork Chamber of Commerce at which they were honouring Dick Lehane, who was one of the first employees of EMC in Cork. He invited personnel from the old Cork Regional Technical College, including Larry Poland, and Professor Noel Mulcahy from the University of Limerick as his guests, underlining their central importance in the growth of EMC, which now employs thousands of people in the country and has done for many years.

Strategic direction in respect of this sector is lacking and it was lacking in the budget as well. The reports are there. It is quite extraordinary that the HEA in its own report would state, "STEM provision has effectively been disincentivised in the IoT sector". That is the technology sector and it is not incentivised to provide courses in information and communications technology, engineering and science. That is an extraordinary position and a terrible indictment on the respective Ministers in charge of education in recent years to allow it to continue. It is clear that, according to the report, six of the IoTs face immediate sustainability challenges and four more are potentially at risk due to limited reserves. The HEA, a State agency, is saying that the sector is in a critical crisis situation and I get no sense that the Government grasps this or will deal with it in a comprehensive and substantive way.

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