Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, the Taoiseach makes the decisions about the allocation, not I.

I am pleased to have the support of two excellent Ministers of State in the Department. As the Deputy will be aware, the allocation of responsibilities is: the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, will be handling higher education; and the Minister of State, Deputy John Halligan, will continue to handle training, skills, innovation, research and development, and as the Deputy states, school transport.

The relevant delegation orders are in the course of being prepared but the areas of allocation are clear. Under higher education, there is student support, the Technological Universities Bill 2015, the Action Plan for Access to Higher Education, internationalisation of higher education and quality in higher education. I refer to the whole higher education remit. The Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, has the area of skills, further education and training, adult education, the research area, school transport, ICT skills etc. As always is the case, I retain an overseeing policy direction role. I am keen to ensure that as we develop new opportunities for young people, we see these two sectors grow in harness and together.

This as an appropriate decision by the Taoiseach because we see the need for growing investment in higher education. The Deputy has often pointed out that there is need for additional investment. At the same time, we need to see the balanced expansion of apprenticeships, traineeships and opportunities that, in my view and in the view of the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, have been neglected over the years, and we are trying to ensure that those evolve. These appointments are appropriate to that challenge.

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