James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am glad my colleague raised the issue of higher education because in the course of the Minister's 11-page speech, universities and colleges were mentioned only once. Reference was made to the fact that they had closed and nothing further was said. I wish to return to a number of points I made six weeks ago which was the last time education was debated in the Chamber and I had the opportunity to ask questions. On that occasion I put two questions to the Minister which have not yet been answered. The first issue I raised was the plight of fixed-term researchers. I outlined that there are 14,500 individuals involved in fixed term research here. These are people who were working on grant-funded, time-limited projects and who are not eligible for the Covid payment or any other form of income support. In many cases, the project finances are about to run dry. Apart from the human capital cost, this could mean that work spanning three or more years will be lost as some projects were just about to conclude. Without an intervention, without guaranteed extensions to project funding as well as support for the individuals concerned, projects will run aground and researchers will be forced to examine other options and may not get to complete their research. This is a real, live issue for 14,500 fixed term researchers which has been raised by the Irish Federation of University Teachers, IFUT, the Research Council and many others. The last time we spoke the Minister told me that Mr. William Beausang and his group would consider this issue and I hope the Minister can give me an update on that today.

The next point I made to the Minister on that occasion was the wider picture in terms of higher education and higher education institutions being in crisis. Deputy Thomas Byrne mentioned the figure of €500 million. That is the hole that has been identified as the shortfall in university funding between lack of international students, accommodation and other supplementary income that universities had to bring in in recent years just to make ends meet. If we are being honest, they should not have been dependent on that in the first place, but there was a shortfall in the public purse and they had to do such things. Now they find themselves €500 million in hock with no sign of light on the horizon. I was dismayed to see the Department come out with a statement last week to the effect that they were on their own. Universities, which are our institutions of learning through which young and old progress, where our knowledge economy is supposedly based, and which supposedly constitute the foundation stone of so much of what we do as a society, nation and economy, were effectively cast adrift. Apart from anything, I thought it was practice that with a caretaker Government, a significant policy decision like that would not be made or announced. It was an unnecessary provocation and many within the sector wondered what the motivation was.

I read contributions such as the excellent editorial by the provost of Trinity College Dublin, Patrick Prendergast, earlier in the week. I note the 1,700 scientists, including Dr. Kevin Byrne, who signed the petition calling for supports for the sector and for research funding. The sector was already in crisis and this has been exacerbated by Covid-19. The Department cannot wash its hands of it but must get involved with regard to practical and big picture issues. I call on the Minister and Department to make that happen.

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