Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My response to the Minister's fairly welcome reply will be brief. We are well aware of the role HECA plays, particularly in terms of the courses it offers. I understand it currently has 27,000 students nationwide, in colleges ranging from Hibernia College to Griffith College, both in Cork and Dublin, and covers courses from business to education to childcare. There is a good balance in terms of the colleges and students it represents. I understand the National Skills Council meets quarterly or every two months. If the Minister were in a position by the next meeting to clarify whether HECA has been consulted, that would be most welcome. I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, where we regularly have discussions with representatives from HECA. It is obvious that they are held in such esteem that they are invited together with the other representative bodies. They warrant inclusion on the forums we are discussing.

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