Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I said on Committee Stage that, implicitly or explicitly, I have no interest whatsoever in the privatisation of the higher education system.

We have recently taken decisions in respect of funding higher education recognising that it is a public good. The absolutely clear policy agenda is to support and enhance publicly funded higher education institutions. As the Deputy, in fairness, acknowledged, there is nothing in this Bill that would alter that reality in any way, shape or form. My concern about this amendment, which I tried to state on Committee Stage and which has arisen after further reflection, advice and discussion, is that there are times at which we utilise not-for-profits and smaller private colleges, perhaps in regional Ireland, to meet various educational needs in a region with regard to a specific skill set. We all know about this and we have probably all made representations about these providers at various stages. Our concern is that the amendment does not recognise that reality. I know this is not the Deputy's intention and I am not suggesting that it is. As she will know, the Bill will provide for the ability to decide on the strategy for tertiary education, the ten-year policy and vision for higher education. It is not my intention to include a provision in the Bill that would inhibit the development of any innovative or local solution that may be required. Even when trying to define smaller colleges, one of which the Deputy referred to, one will see that there is quite a wide array of constructs with regard to the ownership of different institutions. This is not about privatisation, far from it. Higher education is absolutely a public good. We want to support and publicly fund the public higher education institutions but, from time to time, there will be collaborations at local level involving the not-for-profit sector in particular. That is the only nuance, rather than area of disagreement, that I will point out.

See this speech in context