Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)

If it is agreeable, I will be sharing time with Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere. There may have been a mix-up in respect of the time.

I wish the Minister, Deputy Lawless, and the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, well. I yesterday had the privilege of sitting in on the event organised by the Irish Universities Association at which the Minister set out his priorities for the higher education sector. I welcome his commitment to addressing the core funding issue, which is critical. I look forward to the necessary implementation of the commitments regarding the National Training Fund to ensure that our higher education sector is properly funded.

The Minister made clear his commitment to investing in research and innovation. I support the concept of Ireland becoming a global centre of excellence and attracting some of the world's top researchers. If there is a research prioritisation exercise to be conducted by Taighde Éireann, I ask that we include blue-sky research and do not solely focus on applied research. The Minister has indicated his desire for Ireland to take its place among the nations of the world in respect of research. He also spoke about finally signing the accord with CERN, which is welcome. The moves in that direction are positive.

It is critical that we address the issue of professorships at the technological universities in order to ensure the research base within that sector.

I strongly agree with many of my colleagues that one of the priorities must be around accessibility. This is an important issue and one that many people have discussed. Without the support of SUSI grants or higher education grants, many of us would not have had the opportunity to go on to higher education. The budget this year must prioritise increasing the thresholds at which students qualify for SUSI grants and the amounts of money payable under those grants. It is critical that we ensure as many people as possible have pathways into further and higher education as they move through the post-leaving certificate, PLC, sector. If somebody wants to proceed to higher education, we must make it as easy as possible.

In respect of reform of SUSI grants, we must consider more options for second chances. If somebody who got a SUSI grant suddenly discovered that the course was not for him or her, that person should be allowed a second chance at getting funding.

It is also critical that we look to make the Erasmus programme far more accessible. It should be open to every student and not just those from a better-off background. I am not saying that is the case, but there are many costs associated with the Erasmus programme and I would like, as part of our European commitment, a lot more engagement on that issue.

We are experiencing rapid technological change. This will be crucial to the work the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, is doing, but it will not only apply to apprenticeships. We also must consider reskilling and upskilling, particularly because of technological change, right across society.

We will be considering this in the Oireachtas committee on artificial intelligence but we need to look at integrating artificial intelligence and other tools into our further and higher education courses. We also need a debate around academic integrity when it comes to using AI.

When the Minister, Deputy Lawless, spoke to the Irish Universities Association yesterday, he said a priority of higher and further education should be to promote curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge. It is critical those in the sector engage in public debate. The academy is not about what happens in our universities and our higher and further institutions; it is about a wider debate within society. Facilitating that debate is critical. The Royal Irish Academy has done a very good job in that regard but I would challenge our universities and further and higher education providers to engage much more in the community and talk about the importance of the sector.

If we are to become a global centre for research and attract the world's top researchers, it is critical we address the question of basic research equipment. It is unacceptable that half of the research equipment in our universities is over ten years old and one third is over 15 years old. If we are to achieve that research goal, it is essential we address that. I thank both Ministers for their input and wish them well in addressing the challenges.

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