Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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10. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide improved funding for third level education. [43782/15]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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One of the characteristics of the outgoing Government is that in real terms and per capitait has seriously cut funding for third level education. That is one of its legacies. The Government has also increased third level fees significantly. Does the Minister expect the expert group on future funding to report shortly? Will its report include recommendations on student loans and is that something the Minister supports, given the dire constraints that seem to be operating in our third level sector financially?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank Deputy Broughan. The Government recognises the importance of the higher education sector to Ireland's future economic and social development. It also acknowledges that the sector must be resourced sufficiently and in a sustainable manner to ensure it can deliver on our national ambitions. The reality of the economic situation and the public expenditure corrections that had to be made in recent years presented challenges across all areas of public expenditure, including higher education. The sector has responded well to these challenges and has continued to provide opportunities for increasing numbers of students to undertake a higher education qualification. However, in recognition of funding pressures, an expert group chaired by Peter Cassells has been established to examine funding arrangements for higher education and to identify a range of approaches which, combined, will achieve a sustainable funding base. I understand the group is in the final stages of its deliberations and I expect to receive its report shortly.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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If the report recommends income-contingent student loans on the Australian model or another model, is that something the Minister would support in the context of the next few weeks, the general election and so on? The Minister's budget for the sector for 2016 is €1.45 billion for current expenditure, with a miserable €20 million on the capital side. Is it not the case that funding has been deliberately constrained and that this sector has done the most badly among all economic and social sectors in terms of funding from the Government? We have seen the rankings of Irish universities tumbling down the QS and Times Educational Supplementlists. Our highest-ranking university is Trinity College, Dublin, at No. 78. UCD, my own alma mater, is heading down to the 150 mark. Before the Minister and her predecessor, Deputy Quinn, took office, these colleges were in the 20s and 30s and very highly rated. Has that not been part of her legacy?

The Government has done absolutely nothing in the area I represent. Dublin 10 and Dublin 17 have the lowest take-up of third level education of all electoral areas in the State, at less than 20%, as well as having the lowest provision for third level education. The Government has done absolutely nothing to change that or to encourage additional people to go to third level. Is it not the case that, unfortunately, the Government's administration of third level been a disaster and another aspect of the fallout of the austerity years? We need a fundamental change. By the way, my own approach is to base funding on progressive taxation and progressive income tax.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The indications are that a range of options will be proposed by the Cassells group. We will consider all of them. I will not pre-empt that before I even see the report. Certainly, all options will be considered.

Regarding the Deputy's general points, I agree that we must broaden access, but a high percentage of our young people go on to higher education compared with other countries. However, that is not evenly distributed, particularly in Dublin city.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Some 6.7% in Dublin North-Central.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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We want to improve that level. Next week, I will publish a plan for access to higher education. It went through the Cabinet yesterday. It will include specific plans and targets for broadening the opportunity for access to higher education. Of course, higher education is not the only option. We will also introduce 25 new apprenticeships, which the Minister of State, Deputy English, and I announced earlier this year. We want people to consider options besides higher education.

Third level has faced difficult financial times. It has done well in some respects, for example, Horizon 2020, but the situation has been challenging and we are conscious that this issue must be addressed. The report will come to me in the near future.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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With her party, is the Minister planning to provide additional resources through a progressive taxation system or will she go down the two roads of income-contingent student loans, which would be a further burden on young people who are facing high rents, mortgages, finding jobs in a tough economy and so on, and increased fees? Alternatively, will she begin to resource properly a sector that has been one of the victims of the austerity years to restore it to the level that it seemed to be reaching before the Government entered office and the previous Government embarked on its crazy austerity programme? The fall from grace in the international rankings of our top universities is deplorable. Our international reputation has been damaged during the period of this Administration.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I assure the Deputy that we did not cut any budget because that was what we wanted. We faced extraordinarily difficult political decisions.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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The Government had choices.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Just the Minister, please.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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We did not have choices-----

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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The Government did.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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-----in terms of the overall amount of money available to us. What one takes in in taxation and what one must borrow are issues that one must deal with when in government. We dealt with them and have begun the recovery. My strong view, which has been supported by my colleagues in government in so far as we have attained an increase in the education budget in the past two years, is that public services, in particular education, need to be funded. We must ensure that good public expenditure on issues like education is a priority. It will be prioritised, but I will not pre-empt the report's proposal. We will consider the options that it suggests. I expect to have the report shortly.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputies who have tabled Questions Nos. 11 and 12 are not present, we will move on to the next question.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I will await the written answer and let Deputy Broughan ask his question. It is an important issue.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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That is fine.