Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

Free third level education is a right. It is also essential for the economy that we have good, well qualified people, who have completed third level education, to attract certain types of industry, particularly high-tech and research-based industries.

We all accept that access to third level education among the lower socio-economic groups has not improved dramatically in recent years. Whose failure is that? It is the failure of the Fianna Fáil-PD Government that has been in office for the past six or seven years.