Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

Some speakers mentioned the need for urgency in the implementation of these recommendations. Senator White stated that we cannot be complacent. The Minister of State's speech was very informative, especially his reference to the next phase for the expert group and the advisory committee. It is helpful to have that information. The Minister of State listed the recommendations in the different sectors. What is lacking in the Minister of State's speech is information about what action the Government plans for the implementation of the recommendations.

The Minister of State said: "There is little point in continuing to generate new reports and recommendations if insufficient attention is paid to implementation of existing recommendations." He described the role of the expert group in that regard. He also referred to what is regarded as the importance of Government policy and its implementation of the recommendations. The Government is being complacent about this issue. We do not have the luxury of being complacent or of taking our time on this issue. We could be left behind. Ireland now has the disadvantage of being a high cost country and must, therefore, have highly skilled employees available. This is mentioned in the report and the Minister of State also referred to it.

Everybody accepts that our economic strategy must be to move towards an increasingly knowledge based economy in which foreign direct investment enterprise will be at the upper end of the value chain and increase the volume of high technology indigenous enterprises. The experts and groups agree that Ireland will need to find its niche.

The State's strategy for education and training is confused and dissipated and is not in keeping with support for the economic strategy. It is increasingly in conflict with the economic strategy which we all accept. This strategy requires that greater numbers of young people should acquire third level qualifications, yet the Minister for Education and Science has slashed third level capital expenditure, making it impossible for the colleges to increase numbers. It was reported recently that the Department of Education and Science has forecast that there will be an increase in the numbers in education from more than 130,000 presently in third level education to 180,000 in a few years' time. As a result of current Government policy the infrastructure will not be in place to cater for those greater numbers and the Government's policy of increasing numbers at third level.

The economic strategy also requires substantial upskilling of the existing workforce. This would be achieved by an increase in the numbers undertaking part-time study options. The Minister for Education and Science has allowed the White Paper on lifelong learning to gather dust and many of its recommendations have not been implemented. He has cut budgets for the institutes of technology and they have been forced to cut part-time programmes. The economic strategy demands a significant increase in research and development and the production of doctoral graduates.

The Minister for Education and Science has paused the PTRLI. He has cut the capital to the institutes of technology in that regard, making it impossible for them to carry out their research and development mission. The Department of Education and Science is no longer an autonomous Department; it is now a subsection of the Department of Finance. The Minister for Education and Science has lost the connection between education and economic development. I suggest to the Minister of State that if the Minister for Education and Science will not act and the reports and White Papers are gathering dust, that responsibility for higher education should be transferred to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which might take a more proactive attitude than the Department of Education and Science.

The Government's response to this report will tell if it is capable of realising its economic strategy in the future. If it does not respond quickly, clearly and with determination, we will not achieve our goals. Although the Minister of State's speech is informative and positive, it does not give the impression that the issue is being dealt in the required urgent manner. If the initiative is not taken, Ireland will lose its share of foreign direct investment because it will be unable to operate at the higher end of the value chain. There is competition from countries such as China and the EU accession states.

It is not only the Government but also the universities and colleges who must respond. They are justified in their complaints about funding cuts but they have much to do and are very slow in taking action. The Government needs to confront the universities in particular and the other colleges to ensure they implement the recommendations of the report which relate directly to them. Senator Ormonde asked whether they are willing to be more flexible in the manner in which they deliver courses. As the Labour Party spokesperson in the Seanad on education and science, I have often raised this issue. The colleges need to change their product and provide more flexible third level education which would allow more people to take up the option of part-time study, as in the case of those who wish to study and work or mature students who want to acquire third level qualifications. The cost is prohibitive and there are not sufficient options available at part-time level. Part-time courses should be available during the day, for example. There is strong evidence from other countries that the improvement of flexibility in the way colleges deliver their product helps to increase the level of participation of the disadvantaged and of mature students.

The report makes recommendations on upskilling the workforce and increasing the numbers of young people in third level education. The fees for technology management courses are too high. The colleges are under-resourced in that regard and must charge high fees. More needs to be done. The Government was investing in research and development through the PTRLI and so on, but in the past few years, it stopped such investment. We cannot have stop-go economic strategies if we do not want to miss the boat. It is important the Government gives priority to this issue. The most important aspect of economic strategy is education and training, yet it has been cut back in recent years. The Government must reverse these cuts and take on board its responsibilities.