Maurice Hayes (Independent)

I am grateful to Senator Ormonde for sharing time. It means I will have to cut down on the pleasantries but the Minister can take them as delivered.

I speak not as a consumer of the services dealt with in the Estimates or with a constituency interest but to offer some general comments on two areas. I will focus on the research capacity of higher education but, with regard to health, I would be disinclined to put any more money into this sector until the systems are put in order. When one puts more money into a black hole, one simply confirms people in their behaviour. Money could be focused on getting and keeping people out of hospital.

I welcome the extension of the medical card scheme. It is a pity the Minister could not go a little further and cover the cost of drugs which are very expensive. There should be more generous treatment of the chronically ill. For some time, a number of Members have been making representations to the Department of Health and Children on behalf of the small and declining number of people who are survivors of the polio epidemic in the 1950s. The Department seems to be entirely incapable of comprehending the possibility that they might be registered as chronically ill users of drugs.

The economy and future development of this country requires that we have at least one research university, whether it is a single free-standing facility or a combination of what we have. We need a research university that is in the world's top rank. Otherwise, our young people will leave to go to the good laboratories. They will go to the facilities with the good teachers and the people who write the books. Our good teachers will follow them and most will not return.

In future, industrial jobs will go to low-wage economies and service jobs will follow them. If Ireland is going to build on the wonderful advance that has been made, it will be in the knowledge-based industries, in research and development and in similar areas. A list was published recently — and one might query the criteria that were used — ranking universities internationally. In the first 200, Trinity College, Dublin, was 89th and Queen's University, Belfast, was 147th. The rest of our universities were absent. It is not an issue of scale or population because there were three Australian universities in the first 20. Unless Ireland can develop that type of capacity, where our institutions are in that first division or, at least, in the first 50, our industrial and economic future is in peril.

I hope there will be a further debate on this issue, as has been sought by a number of Members. This is the one item missing from the Estimates. I hope it will be possible to seriously examine the university sector, particularly with regard to research which is very important.

Apart from that, the Minister's speech was extremely encouraging. Undoubtedly, he will bring to this portfolio the same quality and pertinacity which he brought to his last position. However, there must be further consideration of the needs of higher level education.