Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

The far-reaching consequences of the Higher Education Authority's proposals to change the funding methods for universities and other third level institutions will have serious consequences for those institutions. In this context, I call for a debate in the autumn on the issue of funding for third level institutions. There has been a serious decline in the funding provided by the Government and the Department of Education and Science to the universities.

There is a serious note of warning to be heeded when we hear it said that funding must be related to the output of particular categories of graduates to accommodate the needs of the economy. We must acknowledge that in the past we have had great support from industry for research and development in third level institutions. The latter have responded excellently to that support by producing the leaders of industry and the economy. However, this proposed change will mean that third level institutions lose their independence.

It is important that we have the opportunity to state clearly that our third level education system has been second to none and that any interference from outside will not be tolerated. Many Members have referred to the interference of multinationals in regard to other issues. I ask for a debate on this matter because the proposed changes to our education system will mean we all lose out.