Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

I apologise for not being present for the Minister's contribution. I was at a committee meeting which always seems to clash with Seanad debates. However, this is not the fault of the Minister.

I welcome the Bill and I will begin where Senator Barrett finished by stating we should remove layers of bureaucracy, and this is what the Bill will do by amalgamating the various bodies which exist. The McCarthy report, which Senator Barrett mentioned, recommended that bureaucracy be reduced.

I read some of the Minister's statement in the time available to me and he stated the Bill will establish a new body, the qualifications and quality assurance authority of Ireland, which will amalgamate the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, the Further Education and Training Awards Council, the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland and the Irish Universities Quality Board. Even if only the offices and furniture of these boards were amalgamated, one will make savings because pushing paper from one organisation to another trying to achieve the same end is not recommended by anybody. An efficiency review conducted in 2008, the OECD report, "Towards an Integrated Public Service", and the recommendations made in the McCarthy report all stressed a need to consolidate the quality assurance bodies, and I am glad the Minister has taken these recommendations on board with the publication of the Bill.

The remit of the qualifications and quality assurance authority of Ireland will be wide ranging and will include maintenance of the national framework of qualifications established under the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act 1999; the review of policies and criteria on which the national framework of qualifications is based; and advising relevant departments on the national policy on the transfer of credits and the recognition of prior learning. Standardisation of recognition of prior learning and accreditation of prior learning has fallen back. Will the Minister speak about this? Various ways exist to introduce the recommendations on the accreditation of prior learning in various colleges.

The reasoning behind the Bill is clear. It is logical to have one organisation taking responsibility for ensuring quality in higher and further education, as opposed to the present system that is in place. I mentioned several bodies that overlap. Such a progressive move must be welcomed and I commend the Minister on taking it. The Minister outlined some of the savings that would be made. Perhaps at a later date we could evaluate those. Senator Barrett made a similar point.

The Department of Education and Skills has already established the inter-agency implementation amalgamation group to support the amalgamation process. Considerations for this process have been set out in the consultation paper since 2009. Senator Barrett indicated that there has been very little consultation. However, consultation did take place. Written submissions were received during the consultation process from various organisations and individuals. The consultation paper that was published in 2009 by the Department found that an amalgamated body would be better placed to progress plans for development across further and higher education and training.

The consultation paper was in favour of the amalgamation of the remit of the quality assurance bodies because having one authoritative body would simplify the process of communication for providers and would make it easier to share information and expertise, facilitate consultation and simplify decision making. Moreover, a single agency, as proposed in the Bill, would be better placed to enable and contribute to international best practice and quality assurance and distribute it to the further and higher education and training sectors.

The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, NQAI, has welcomed the publication of the Bill, noting that it would provide a more cohesive and integrated set of services to learners in higher and further education to the highest international standards. We want to serve students. That is an unequivocal vindication of the provisions contained in the Bill. It is based on best international practice as well.

The Netherlands and Spain have already established one organisation for the provision of quality assurance and accreditation in third level education. The bodies in both of those countries were reviewed in 2007 and were both found to be in compliance with the membership regulations of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education which established a common framework of reference for quality assurance as far back as 2005. We will be able to compare with the agency in the future.

Recent quality assurance 2011 statistics have shown an overall decline in Irish universities. Senator Barrett mentioned that we have good universities and a good output but the figures indicate that a review of quality assurance procedures is needed in our universities. The new agency will take over the quality assurance review function from the Irish Universities Quality Board, IUQB. In the light of the latest university world ranking it is a welcome and positive move for Irish third level education.