Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

One issue concerns me, although I will not take too much time with it. I hate saying it but there seems to be a commitment to mediocrity in the university sector. As to the fall in ranking of some of the major institutions, we are taking it lying down. The Minister of State has indicated that he is happy with The Times Higher Education performance tables, which place Ireland firmly in the top 20. We had Trinity College and UCD seeing significant drops and although Government funding is an issue, it would be possible for the Government to think outside the box. As Professor Crown indicated we must look at mergers of universities and faculties. Both DCU and Maynooth fell in the ranking but have much potential and drive their local economies. How much more powerful could they be if they were joined? Although Senator Barrett may not agree, the same would apply to Trinity and UCD.