Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

I wish to refer to the university rankings which have been mentioned. The rankings of TCD and UCD have slipped. The previous two speakers have worked in and may still be a part of the university sector. We have to key an eye on these rankings. The Times higher education rankings are regarded as being the most authoritative in the world. I know Senator David Norris has criticised them, but in order to criticise one must have the facts. We should conduct more research on our universities to ascertain if we have the requisite number of professionals with PhDs lecturing in their own field. It is one thing to have the requisite number to qualify in terms of university rankings, but to have the requisite number qualified in the field in which they are teaching is another.