Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have read with great interest recent comments made by the Master of the National Maternity Hospital, Dr. Rhona Mahony, who expressed the view that a lack of investment in education resulted in cycles of intergenerational and socio-economic disadvantage. In a similar vein, Professor Morgan Kelly, in his very interesting views on potential negative impacts on the SME sector, to which the Minister for Finance has responded, has indicated that Irish universities are no longer able to give a young person a good education at a reasonable cost. He has said that in his experience, when the country was apparently awash with money, growth in the university sector did not take place in academia but in administration. He has indicated that many of his colleagues in his department left UCD to take up more lucrative offers abroad and that administrators now outnumber lecturers by two to one. I call on colleagues in all parties to agree that the Seanad should facilitate a proper committee-style debate on the future of third level education.

It should be done without preconditions or preconceived notions about how best to fund and structure the sector. It could be the first of many debates on various subjects and we should be in a position to call experts before us to give evidence. This House is supposed to be a forum that permits deeper and more considered analysis of matters. Perhaps the Leader might consider my suggestion which I would be happy to discuss further with him.