Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I, like many of the Senators who have contributed to this debate, would like to thank Senator Barrett for the work he has put into the drafting of this Private Members' Bill which seeks, among other things to consolidate third level legislation into a single Bill; provide for the establishment of a higher education and research grants committee which would decide upon all third level funding; and provide the Higher Education Authority with regulatory and advisory roles for all research funders, including those under the responsibility of other Departments.

As the Senator will be aware, in May 2013 the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, announced a major reorganisation of the country's higher education sector which includes provision for the creation of new technological universities. This announcement was made on foot of recommendations made by the Higher Education Authority for the consolidation of the institute of technology sector; the creation of a small number of technological universities; the formation of regional clusters between universities and institutes of technology; implementation of recommendations to rationalise teacher education; and for increased sustainability and capacity in the higher education system. These fundamental changes to the higher education system will enable it to respond in a more coherent way to national priorities set down by the Government and provide graduates with the skills and qualifications essential for Ireland's social and economic well-being. Our higher education institutions have a huge role to play in our national effort. They contribute to the generation of a highly skilled workforce, provide an environment where innovation and new ideas can flourish, undertake research to meet the needs of industry and society, contribute to our reputation and international attractiveness and serve as a key anchor in their local region or community.

The national strategy for higher education to 2030 sets out a comprehensive road map for reform of the higher education system. The objectives of the reform programme are to ensure that the system becomes more performance oriented and more flexible and responsive, while its diversity in terms of mission is retained and enhanced so that students can soar to the heights of their ability. As Senator Barrett rightly points out, legislation is required to implement a range of governance, accountability, funding and structural reforms to allow us to meet the framework for modernisation set out in the strategy.

In the past year, considerable work has been done in terms of scoping out the range of legislative provision that will be required. A high priority is to provide for legal consolidation and mergers within the institute of technology sector and to provide for these new merged entities that reach the performance bar and criteria already published to apply for and become technological universities. Legislation will also be required to support the new funding, performance and accountability framework for the system that is being put in place. This is intended to provide statutory underpinning for the respective roles, functions and powers of the Minister and a reformed Higher Education Authority for the governance and regulation of the system. Legislation will also be required to strengthen and reform the governance structures and accountability of higher education institutions. With this in mind, the Minister previously sought the input of the Royal Irish Academy and of the universities and institutes

of technology as to how best to create smaller, more modern and competency based governing boards as recommended in the strategy.

Given the high priority the Minister has placed on consolidation of the institutes of technology and the time constraints regarding ensuring that those institutes wishing to merge have adequate legal provision in place to do so by 2015, the Department has focused on drafting a general scheme of a technological universities Bill. This scheme was approved for drafting and publication by Government at the end of January and is currently undergoing a process of pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection. The Minister expects to receive its report by the end of April, when the scheme will go to the Attorney General's office for legal drafting. It is intended that the Bill will be enacted in 2015 so that there is provision for the earliest mergers and for potential applications for technological university status, if required. The timing of each merger and application will depend on the capacity of each group of institutions to merge and to meet the criteria that were clearly set out in 2012.

The scheme is in four parts and can be summarised as follows. The Bill enables the mergers of the three groups of institutes of technology who wish to seek designation as technological universities and-or of any other group of institutes of technology who wish to do likewise. The Bill sets out how the merged institutes can apply for designation as a technological university, the process and mechanism for consideration of the application, the type of criteria against which the application will be judged, which will be set out in full by regulations, and then provides for the Minister to establish a technological university following the advice of the Higher Education Authority that the criteria have been met.

The technological university has a similar level of autonomy, legal and operational framework to the 1997 universities, although with more modern governance and accountability structures. In addition, the Bill will provide for new governance structures for all institutes of technology and a number of other amendments to the institute of technology and DIT legislation, including new budgetary and accountability provisions. A revised and modernised governance structure has been developed, following consultation with the sector, and this will be provided for all institutes of technology and for the technological universities.

In summary, the maximum overall size of the board under the new model is effectively the same as the current model, but changes are proposed in the methods of nomination and selection of the chair and external ordinary members, who will be chosen by a nominations committee with regard to a competency framework.

Other planned legislation includes the technological universities Bill which will be followed and developed in parallel by a broader higher education reform Bill which will reform the existing legislation for the Higher Education Authority, HEA, with new powers, responsibilities, governance and accountability provisions. The Bill will also contain amendments to the Universities Act necessary to implement governance and accountability reforms. The Minister has already received a significant input from the Royal Irish Academy and the Irish Universities Association on how best to ensure reforms of governing bodies bring the governance of universities into line with international best practice in modern higher education governance.

In the area of funding Ireland faces the same challenges as other countries in the current economic climate where reductions in available State funding come at a time of significant growth in student numbers in higher education. As well as increased enrolments, the higher education system faces a growing demand for highly skilled and innovative, adaptable graduates with a world-class reputation. Delivering high quality higher education for a growing proportion of the population will mean that we need to maintain a clear focus on system performance overall, rather than a narrower focus on individual institutional performance. We are working on a study to determine future funding policy for the sector which will prepare for a longer term approach to a higher education system that can be maintained on a sustainable funding base which will be able to address the continual expansion of the sector, while protecting the quality of education. A new performance funding framework is being introduced which will hold the system accountable for performance in the delivery of national priorities and monitor performance of the system as a whole. This focus on system and institutional performance will bring the funding and governance of the higher education sector into line with best practice internationally.

Research and innovation are of major importance, given their role in contributing to economic recovery, competitiveness and growth not alone in Ireland but also across the European Union. Continued investment in research and innovation is essential if we are to maintain employment and create new high quality jobs. As Ireland moves from a policy focus on economic stabilisation to growth, sustained investment in research and development in the higher education sector remains of vital importance to enable the economy to recover and grow in the future. In the context of An Action Plan for Jobs and related statements of Government policy, the Government has affirmed its commitment to science, technology and innovation, STI, with higher education performed research remaining a central pillar in its STI strategy. The higher education sector provides a national base of skills and knowledge and complements the research undertaken in business sector firms and public sector institutes which are usually more applied and developmental in their focus.

The national strategy for research and innovation recognises the twin aims for both a broad base of research to inform research for policy making and research for knowledge to underpin cutting edge curricula for all graduates, while at the same time focusing research investments on 14 discrete areas identified by the research prioritisation steering group that can provide maximum return for Ireland. The research prioritisation action group was established to drive implementation of the research prioritisation agenda, which means the alignment of the majority of public research funding with the 14 areas of opportunity in the areas judged most likely to deliver an economic and societal impact and, ultimately, jobs.

Ireland has adopted a national strategy to maximise its participation in Horizon 2020, with an ambitious target of securing €1.25 billion for Irish researchers and companies during the lifetime of Horizon 2020. Horizon 2020 has the biggest EU research budget ever, with €80 billion available in the next seven years. The strategy outlines the support structures in place to ensure researchers and companies have access to information, advice and support to enable them to maximise opportunities under the programme.

Structural changes in the higher education system, including the development of regional clusters of institutions and the mergers of institutes of technology, will engender greater critical mass and excellence and allow Irish institutions to compete with the best across Europe. In addition, the new performance framework for the higher education system specifically includes metrics for EU research income and will encourage institutions to engage strategically with the programme.

I attended a meeting earlier today in another part of Dublin city. As a man from rural east Galway, I am somewhat unfamiliar with the intricacies of negotiating the streets of Dublin and had to employ the use of GPS to find my way back to Kildare Street. When I asked my phone to tell me how to get back to Kildare Street, it presented me with three route options, all bringing me back to this hallowed place. I say to Senator Sean D. Barrett that, ultimately, I suspect we are all on a journey to ensure the higher level education we provide for young people is of the very best standard possible. Perhaps the Government and the Senator might end up at the same destination, although we are currently on two slightly different routes. Through collaboration and co-operation in the coming months, I have every confidence that we will arrive at the same destination. I thank the Senator for tabling the Bill. The Minister has asked that I make it clear that we are not seeking to oppose it. We ask that the commencement of Committee Stage be deferred until such time as the two higher education Bills the Minister is planning have been introduced to the Oireachtas. That will allow for consideration of the issues raised in the Senator's Bill within the context of the other legislation planned.