Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It will present an opportunity for that to happen.

A number of consortiums are putting forward proposals on a technological university. I am probably straying outside the scope of the Bill. For this piece of legislation, one of the criteria is that at least 40% of the provider's student enrolment in the State must comprise students from outside the European Union who are lawfully in the State primarily to receive education and training. The intention is purely regarding institutions for which at least 40% of their students come from outside the State; the Bill is not intended to deal with institutions such as WIT.

Regarding amendment No. 1, it is my preference not to specify particular levels on the National Framework of Qualifications, as individual levels are not specified in the legislation governing the use of the framework, and they could change. What we call level 8 could be called by another name in the future; therefore, specifying the levels in a piece of primary legislation is not the best course of action, particularly as it is not specified in the legislation that established the framework. The definition is consistent with the current body of legislation on qualifications. Therefore, I do not propose to accept amendment No. 1.