Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

To delete all words after “That Seanad Éireann:” and substitute the following:

“ - affirms its continued commitment to promote equity of access at all levels of the education system;

- recognises the benefits to society and the individual, culturally and economically, of the State’s investment in educational opportunities for all of its citizens;

- welcomes the continued investment by the Government in a range of supports that are specifically targeted at those groups in our society that may face particular challenges in accessing education;

- acknowledges the funding challenge that currently exists in higher education, as outlined in the 2016 Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding of Higher Education: “Investing in National Ambition: A Strategy for Funding Higher Education”, and the funding options outlined in that Report;

- welcomes the commitment by the Government to provide a more sustainable funding model for higher education, as evidenced by the fact that Budget 2017 provided the first increase in investment in higher education since 2009, involving €36.5 million extra funding in 2017 and €160 million extra over 3 years;

- welcomes the initiative by Government to explore the possibility of an employer-exchequer funding mechanism which could realise up to €200 million in additional annual funding;

- acknowledges that, in the area of funding higher education, doing nothing is not an option;

- notes that all parties have a responsibility to help develop sustainable funding sources for this crucial area of public service;

- notes that the Cassells Report finds abolishing student registration fees for undergraduate students while delivering the level of investment that the higher education system needs would cost the State €1.3 billion extra per annum;

- notes that there is a responsibility on any party which is calling for extra spending of this scale to state where they would get the money to fund it, either in terms of reduced spending in other areas or extra taxes; and

- further recognises the importance of building political consensus on the most appropriate future funding model for higher education, and supports the Government’s intention to await the outcome of the consideration of the Expert Group’s Report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills before a policy decision is taken in this area.”

I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for coming here for this very important debate. While we would all like to support the Labour Party motion, and it is very welcome our colleagues are putting forward this aspirational motion, we also have to be realistic. The Government's aim is to use economic success to build a fair and compassionate society. It has provided €450 million in funding to students, including SUSI grants. This has benefitted 80,000 students in 2017. It also includes funding for postgraduate studies and students with disabilities. Postgraduate funding has been stopped for quite a while, so this recent development is very welcome.

While there are significant challenges in higher education, I welcome the fact the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, have acknowledged them and looked for extra funding. This year alone, there has been a funding increase of €36.5 million, the first increase since 2009. The Government is certainly moving in the right direction when it comes to the funding of third level education. There is a commitment for a further €160 million funding over the next three years.

We cannot sit by and do nothing but I have one question for the Labour Party Senators. Their proposal will cost approximately €1.36 billion. Were do they intend to get this money? The total budget is €9.56 billion. There is a need for additional investment in higher education but the additional €1.36 billion per year arising from this proposal would be funded by the State and thus at the expense of the taxpayer.

The Labour Party Senators are targeting the idea of a loan. The Joint Committee on Education and Skills has not yet finished its deliberations on this matter. This is a case of putting the cart before the horse, as far as I am concerned, because the committee is still going through the Cassells report commissioned by the former Minister, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. The Minister has made many proposals in terms of changes but he is looking for all-party suggestions from that committee as to which of the three options given might be preferable. The committee's work on this has not yet been completed.

I refer to the €200 million per year in terms of the capital review and extra funding. The Department's total budget for the year is €9.56 billion. Granting free higher education straight away would eat into much of that budget. I availed of free education in the past but, unfortunately, the money is not there at present to allow for full free fees. I again ask the Labour Party Senators from where they would get the money. Theirs is very much a populist approach.

The increase in apprenticeships and skills training is very welcome, and I have a keen interest in this area. The Minister announced funding of almost €600,000 for electrician apprenticeships in the Limerick Institute of Technology recently. This is very welcome, as some areas in education and skills had been left behind.

Senators Ó Ríordáin and Bacik referred to disadvantaged students, but there are incentives in place to help such students. If we were to use the Department's funding to give full free fees everybody, many people would be left disadvantaged. Money allocated for investment in third level education, for the development of different courses and for incentivising and helping people from disadvantaged backgrounds would be eroded and might not be available anymore. When looking at these proposals, we have to look at the bigger picture. There is no certainly no easy way.

I note the Department is working with, and looking for investment from, employers, which is most welcome. I spoke to an accountant today who told me his firm was investing in some of the people it is taking on under apprenticeship programmes. It is paying their educational fees and a salary for working in the office. Most importantly, it is investing in apprentices' futures. The more of this kind of collaboration between employers and the Department, the better.

So far in 2017, the Department has provided nearly €1 billion for direct funding to higher education institutes for current and capital purposes. This is certainly a very significant sum of money.We would eat up a great deal of the allocation for education in terms of giving free education to everybody as a starting point. Certainly we could aim to do that down the road, but with the current financial restrictions, we cannot give it to one sector or to all at the expense of others.

The additional allocation budget 2017 to higher education is the first significant investment in higher education in recent times. A sum of €4.5 million is being given towards disadvantaged students. This includes €1 million for measures to support more lone parents to access higher education, €1 million for the introduction of the new 1916 centenary bursary scheme that will target groups that are under-represented at higher education level, and €2.5 million to incentivise higher education institutes to attract more students from disadvantaged communities. I think the money is being used very well to target areas from which people predominantly would not have availed of third level education.

A sum of €3 million is being allocated to research. Investment in research is very significant because we have to look to the future. In conjunction with employers we need to look at areas where employment will be generated and then look at the courses that will be offered. Funding has to be provided to do that.

I would like to hear the response from the Labour Party on where they will find the money to fund their proposals. I think it is populist to call for free education at this time. While we would love to support the motion, we must think of the bigger picture. We have to think of those who are disadvantaged, the education opportunities for those with disabilities and the expansion of the types of courses on offer.

The student registration fee is €3,000, with the State paying the contribution on behalf of almost 50% of undergraduate students who qualify for funding under the free schemes. I know there is tax relief on student fees.