Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will address some of the comments on this amendment. The purpose of the Bill is to fund a greater number of students to access third level through traditional universities but also our brand new technological universities. As a democratic state, we need to ensure funding is equally dispersed and managed throughout all of our institutions. The chief executive of the HEA will be responsible to the board of the HEA and is the person responsible for the funding. He or she is making the funding allocations, on behalf of the HEA, to each of these institutions and is responsible for those funding announcements and decisions. As such, if the chief executive then identifies that there are issues with funding, it is within his or her remit to follow up on that.

The HEA puts policies together but there is engagement at a very early stage with the other departments and higher education institutions throughout the country. There is engagement with and on these policies prior to their final development. This ensures there is engagement with all stakeholders. It is crucial that we hear those voices at every stage. These policies are to benefit all in society, ensure we have more people accessing third level and coming through further and higher education and achieve the excellence we want to see at third level. That is what this Bill will achieve.