Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am concerned about some remarks that Senator Gavan made concerning private institutions. Ireland is unusual in that about 95% of students attend publicly-funded or public institutions, which is different to most other countries. We have one of the highest third level education participation rates in the world, with about 62% of 18-to-20-year age cohort attending. As for the money Senator Gavan pointed out as going to private institutions, it includes funding for institutions such as the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, which funds students attending courses. Private colleges such as Hibernia fulfil a specific need for people who want to take up those courses. While we are not talking about public funding going to Hibernia, I think we need to look at extending student grants to support students.