Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 70: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that universities here did not feature in the upper regions of an international league table of universities recently created by Shanghai Jiva Tong University; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27309/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the international league table of universities compiled by Shangai Jiva Tong University. I understand this table represents a measurement based on items such as the number of Nobel prize winners, cited researchers and size of institution.

While it is useful to benchmark the performance of Irish higher education institutions with international institutions, it is important to note the inherent difficulty in such exercises. The compilers of the Shangai index acknowledge that the quality of universities "cannot be precisely measured by mere numbers", and as such no ranking is absolutely objective.

However, the Shangai index serves to remind us of the very competitive and global environment in which our higher education institutions operate, and we must ensure that they are equipped to meet this challenge. The 2004 OECD review identified a range of proposals for reform, the broad thrust of which has been accepted by the Government. I am confident major policy initiatives I have already initiated as part of the response to the OECD report, such as the transfer of the institutes of technology to the Higher Education Authority and the creation of a strategic innovation fund to facilitate reform and modernisation in the sector, will greatly improve the capacity of our higher education institutions to compete with other institutions in this global environment.