Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I understand that the Deputy is referring to the Times Higher Education World Rankings published last October. International ranking systems and league tables of this nature need to be interpreted with caution as criteria between one set of rankings and another can have material differences on outcomes on different league tables. Furthermore, their focus on individual institutional performance does not reflect overall system quality. We can continue to draw some encouragement from the fact that two Irish institutions are in the top 200 Times HE ranked institutions out of some 15,000 universities worldwide. Moreover, the overall performance of the Irish system remains highly ranked; 17th place overall and 6th relative to our GDP.

In terms of funding resources, the reality of the economic situation presents challenges right across the public sector, including higher education. Delivering high quality higher education for a growing proportion of our population will mean that we need to maintain a clear focus on system performance overall rather than a narrower focus on individual institutional performance. In this regard, the National Strategy for Higher Education and recent proposals issued by the Higher Education Authority make a range of recommendations which seek to enhance the quality and efficiency of the Irish system. In addition, the HEA are examining the future financial sustainability of the system, especially in light of projected growth in numbers over the next two decades. An initial report on the first phase of the study has been published. The work, when complete, will inform decisions on policy options for future funding.

Question No. 48 withdrawn.