The Labour Party support section 6 (2) which reads:
An tÚdarás shall recommend to the Minister the overall provision of student places to be made within the higher education system.
The proposed amendment, which is supported by the Labour Party, is that the words:
"having regard to the need to maintain a reasonable balance in the distribution of the total number of students between the institutions of higher education".
should be added to subsection (2). This gives greater strength to An tÚdarás in assessing and continuously reviewing the demand and need for higher education. With educational costs rocketing we feel this kind of provision is fair and reasonable. Expenditure from public funds on education has increased from £18 million in 1959-60 to £70 million today, which is an increase of £52 million over a ten year period. The percentage of GNP we are now spending on education has gone up from 2.7 per cent to 3.7 per cent, largely as a result of social, political and economic pressures. Because education has proved to be extremely costly we feel measures whereby An tÚdarás would have a decisive say in regard to the distribution of the total number of student places in universities are worthy of consideration by the Minister.
Expenditure on university education has increased from £1½ million in 1959-60 to £8 million today. The number of university students has also increased substantially over that period. At present we have a rather lop-sided educational structure. UCD, which someone described as a steaming tech, has 10,000 students while the combined total of all other universities: Maynooth, Galway, Cork and Trinity is 10,000. We do not have an evenly balanced university structure. It might be argued that some colleges have reached their optimum size while others could do with an injection of students and capital. The average subsidy from public funds for a university student is in the region of £500 per annum, which includes capital payments averaged out. The way and the manner in which this money is spent is a matter of public concern.
Bearing in mind that £8 million is being spent on university education the Labour Party strongly support the view that An tÚdarás should have some say, under section 6 of this Bill, having regard to the need to maintain a reasonable balance of distribution of the total number of students between the various institutions of higher education. It would be easy for us to allow the HEA in its wisdom to do what it wants but we suggest it should have stronger powers and a greater say on behalf of the community as a whole. For these reasons we suggest that this amendment should be given the most serious and careful consideration by the Minister.