Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 12 Nov 2003

Vol. 574 No. 2

Written Answers. - University Funding.

Liz McManus

Ceist:

102 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the call made by the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities for an increase in funding following the publication of research they have prepared showing that direct funding per student had fallen in the six year period surveyed; if it is intended to increase such funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26498/03]

Dan Boyle

Ceist:

110 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the warning by heads of seven universities that cutbacks in third level education will undermine the State's international competitiveness. [26616/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 110 together.

The recurrent grant allocation for the university sector in 2003 is almost €629 million. This represents an increase of €34 million or 5.7% above the 2002 outturn figure of approximately €595 million.

The provision of funding for 2003 was decided having regard to the economic constraints and to the Government's commitments and priorities. In this regard it should be noted that from 1997 to 2003 there has been an increase of €297 million in the recurrent provision for the university sector as the grant increased from approximately €332 million in 1997 to approximately €629 million in 2003. This represents an increase of approximately 89% in this period.

My Department spends more funding per student at third level that at the primary or post-primary levels. In 2002 these amounts were €3,766 at primary, €5,511 at post-primary and €7,127 at third level. The international comparisons of educational expenditure, published by the OECD, demonstrate that the balance of expenditure on education is more heavily skewed towards third level in Ireland, than in the majority of other OECD countries.

My Department is engaged in the Estimates campaign with the Department of Finance, which will determine the resources available for the education sector. The allocation of the available funding on the basis of policy priorities can only be determined when the funding for 2004 for my Department is decided. However the demand for resources has to be considered with the competing demands of many other meritorious programmes in the education area. I have to balance a number of highly sensitive and immediate issues to which an appropriate priority has to be afforded, but equally I understand that real sustainable progress on all fronts is only possible if we can achieve the social and economic growth that will flow in the longer term from continuing investment in the third level sector.

The 2003 OECD report, Education at a Glance, which is quoted by the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities in its report, highlights that Ireland had the second highest increase in total expenditure on third level institutions across the OECD between 1995 and 2000. Over the same period, the increase in public expenditure on third level institutions was substantially higher in Ireland than in any other OECD country. As a result of this dramatic increase in public investment at third level, the proportion of total public expenditure committed to higher education in Ireland – at 4.1% – is amongst the highest in the OECD and is substantially higher than the OECD average of 2.9%.

I have invited the OECD to carry out a review of higher education in Ireland. The context for the review is provided by Ireland's strategic objective of placing its higher education system in the top rank of the OECD in terms of both quality and levels of participation. The priority is to create a world class research, development and innovation capacity and infrastructure in Ireland as part of the wider EU objective for becoming the world's most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy and society, as agreed in Lisbon in 2000. The challenges of maintaining quality, responsiveness and competitiveness in higher education are a major priority against the background of unprecedented levels of expansion, change and diversification in the sector in Ireland.