Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask the leader to invite the Minister for Education and Skills to the House to discuss funding for third level institutions. It has been brought to my attention that some of those campuses that are attached to main colleges are in difficulty, particularly in Castlebar where the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, GMIT, is going through a difficult period. This has consequences for staff and students; there are some 1,000 students and quite a number of staff on the GMIT campus. It has consequences for the courses, the accommodation and other aspects of the provision of third level education in towns and cities. The funding of third level education, with particular emphasis to the campuses attached to main colleges institutions, needs to be debated in the House.