Today is World Engineering Day. After this contribution, I will be speaking at an Engineers Ireland event to celebrate the role of engineering in building Ireland's sustainable future. The Tánaiste has a personal interest in the issue of innovation. I commend him on the work he is doing in his Department. As an engineer, I recognise the significant contribution Irish engineers will make to our economy and society as we tackle the challenges of energy and mobility, in particular, and also the contribution they will make to the global effort to mitigate carbon emissions. The Government has committed to developing a long-term sustainable funding model for higher education. Does the Government agree that this is critical to ensuring we can continue to have a supply of engineers to meet the enormous challenges faced by our country?

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to acknowledge that today is World Engineering Day. I acknowledge the enormous contribution that engineers make to strengthening our economy and making it a better place, particularly when it comes to housing and infrastructure. I very much agree that finding a sustainable model for higher education is essential because we need to continue to educate people and train people for the professions of the future. Engineering is one of those.