We have a quorum. Apologies have been received from Deputy Charlie McConalogue.

I shall now discuss arrangements for this meeting. To facilitate the attendance of our witness today, I propose we remain in public session to consider the issue of higher and further education grants. I make the proposal because the speaker from the Department of Education and Skills must leave at 2.30 p.m. in order to speak at a high level meeting in Vienna on behalf of his Department. It is an EU meeting and he needs to leave at 2.30 p.m. Therefore, I suggest we discuss private business after the meeting.

At what time?

Between 2.30 p.m. and 2.50 p.m.

I wanted to raise an issue during private session but I must be somewhere else around that time.

That is the situation.

Normally, we take private business first and then go into public session.

I know.

I understand what the Chairman has said. At the same time I want to raise something as a member of this committee but I have been told that is my tough luck because a witness cannot be here for 2.30 p.m. as he has something else arranged for that time.

There is no order. Some committees discuss private business at the end of their meetings. The witness must leave for a flight at 2.30 p.m. The Deputy will have an opportunity to raise her issue next week if she cannot be here for private session at 2.30 p.m. today.

We agreed last week that we would have a private session today to decide how we should deal with an issue for lone parents.

The Deputy will have an opportunity to raise the matter when we reach private business. I propose that we stay in public session now, have the witnesses in and discuss SUSI because the speaker must leave at 2.30 p.m. to speak at an EU meeting, on behalf of the Department of Social Protection. Is that agreed?

No. I agree that the Chairman can do so but I do not agree with it.

Is my proposal agreed by the other members? Agreed, and that is the majority's decision.

To be fair, the proposal was in the email circulated to us earlier in the week. I replied, earlier in the week, to say that I agreed with the proposal so it would not be fair to change my position. The proposal was flagged to us.

If Deputy Joan Collins cannot raise her matter today then she can raise it at the next meeting, if necessary.