I am glad the Deputy raised this programme because it is extremely important. It has served us and our students and educational institutions well. I was in Europe on Tuesday at the Competitiveness Council. I attended the research and innovation meetings. I will be back in the near future attending the education Council at which Erasmus will be on the agenda. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, recently attended a meeting of a similar nature, in Copenhagen I think, where some of these discussions took place.

The current Erasmus+ programme supports education, training, youth and sport and aligns closely with the objectives of the European Education Area as well as the ambitions set out in the European Commission's Union of Skills communications of March this year. The goal is to develop high-quality adaptable training and skills systems that strengthen the EU's competitiveness. When people travel the mind broadens, the experience is wider, people are generally richer for the experience and bring back an enhanced skill set as well as relationships and networking that stand to them in due course. It is part of our competitiveness as a Union and a Continent.

There are also measures such as the European universities alliances. I had the pleasure of opening the conference these had in UCC earlier this year. The alliances also create long-term partnerships and deepen collaboration across the sector. Erasmus+ remains one of the key European Union initiatives with significant impact. It has played a central role in promoting mobility, strengthening intercultural understanding and expanding exciting opportunities for learners. Last year, more than 6,200 Irish higher education students participated in Erasmus, with strong engagement across schools, vocational education and training, youth and sport. I expect that trend to continue in an upward direction as the programme evolves. There is an emerging shape of the new Erasmus programme from 2028 to 2034.

Ireland benefits more than any other European nation from this programme. Given our geographic location, it is so important that we develop contacts and understanding of mainland Europe. This enriches us culturally. Understanding another language leads us to better understand other peoples. It also helps us think in different ways and develop new ideas. Learning a European language is one of the most enriching experiences one can have. I speak as someone who spent a few years working and living in mainland Europe, in France, Germany and Switzerland. There are also economic benefits to these exchanges. As a small nation, we are hugely dependent on exports. We have a huge market of wealthy economies on our doorstep. There are opportunities for Irish businesses to export to these countries. They also represent economies we can rely on, which are stable and respect the rule of law.

This is an extremely important programme, and I welcome it. To take a slightly different angle, I am disappointed by the lack of joined-up thinking in our universities about offering joint courses at universities in Northern Ireland and in the South.

For instance, I remember when I was Lord Mayor of Cork I travelled to Shanghai to set up a link between UCC and two universities in Shanghai, but we do not seem to have that connection with the third level institutions in Northern Ireland. The Department of higher education should try to expand that. A student could do three years in UCD and one year in a university in Northern Ireland or three years in UCC and one year in Northern Ireland. I do not think we have done enough in that whole area and it is very important we develop it.

I will take Deputy Burke's question first and then come back to Deputy Timmins. Regarding the Northern Ireland dimension, I am glad the Deputy raised this important point. Unfortunately, with the UK leaving the European Union, Northern Ireland is not eligible for Erasmus programmes. However, the Government supports Northern Ireland students to allow them to continue to participate. Northern Ireland students are funded by the Republic to partake in Erasmus. We have done that repeatedly in recent years to ensure students there have the opportunities available to students elsewhere on the island. I am proud we are able to do that on an all-Ireland basis.

I take the Deputy's point about the potential for a placement in a Northern university and vice versa . I mentioned a few moments ago the Queen's University Belfast and Dundalk IT collaboration under which we will have the first all-island university very soon. The next question goes to that issue and I will speak more on it when we reach it. I will respond to Deputy Timmins shortly.

I note the current Erasmus+ programme ambitions include fostering stronger participation in democratic life, common values and civic engagement. This is more important than ever, given the threat democracy is experiencing in the western world. The ambition to expand well beyond Europe's borders is also commendable. Promoting our European values is a worthy cause. We often forget how fortunate we are to live in a peaceful, democratic and wealthy society, something our ancestors could only dream of and which people in many parts of the world today do not have.

Ireland was known as the island of saints and scholars back in the Dark Ages. We went to Europe, educated the natives and our legacy remains all over Europe. I urge the Minister to continue to support and develop this rich and positive programme that we call Erasmus.

The Deputy is absolutely right and I completely agree. The point is well made, particularly now, when we have the shadow of war on the Continent and tensions internationally. Perhaps, we do not have the same community of nations that we might traditionally have enjoyed. It is all the more important, therefore, that we better understand each other, communicate and exchange with one another, and have shared experiences, including the pan-European experience Erasmus can afford.

The shape of the new programme proposes to merge Erasmus with the European Solidarity Corps, which will create a new single integrated programme that will go beyond the university experience, viable though that is, to also incorporate volunteering and community activities. That would include learning opportunities across volunteering, youth and sport, as well as the purely educational aspects and promote co-operation between institutions. It will encourage institutions to engage in universities alliances and other European initiatives that bring universities together at European level. This is a positive development, which will deepen and strengthen the programme. I am very much committed to supporting it.