PROPOSALS FOR a new national strategy for higher education are to be brought to Government shortly, Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe told the Dáil.

"It is envisaged that the process will be led by a high-level steering group which will provide business, student, wider community and international perspectives," said Mr O'Keeffe.

"Senior officials from key departments will also participate."

The development of a national strategy, said Mr O'Keeffe, would provide an important opportunity to bring together in a coherent manner the stated ambitions for the sector and to set out the systems to be used to achieve them.

Fine Gael spokesman Brian Hayes said the Minister's predecessor (Mary Hanafin) had outlined her support for such a strategy when in office.

He asked Mr O'Keeffe to put on the record of the House the suggestion, mooted some time ago, that former EU commissioner Peter Sutherland had been considered for the chair of the body. While the Minister had been "open-minded" on the suggestion, others in Government felt he [Mr Sutherland] was of the wrong political colour for the job, he claimed.

"He was somehow outside the core," said Mr Hayes. "Will the Minister give his views on this issue, as it is important that the person chairing this body can hold his or her weight locally and nationally?"

Mr O'Keeffe said there had been no mention of any person to chair the committee. "I have never discussed the chairmanship of this committee with anybody, and I was never privy to any information that a particular person was being proposed for it," he added.

"It was news to me when I read the newspaper article that a particular person was mentioned."

Mr O'Keeffe said he agreed that the person chosen should be somebody of outstanding ability and achievement.