Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I hear the Chairman. I have nephews and nieces in some of the colleges and I know it presents difficulties for parents. The Chairman also asked about the Cassells report. We have taken that and are getting advice in Europe on it. However, it is not just about throwing money at a system that is exactly the same as it was in 2016. We are looking for reforms and at apprenticeships and where there are skills gaps so we will be looking for reforms when there is more money coming through. I really need to tell the committee that since 2016, an extra €100 million has gone into current spending. Spending in total for higher education is €1.6 billion so that money is there. Of course, I will looking to make sure we increase that in the forthcoming budget next Tuesday.