Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not want to use the Deputy's time but she has said people are sitting at home in a really bad state. We should focus on that. I say to people that there are so many routes to getting where they want to go. We need to be able to promote and highlight that.

More people are starting university this year than in any previous year. On top of that, there are many other routes for students to get to where they want to go. I was talking to a student who missed out on UCD by a few points last year, did one year in further education and training and got into UCD in round zero this year. In a pandemic year I would encourage those students to look at the full range of options available to them.