Ms Sarah Hughes:

I can speak from the perspective of a psychology graduate. When we consider clinical psychology in particular - because that is the one being funded - there is a bottleneck. Many undergraduate psychologists would love to go on to study for specialist qualifications but the places are not available due largely to funding issues. Although clinical psychology training is funded, only a small number of spaces - I believe there are approximately 36 in the country - is available. It was even harder for undergraduates to access those courses that were not funded until the recent budget as they had to self-fund. I know the Psychological Society of Ireland feels the same way. Many undergraduate psychology students have to move on to different career paths because they cannot access specialist training. The solution is less about reserving spaces and more about increasing spaces.