Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I will go back to the NTF and third level funding. The Minister has taken the opportunity to cut third level funding from the Exchequer, which is unprecedented in the past number of years since the economy started to turn. It has been replaced with a NTF levy. One of the recommendations of the Cassells report is to try to get additional funding into the third level sector and training. It was never envisaged by employers that the increase in the NTF - a significant imposition that employers have been asked to take on, and which we supported - would replace funding for third level. They thought they would give additional funding to third level, which is badly needed. Instead, there has been a €15.5 million cut in third level funding.