Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

One of the recommendations in the Cassells report was that by 2021 there would be a €600 million per annum increase in the core funding for the third level sector in comparison to 2015 levels. I realise there are many different ways one could look at this, but can the Minister of State give an indication of how we are measuring against that recommendation? What is her estimate today of what will be the increase in core funding? Will it be the full €600 million or will it be a fraction and, if so, what fraction?

Second, the Minister of State referred to the human skills fund and the need to match investment in third level education to the needs of the economy. I am deeply concerned that we have seen no innovation in the past three to four years from the Government on the changed needs of the economy, particularly when it comes to delivering the green transformation we must make. Project Ireland 2040 does not deliver it and the national development plan was made without any consideration of climate change. I will give three examples. In forestry there is a single forestry course in UCD when we need thousands of new foresters to take on that project. The retrofitting of buildings will require 20,000 skilled carpenters, electricians and energy engineers. Again, nothing is happening in that space. The third area is organic agriculture. There are no new resources, effort or training going into that critical area of applied education. When will the Government amend its education plans to meet our climate objectives?

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