Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My Department's allocation of €96.5 million for 2021 has been increased to €105.4 million for 2022. This is a considerable investment in supporting participants to acquire the necessary education and skills to re-enter the labour market. Giving those who already have a degree further supports to obtain a master’s qualification, other than in the exceptional circumstances I mentioned, would create a situation where we end up funding everybody who wants to do a master’s degree. We consider that where people have a third level degree, that should allow them access to the labour market.

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