Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

By setting up this new Department the Government has underlined the importance it attaches to the research sector. Having a full Cabinet Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is making a difference and that can be seen in the record allocations of funding that have been made. In recent years, through Covid, we have seen a major expansion in the number of places that have been funded in third level and further education. We are seeing an increase in the number of staff in the sector. We have to make sure we have adequate core funding for this sector into the future, that we address access issues and that it is affordable for young people and people going through adult and further education opportunities to avail of those. Cost must not be a barrier to that. Those are the core priorities of Government in that regard.

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