Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It goes without saying that we all understand the merits of this programme and would like to see it continue to be funded in the future.

I looked at previous parliamentary questions from over the years and was interested to learn that the funding in 2008 was €5.4 million, but in 2012 it was just €2.5 million. It has gradually reduced. The last figure I have in this parliamentary question was from 2017, when it was down to just over €500,000. What the Minister has just stated demonstrates that the funding provided for this programme has continued to decline over the years. Is that because it has been replaced by other programmes, or courses that people have been allowed to avail of? Can it be attributed to a lack of demand as a result of the high employment rate we have in the country? Will the Minister explain why the funding decreased to such a magnitude after 2008, from €5.5 million then to just over €500,000 in 2017?

See this speech in context