Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I echo Senator Conway's comments on the disappointment at the delay in the junior certificate results. It is quite unfair to those students, particularly for those who may be looking at an apprenticeship or at whatever subjects they might be choosing for senior cycle. We have to ensure that delay does not happen again.

I also call for a debate around the planned national research strategy. While much of the focus will be around structures, there is a serious question regarding the level of support we are giving to our PhD candidates. Some significant improvements were made in the budget but it did not go far enough.If we are to believe in investment in research in the long term, it is essential that we support those who are pursuing PhDs. I would like the Leader to invite the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, to the House to discuss the research strategy.

I also want to raise the question of a global crisis that is in many ways often forgotten, given the focus of the news on other parts of the world, namely, the question of Venezuela. The UN reported this week that since 2015, 7 million citizens have left Venezuela and after Ukraine, this is the biggest migrant crisis in the world. Approximately 2.5 million people have ended up in Colombia. They have been the victims of famine and of the economic collapse in that country. Democracy has been repressed and we have seen political oppression. It is important that Ireland at UN level does everything that we can in order to seek the restoration of democracy to Venezuela. I welcome the fact that Venezuela lost its seat on the UN Human Rights Council in the last few weeks, although unfortunately we still see certain countries that have dodgy human rights records, such as China, Cuba and Qatar, sitting on that body. However, it is important that we use our role at UN and EU levels to try to ensure that we see democracy restored to Venezuela and that support is provided to those who are migrants from Venezuela, especially from the oppressive political regime that is in place there.