Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Byrne again for raising this very important issue. The Senator is absolutely quite right that we need to ensure our higher education sector is equipped with the resources it needs to make the State competitive and to put Ireland at the forefront and at the cutting edge of innovation. Obviously, with regard to the €2.9 billion that I referred to, there is a huge amount of funding there in relation to research and innovation that needs to be spent. That is a critical component of the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. The new title includes the word "delivery". We need to get that delivery into universities and third level institutions to ensure they are equipped with the best possible tools.

I will also raise with the Minister the further issues the Senator brought up on the floor of the House and I will ask him to revert back to the Senator directly.