Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that the Minister of State is only giving us the answer that is provided by the Department but the reality is that the additional pay costs that resulted from public sector pay agreements are not being matched by the funding being made available. The Minister of State mentioned that in the last two budgets there has, quite rightly, been an additional €105.7 million provided in core funding but the core pay costs have increased in our universities and higher education by more than €90 million so really we have not seen those costs being covered. The figure of €307 million was a shortfall identified two years ago. Obviously there has been inflation and I do not have a figure within the Minister of State's answer as to what that is now. The real test this year for the new Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, is if he will be able to deliver significantly on Funding the Future. If the Minister fails to deliver on it, he will not respond to the really important economic and social needs of this country.