Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Earlier this year, the Minister made a commitment to make Ireland one of the best places to do a PhD. In the recent budget, he failed to live up to that commitment. He provided for an increase to €22,000 a year in the stipend, but that applies only to PhD researchers funded by SFI and IRC, who make up fewer than 30% of the total. The payment is still well below a living wage or the average stipend for PhD students in the rest of Europe. What will the Minister do to fulfil his commitment and ensure PhD candidates have a living income?

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