Mr. Ned Costello:

Two issues arise in respect of the question from Deputy Griffin about returning migrants. The first concerns people who are abroad who want to send their children to Irish universities and the second is the people who have come back. Both matters centre on the residency requirement to be eligible for the so-called free fees scheme, which involves being tax resident for three of the past five years. We have not seen a major indication of a problem but it is hard to know whether the rules do not allow the demand to be manifest. We are anxious to examine it and the Minister has raised it. The challenge will be twofold, the first of which is to ensure we can do something without a significant leakage of revenue because the regime must apply throughout the EEA. The second issue is one of cost and revenue and where the money will come from. This nests within the bigger funding issue but it is a matter I am about to write formally to Mr. Tom Boland about to start engagement.