Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas le na finnéithe as ucht teacht isteach. Tá sé fíor-thabhachtach go bhfuilimid ag plé an ábhair seo. Tá sé in am agus tá géarchéim, mar is eol dúinn, sna hollscoileanna ar fud na tíre. I have serious concerns. My party has been advocating for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. We have major concerns. We have examined the research in England, where loans were introduced some time ago. We have seen a fall of 14% in mature students and a fall of 40% in part-time students. Let us consider lone parents. One child in five comes from a lone-parent family. This will have a catastrophic effect. I realise one of the presentations this morning suggested that part-time education supports would be available for students in the same way as those available for full-time students. I am keen for clarity on that point. Reference was also made to the introduction of new tax reliefs for part-time post-graduate students. I am not keen for any of our students to be disadvantaged in any way.

Deputy Martin referred to how we have lost a vast number of graduates - tens of thousands - through emigration already. Why make the problem worse? Research has also shown that post-graduates who have taken out loans emigrate. That is a reality and a fact of life.

There are some benefits. Like most Deputies, I have met representatives from the Union of Students in Ireland. They outlined how graduates are of great benefit to us. If we invest in our education system, we gain more through income tax when those graduates secure employment.

We need to consider the apprenticeship area. This area is seriously under-valued. We have a chronic shortage of apprenticeships. I was at the education and training board conference some years ago. The speakers flagged the serious shortage at the time. The gaps in our system should be filled and need to be prioritised. More apprenticeships will benefit the economy. We need to be careful that we do not marginalise people. Certainly, my party is in favour of a state-funded system because we have no wish to see students disadvantaged.