Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. The SUSI review is really welcome. I was not aware that 40% of students were accessing some level of support. That is quite good, actually, and higher than I thought. Some of the pressure comes on when, having qualified for a full or a partial grant, students are reassessed annually and it can sometimes make it difficult to take up part-time employment because it can go against them for the next year. One of the things to look at may be some of the barriers. If they qualify for a grant, they should not be thinking "I cannot get a part-time job" or "Am I working in excess of what I am allowed?". Maybe a bit more flexibility could be given to students to be able to work as much as they want and still hold onto their grant. That would be a big relief to many families. Many students will work during the summer to try to save enough money to keep them going throughout the year, so that would be something to look at.

Regarding college-owned accommodation, it is really welcome to have designated college accommodation. It is really important. I would attach a caveat in that we need to make sure that our third level institutions do not use that as a way of funding the institution by charging extortionate rents. We know they are doing that now because we still have that undecided debate, on which we do not really have agreement as to how we fund third level. I have strong views. I do not want students burdened with colossal debt coming out of college but I appreciate that the money has to come from somewhere. That is a debate. The Cassells report has not been actioned and a decision has not been taken by anybody, so student accommodation is being used as a kind of sticking plaster by universities and colleges to fund their operations. Again, it just means that the wealthier students get to live on campus and get to have an easier college experience, and then the more disadvantaged students may be living quite a while away from college and busing it or cycling to campus. It is a different experience. Perhaps we could make sure there is a cap on what colleges can charge and that it is genuinely affordable to the average student.