Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We cannot just say that students will be the cash cows for this. Even in terms of student accommodation, we know what is happening with the high-end student accommodation that is being supplied to bring the money in, because this is filling a gap also. This is why our core funding is so important.

I absolutely and 100% take what the witnesses have said about lifelong learning, but rather than have a whole plethora of initiatives where the sector follows the funding, the sector should have this in its core funding to recognise that lifelong learning makes an enormous contribution; why would we not invest in it when we get a ninefold return? When one is making choices and doing cost benefit analyses, there are very few other places one can put that money into the future and be guaranteed a nine times return. I am passionate about this. I would not like us to go away today thinking that everything is okay with us leaving the fees as they are.