Mr. Alex Angland:

As I said in my speech, accommodation is the biggest challenge. It is the highest price students have to pay. We see costs of €6,000 or €7,000 in campus-owned accommodation versus €12,000 commonly in private accommodation. One provider charged €18,000 for the academic year for a single room last year.

The expansion of the SUSI scheme would help a lot of students. Fees are naturally the second biggest charge. If students are expected to pay €2,000 or €3,000 on top of accommodation costs, the cost of living, textbooks and so many other charges that we see, then the more students who can avail of the scheme by raising those thresholds will cancel out anyone who is falling through the cracks.