Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the witnesses and congratulate them on their presentations. I have met many of them in the past and listened to their different views.

We all support keeping student fees at the lowest rate possible. I do not think any member believes they should go up by a significant amount. In saying that, we have to be practical to work within the resources available at the moment. We are after coming out of a recession and funding is getting back slowly. We have to work within those available resources.

I agree with Deputy Cannon on the grants available to families. I have also encountered families just over the qualifying limit. There are other options which we need to examine. Employers may need to contribute more. The University of Limerick and Limerick Institute of Technology co-operated with several companies in the area to have tailored courses around the needs of employers. This is another area we should examine across the country and to encourage some larger companies to come on board in tailoring courses with various third level institutions. Graduates can then find employment with those companies rather than being forced to emigrate.