Ms Jane Hayes-Nally:

I thank my counterparts, who covered a lot of what was asked. I thank everyone for their nice comments. I would like to address Deputy Thomas Byrne's point that the ICL is preferable. I do not think it is preferable because it opens the door to increased fees and it reduces State funding, which is not a good thing.

To answer Deputy Ciarán Cannon, who advised my organisation to look at more practical ways of going about things, what we propose has been deemed a viable option and we would be in support of it being phased in. Perhaps it is ambitious but to reiterate Ms Hoey's point, young people are worth a lot to Ireland and I think we are worth that ambition and investment. With regard to maintenance grants, in the way this is explored in the Cassells report maintenance grants will be scrapped and students will take out loans, so perhaps I will be equal to other students because everybody is taking out a loan, but I will not receive €200 from my parents each week, as the student next to me might.