James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

I wish to share my time with Deputy Tom Hayes.

The question is not so much how to administer third level grants but rather how much should the Government provide for students in terms of financial assistance. How can the Minister for Education and Science consider third level education as free when the so-called "registration fee" stands at almost €1,000? I agree with Deputy Higgins that the registration fee should be examined. It should be removed because it is very unfair to students throughout this land. Many students pay the registration fee and do not even complete the first term of their courses. It is grossly unfair and must be addressed.

What about the hidden cost of education? Books and specialised equipment can place certain courses beyond the means of lower income students. Issues such as child care, particularly for mature students, need to be considered as does the appalling anomaly of mature students taking part-time evening degrees, which cover the same subject matter as courses for day-time students but they are not eligible for free fees or maintenance grants. This is a serious issue that needs to be resolved.

Aontas, the national adult learning organisation, received 3,485 queries in 2007 from adults wishing to access further or higher education, of which 24% were from learners looking for information on funding, showing the lack of ease of sourcing such information and the need to centralise services. Every autumn, students enrol in colleges across the country and many of them will not even be able to complete the first term up to Christmas as family circumstances make it impossible to maintain these young people in education. I know of several students, young boys and girls, throughout the country who have to take up part-time jobs in public houses late into the evening to supplement their education in college. In the time of the Celtic tiger this should not happen. As we all know, the opportunity cost of a college education is the lost salary the young person could be earning for the three or four years spent in university or a college of education. Given the current level of registration fees, combined with the low level of grant aid, the opportunity cost plus current expenditure proves to be a burden that many low-income, and better-off, families cannot sustain.

I support this Bill in so far as it seeks to unravel the complexity of the student grant application process. The streamlining and simplification this Bill will bring to the grant application process is a step in the right direction but I do not consider halving the number of grant awarding authorities from 66 to 33 to be necessarily a cause for the Government to glorify itself. Given the undeniable success of the Central Applications Office, it would have made much more sense to have taken this Bill a step further and centralised the grants process to maximise efficiency. Centralisation would lead to a perception of uniformity and fairness, speed up the payment of grants and eliminate administrative errors. However, this is only half the problem. What better time than this to look at the whole area of grant aid for third level students and perhaps an equitable system of student loans for those who do not qualify for grant aid?

The UK and Australia provide loans for students to cover their college education, payable upon commencement of employment. Surely this would be to the advantage of students and their families who are not eligible for maintenance grants. Under the current system, an unfair and inequitable penalty is brought to bear on families whose income is just over the limit for grant eligibility, especially those with a number of children in third level. The Minister should imagine how a family of three or four students living and studying away from home can possibly survive if they do not qualify for grant maintenance and she should consider the appalling pressure on their parents.

The high cost of the hidden extras of third level education, including living in cities such as Dublin where accommodation is even beyond the reach of many young people working in relatively good jobs, is a frightening prospect for many people. While it may not be sufficient in itself, a grant is some support to those who qualify. However, living in a rural area without a third level college nearby, remaining just outside the income threshold for such a grant and trying to provide the best education possible for a number of children is a nightmare for parents. This is where an interest-free loan system, something that would not be universally popular, would remove the pressure from parents and ensure that each child has access to a college education. While it is not ideal to face the future carrying such a debt, the lack of opportunity to access a good career is even harder to contemplate. Fine Gael is committed to a package of subsidised loans of up to €10,000, payable within four years of graduation, to postgraduate students. These loans would go a long way to advancing a student's employability and would remove the burden from the family.

Deputy Higgins spoke about bureaucracy and red tape in the system. There is much discrimination towards students who must wait 45 days for an appeal to be heard. That is grossly unfair and it does not help their studies. They must wait and endure hardship and bureaucracy, going back and forth to the Department to try to obtain answers. From time to time we must make representations on behalf of students so we are aware of the nightmare through which they must go. This is very frustrating for our students and the bureaucracy in our educational system leaves a very sour taste.

At this stage, I acknowledge the wonderful contribution to education made over the years by Athlone Institute of Technology. I compliment the management and the staff there, who are doing an excellent job and are very proactive in the development of the midlands. They have worked with companies and businesses that come into the area and they educate people to meet the needs of employers. Abbott set up in my county of Longford recently and provided a good number of jobs. The company was proactive in helping to set up an education for people coming into the company who needed that extra bit of experience.

Attempts are being made under the national spatial strategy to develop three cities in the midlands. There is a population of over 350,000 within a 30 mile radius of Athlone. It is time to look at a university for the midlands. It is a necessity at this stage. Students could drive to the university and they would not suffer the great cost burden of accommodation and so on. There is plenty of fine accommodation in all the towns of the midlands. A university would bring more to the midlands than a large-scale industry. It is something that should be considered. We are the only country in Europe with a midland region that does not have a university. I have no doubt Fine Gael will be in government in the next two to three years and we will strongly consider a university for the midlands. Several students and parents have approached me about this issue, so why not? Such a facility would be of huge benefit to students in the midlands.

Deputy McGrath spoke a few moments ago about students who get involved in politics. This is very welcome, but there is a great number of students involved with Fine Gael in all the educational institutions. The Fine Gael Party is the real hope for the future. It is the party of honesty, decency and integrity and I am delighted that young people are coming in their droves into our organisation. Well over 200 members have signed up and many signed up in Dublin and in Athlone Institute of Technology. This is very hopeful for the future as they will be the politicians of tomorrow. When we have a united Ireland, hopefully Fine Gael will reign for two, three or four decades. The party had among its members the founding fathers of democracy in this State and they have accounted extremely well for themselves over the years.

There is a bright future for students who sign up to Fine Gael. They will not be dictated to, they will be allowed to voice their opinions and they will be part of policy formulation within the party. They will have opinions in their own right. We do not concentrate on having too many spin doctors. We leave it to the individual to make up his or her own mind and this is something that is very welcome.

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