Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

The first thing is that we must understand to what the registration fee refers. It refers to the services delivered by the universities and institutes of education to students. The Government decided last year that the universities and institutes could charge up to €1,500 per student on the basis that they were delivering that level of service. Until then it was felt that the full cost of services was not being borne by the student. In those circumstances, a ceiling was set and the universities and institutes, liaising with the Higher Education Authority and ourselves, gave a clear outline of the services they were rendering. It is, therefore, a matter for the Higher Education Authority and sector and the Department of Education and Science to determine what level of service exists. If a level of service beyond €1,500 is not being delivered by the higher level institutions, we cannot increase the registration charge.

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