Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

The decision to increase the student contribution from €1,500 to €2,000 was made in December 2010. The election took place in February and the programme for Government adopted in full - because the incoming Government had no other option - the entire array of economic decisions contained in that budget of 2011. This included the increase by one third of the student service charge as it then was termed and which now properly and accurately is called the student contribution. As for time to prepare, a minimum of nine months has been put in place to enable families to prepare for what will be a difficult year for them and for everyone else. I accept this will be an extremely difficult time for some families. However, if the economic circumstances of a family have deteriorated, the son or daughter in question then will be, all else being equal, in a position to apply for a student grant. Moreover, the family's income threshold could be such that not only will the student get the grant but the student contribution also will be paid.

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