Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The purpose of this question is to ask whether the threshold for the third level grants scheme will be raised to accommodate the children of working people in middle Ireland who can no longer afford to pay third level fees as a result of the imposition of pension levies, the universal social charge, etc. Statistics I received in the past week indicate that 8% of people who work in the public service are in receipt of family income supplement, which is rather alarming. In the past, someone working as a teacher in my neck of the woods would have been seen as being comfortable financially. The sad reality now, however, is that these people cannot afford to pay their mortgages and so on.

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