Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is a broader issue, although accommodation is a problem. Earlier this year the Minister and her colleagues were tripping over one another to welcome the statistics showing that more PAYE families and fewer farm and self-employed families were receiving the higher education grant. What they failed to recognise - the Minister might acknowledge it - was that there was a larger cohort of PAYE workers in cities and a larger cohort of farmers and self-employed persons in rural areas. Will the Minister acknowledge that it is now far more difficult for people living in rural areas to access education in the cities because of the cost of accommodation and the lack of accessible transport? Will she also acknowledge that, despite the fanfare, because there are now more PAYE workers’ sons and daughters accessing higher education grants the overall number in receipt of the grant has dropped, although the number going to college has increased? The proportion of students accessing the grant is smaller.

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