Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last week, thousands of third level students were on the streets outside the Dáil demanding increased investment in education and rejecting a student loans system. While the Government speaks of helping families in need, it has no problem with the ever-increasing cost of third level education becoming a crippling burden on thousands of students and their parents. Astronomical accommodation costs, a shortage of student lodgings and suitable part-time work are all factors making third level inaccessible for many. Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grant thresholds need to be adjusted to allow middle income earners to access the grant scheme.

An investment of €310 million has been made available for the period until 2021 to address the infrastructure needs of the higher education sector. In addition, an increase in the national training fund levy will generate €47.5 million of additional investment next year. While these are welcome announcements, there has been no meaningful investment in improving access to education by increasing SUSI grant thresholds or improving on-campus mental health services. There was no announcement of a new funding model for third level education or a decrease in fees. Are we not concerned about this generation being saddled with debt in later years? Do the generations struggling through our education system not matter?

Given the sustained economic growth in the past two years, it is unacceptable that the pupil-teacher ratio at second level remains higher than it was ten years ago. Expenditure on second level education as a percentage of GDP is below the OECD average. Last month, the OECD report, Education at a Glance, stated that spending on education in Ireland needs to increase. Second level schools understandably expected to receive an increase in funding in the budget. While the increase in guidance counselling posts is welcome, these new posts will only be a step towards restoring guidance counselling provision to the level reached before it was cut in 2012.

I will make one point on the housing assistant payment, HAP, scheme, which is often overlooked by the Government. A large number of landlords refuse to accept the payment. This issue arises consistently in counties Carlow and Kilkenny. Approximately 95 families in County Kilkenny are on notice to quit their homes and have nowhere to go. It will be impossible for them to find a home, even if they secure an increase in the housing assistance payment, because landlords will not accept the HAP. The Government must address this issue.

Accessing rental properties for which HAP is accepted remains a key barrier for families. Earlier this month, the Government's Special Rapporteur on Child Protection stated that emergency accommodation denied children several rights, including to health and education, and compromised their ability to develop.

On child care and the early years sector, it is exasperating that the budget makes no reference to child care workers or their conditions and poor pay, particularly as the Dáil unanimously passed a motion I introduced last July calling for the recognition of the sector and setting out the urgent changes required. The House agreed that "national and international evidence suggests that high quality early childhood education and care is beneficial for young children at the foundation stage of their development and that the provision of high quality early education and care is dependent on quality interactions between early years staff and the children they engage with, therefore, the immediate improvement of working conditions and salaries of those working in the sector is essential for quality improvement".

International research and evidence have established the intrinsic link between the working conditions of those responsible for children and the quality of care and outcomes. The reason Sinn Féin, in our alternative budget, proposed five times more investment in child care that the Government is that such an increase is needed to begin creating a high quality child care and early years sector that has, as its priority, the development of the child and all those who carry out the essential work in caring for and educating children. If the Taoiseach and his Government are genuine about their commitment to creating a republic of opportunity for all children and students from all sections of society on an equal basis, they must re-examine the logic of the budget measures before us.

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