Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I know I am a little bit older than the Minister. I am a child of the 1990s, a time when if a household had two university-age-going children, they may have only been able to send one. As part of the Labour Party's contribution to the Government at the time, half-fees were introduced halfway through my time in university, followed by completely free fees as it was called. Education cost nothing. It was absolutely free. There was zero cost.

While the Minister is making all the right noises in terms of the reduction of the contribution charge etc. is it his vision that the cost would be zero? Is it the vision of his new Department or the Government, that in future years we would revert to where we were in the 1990s, that is, of having a zero euro sign beside the expectations of what families will contribute?

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