Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. In the Minister's previous engagement with Deputy Conway-Walsh, he mentioned the fact that he did not want to talk about barriers to education, because he wants everyone to believe that they can go to college. That is very relevant and important and I endorse that. However, there are certain courses that are simply not accessible to students, regardless of how hard they might try to access them. For example, 4% of the graduate entry medicine student cohort come from what would have been previously categorised as disadvantaged backgrounds. The student loan that was previously provided by the Bank of Ireland came to €60,000 over the course of five years. However, that required a parental guarantee of over €50,000. That potentially excluded people from one-parent families and those living in poverty, as one in six people do in this country. The decision made by the bank was a commercial one. However, the consequence was that certain courses in our State were simply the preserve of those who could afford them. I think the Minister agrees that this should not continue. I welcome the fact that the Minister is considering the matter and intends to make policy announcements on it, but there is an urgency to it. Perhaps the Minister can expand on his plans in his response.

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