Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Up to 20,000 of the most disadvantaged students will receive them. I presume the Deputy would want me to target the most disadvantaged. A 50% reduction in the cost of public transport is a very big step forward brought in by my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. We have abolished, in its entirety, the fee for post-leaving certificate courses from September 2022. Some students will also see their grants increase by between 20% to 33% as a result of the changes made to adjacency, but we need to do more.

I am encouraged by the fact that the summer economic statement refers to budget 2023 and nods clearly in the direction of measures that will need to be brought in with an immediate impact in 2022, when the budget is announced. I assure the Deputy that I have spelt out the policy direction I want to take in that regard, further improving student grants and trying to reduce the registration fee. I will be working with my Government colleagues to see what package of additional supports for students and their parents and families in this calendar year will look like as part of that budgetary process.

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