Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

A welcome provision in the budget was the introduction of a €1,000 State financial support towards student fees. It is a once-off payment. Unfortunately, it is not applicable to students studying in Northern Ireland, Britain or outside our State. That is wrong. We have to encourage students to travel to study on a cross-Border basis. That should be revisited.

There is also a welcome introduction of the rental tax credit of €500 to parents of third level students paying their child’s rent in a tenancy that is registered with the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB. That must be also applicable to students who are renting in registered accommodation outside our State.

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