Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I fully accept that students and parents are in no way immune to the cost-of-living crisis. We are living through an inflationary crisis, the likes of which has not been seen since the 1970s, and that is having a real impact on people in making ends meet; there are no two ways about that. That is why we put in place a number of measures last year to help students, parents and families, and we will do similar this year in trying to come forward with measures. I am keen that any cost-of-living package that is in the budget in two weeks' time or so understands the challenges that students and their families are facing. That is why I worked hard to make sure that when the rent tax credit came in last year it was tweaked so that it is available to students. The rent tax credit has helped many students and their parents with the cost of rent, and if we can go further and do more then that is an avenue that is definitely worth exploring.

I am always conscious of people who watch these debates and who might get anxious about costs and stuff and I need to say that we live in a country where a little bit more than four out of ten students do not pay registration fees and access the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grant. The Deputy and I both want to grow that number. Let us see how we can look at things around income thresholds and the likes in the budget.

On the issue of digs, I know they are not ideal for everyone but there are 2,500 properties available out there and there are draft licence agreements out there. It is a better scenario for some people than the extraordinarily long commutes that they may be experiencing.

See this speech in context