Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To use the Deputy's phrase, I am not in any way buying into the thesis that "jacking up" rents needs to happen in any university. The Deputy will have to agree with me on this point because it is a fact. Universities have seen an increase in their budgets this coming year compared to last year and last year compared to the year before. There is no excuse and that should not be used as a fig leaf. In fact, a number of universities are reducing the cost of student accommodation. The University of Galway is one example where they have reduced the cost of the majority of the housing. I take the point that not all are but if anyone is using that as an excuse, that should be called out for the codology it is.

Let us talk about these figures because there are a lot of figures floating around. Many years ago, the Cassells report said that the higher education sector needed €1 billion extra. When I became Minister, we got the European Commission and Indecon to do an up-to-date report as to where we stood. The figure of €1 billion had become €307 million. It is a fact that we need to inject €307 million more into our higher education system to be at a sustainable level of funding that will get us to better student:staff ratios. In this year's budget, we put in €60 million more, along with €40 million last year. We have also given €35 million for pay and more than €50 million for university pensions so we are making real progress. Nobody said that we would put in the €307 million in one budget; that is not realistic.

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