Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister will have to excuse my scepticism. He is bamboozling me with figures on this. The programme for Government commits to continuing to reduce the student contribution fee over the lifetime of the Government. What the Minister is saying here falls far short of the commitment to reduce the fees to zero. There is no timeline for this or detail on the increments. Higher education is a public good and those who avail of it contribute immeasurably to society. As already said, people are put to the pins of their collars trying to pay for this. Some parents have more than one child going to college and cannot afford to send them. They must decide whether to send both or none. This is very unfair on them. Other parts of the economy also require newly skilled graduates. There is increasing use of modern methods of construction and housing delivery and the programme for Government commits the Minister to promoting these. Graduates add value to our economy and society and must be assisted if they are to achieve their full potential. Putting financial obstacles in their way is short-sighted and counter-productive.

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