Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)

Today, households with an income of up to €64,000 do not pay a student contribution. For those families who have more family members or a higher number of children, that ceiling is higher again. For post-graduate education, maintenance grants have been fully restored and a SUSI support is now available for the first time for those in hybrid or part-time education. That is what the Government has done and is already in place as we recognise the great challenge many families and students face with the cost of education, which we know is high. Those are the supports in place.

How have we been able to do this? We have been able to do this for two reasons. First, it is due to the hard work of the Irish people and the contribution they make to our economy that, in turn, creates the resources we are in a position to spend. Second, budget by budget, the Government has put in place measures we believe we can sustain and are affordable which can accompany all the other things we need to do in higher and further education for students. The capital investment the Minister, Deputy Lawless, announced several days ago regarding additional student facilities will bring more facilities for a group of universities. Only a week ago, the funding in place to help improve the quality of education students receive resulted in many Irish universities moving up the world league ratings regarding their academic performance.

Budget by budget, we make changes we believe are affordable which recognise the challenges there. That is why we will do what we normally do in the approaching budget. We will put in place measures, including those to deal with the cost of becoming a student and the challenge many families face, we know are affordable, can be funded and can be built upon in the years ahead. I, along with the Minister, Deputy Lawless, and the Minister for public expenditure and reform, Deputy Chambers, are very clear on what that objective is. We are very clear that the temporary measures in place when inflation was so high need to be looked at as well as at how we can put in place other measures that can make a difference to something we know is an acute difficulty for so many. So many are already receiving support which we know is needed.

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