Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)

For the past number of weeks or months we have had Ministers saying they will not do a cost-of-living package. They have evaded the question every time they have been asked. When we heard about the plan from the Government to increase fees by €1,000, the Minister can imagine our shock. It shows exactly how out of touch the Government can be, because there is a cost-of-living crisis. I do not have to tell the Minister that. I spoke to many of the students outside the door earlier today, but I speak to them all the time. I represent Limerick city, which is a student city. We have a huge number of third level institutions, the Technological University of the Shannon, TUS, the University of Limerick, the art college, Mary Immaculate and others. They are fantastic. Lots of students come to Limerick and they are very welcome. They contribute greatly to our city. However, people are struggling, and I do not think the Minister appreciates how much they are struggling. For instance, I was in Dunnes Stores yesterday and the woman on the checkout told me that every single week she notices the cost of living and the prices people are paying. Students pay these prices as well. They are going up and up, and nothing is coming down. As I have said, Ministers over the past number of weeks and months have not told us they will be giving a cost-of-living package in the budget. The first we heard about was a €1,000 fee increase. Most people do not have such an amount of money, as some of my colleagues have said. Most families will have budgeted for the year ahead and for student accommodation already. With student fees, costs and the cost of living more generally, some people just cannot afford anything additional to that. Families will have done their budgets already. They might have multiples of students going to college. The fact they have no certainty coming this close to the return of the academic year is a disgrace and the Minister needs to sort it out.

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