Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)

The Minister has got this badly wrong. He has created huge levels of uncertainty and huge levels of stress for students, parents and families right across the country. The students of Ireland deserve better. They deserve clarity. Fees in this country are already far too high. Students are paying too much money to access what is a human right: basic education at third level. A recent report from the European Commission found that Ireland has the third highest university fees in the European Union when the maximum annual cost is considered. However, Ireland ranks highest on average rates of tuition paid annually. We are outliers in Europe in the fees people are paying. A total of 11 countries in Europe charge no fees at undergraduate level, with 14 more countries charging students less than €1,000 per year. Our fees here are already far too high. Students are paying far too much to access undergraduate education.

This is on top of findings from the OECD that indicate we do not invest enough in our education system. How can we expect students to continue to pay the price when the Government invests so little in their futures?

Increases in fees comprise a huge barrier to access to education that is preventing people from attaining their educational goals. We also have to consider that it is not just student fees that are increasing. Students are also facing cost increases across the board, including in groceries, accommodation and transport. We have seen consistent rises in the costs faced by students. In 2024, it was estimated that the average cost of going to college was €15,500 per year. It was even higher in Dublin, at €19,500. In my county, Cork, there was an increase of €836 between 2023 and 2024. Year-on-year, students face higher costs of living and, on top of those, potentially even higher fees. This is unsustainable and unacceptable.

We have also seen rises in grocery prices. This is an issue that the Social Democrats have been highlighting. There has been a 40% increase in grocery prices in four years. Students and their families are under huge financial pressure. We need to see a reduction in fees over the lifetime of the Government and their elimination. These costs are not temporary; they are ongoing. They represent consistent rises in the cost of living. The Minister can bring down the costs for students by reducing student fees year after year.

I used to work for a students' union. I commend the student union officers who are here today and protesting outside. I used to work for UCC Students' Union as a welfare officer and I have seen at first-hand the hardship students face. I encountered students who were living in their cars, students who were sleeping under hedges on campus and students with no relationship with their families who were still forced to pay high fees. We are doing a huge disservice to students by linking their requirement to pay fees to their parents' incomes because some of them have no relationship with their families. The Minister must factor that in.

We need to provide better access to education and give people opportunities and a path so that they can achieve what they want in life. That starts with the Government creating a way forward for them, investing in them, reducing student fees, increasing grants and supports, cherishing students and young people and providing them with the supports they need to have fulfilling lives in this country. At the moment, far too many of them have no hope of staying here because of rising fees, the rising cost of living and poor access to housing. They deserve better. Students in this country deserve a brighter future here.

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