James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for the question and for the earlier debate. It is going to be a long evening and we are both here for the duration, which is right and proper given it is such an important topic.

I want to put on record again my commitment to easing the financial burden on students and families, and my commitment to reducing the cost of education in a way that is sustainable, and not just temporary but permanent; that is equitable and fair, and gives the most to those who need the most; and that is targeted, so we do not just do one-size-fits-all, and that we actually say that we will find the people who really need help and give them real help. Of course, we are going to deliver other measures as well, and we commit to all of our programme for Government commitments. However, I believe in targeted measures. I believe that those who need more help should get more help. That is a fundamental principle, and if anyone in the House disagrees with me on that, they should please explain why.

We know that temporary measures were introduced in the last three budgets and that they provided welcome relief at the time. We also know, and it should be no surprise to anyone in this House albeit it is being portrayed as such, that they were never designed to be permanent solutions. I am approaching budget 2026 by considering what we can do on a permanent basis. That is in line with what is happening across the Government, including the Minister for housing, who was mentioned in the question, and all the other Ministers. We are all considering what we can do on a permanent basis.

It is also true - the debate tonight has shed light on this - that the costs that students experience are not just about the fees. Of course, the fees are a significant cost but there is also accommodation, transport, materials, books and the income disregard around part-time jobs. There is an awful lot more to this. That is why, put simply, there is no silver bullet.

I had a cost-of-education event at Croke Park in April where I met student representatives and many other stakeholders, such as access officers and people who advocate for disadvantaged groups. I listened carefully to them, I listened carefully to the debate tonight, I listened to the debates on radio in recent weeks and I will listen to people over the summer when I continue that consultation. I will publish an options paper that sets out the choices. There are choices and they are not easy choices. We have to take ownership of those choices and bring them forward in the budget. I look forward to that debate.

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