James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I acknowledge the Deputy's integrity and interest in this subject. We have had a number of discussions on it in the past. The Deputy commented in the previous debate. Indeed, Deputy McGettigan did also, in fairness. Both Deputies, as spokespersons for their respective parties, engaged in the process constructively and I welcome that. I would ask that we continue that engagement.

When I publish the cost-of-education paper this summer, I would invite both of the Deputies and their parties to make submissions to it. Let us make them evidence based. Let us have the debate because it is a debate. Choices are not easy. This is the basis of politics. How do we distribute scarce resources? What decisions do we make about them? Who deserves them more? That is a reasonably strong political ethos to have and there are different answers to that depending on the different political philosophies. Let us engage on that, honestly and robustly, and have the debate because it is important.

Let me, again, reiterate my 100% commitment to the programme for Government in all its forms. It includes multiple commitments. It includes a commitment to continue to reduce the student contribution fee, of course, which I will do over the lifetime of the Government in a financially sustainable way. It also includes commitments to improve SUSI grants and SUSI supports. I intend to go further than that and reform the system. I also want to look at what is impactful, and other measures, targeted or non-targeted, and what is the policy objective that they result in.

I will produce the cost-of-education options paper which I have mentioned. I have also asked my Department to commission a piece of research about what are the levers that we can pull and what are the results of those levers. Ultimately, it is easy to call for things, but why, and what policy outcome do we want to see from them? That is an important question worthy of consideration. That piece of research will not be for this year's budget. That will be over the next 12 months but it will inform our decisions over the term ahead. In the meantime, I will go into budget 2026 this October fighting for students and families.

I have heard different stories through the Chamber. No student should miss out on a chance of education for financial want and if there are students in that situation, I need to see what is going wrong and why the system is failing. In circumstances where we have never paid more grants, we have never had such a high income threshold and we have never made so many contributions, how are people falling through the net? I accept that some are but I want to hear the detail of those cases so we can fix them.

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