Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)

I raised the case of a woman in my constituency, and I ask the Minister for a response to that particular case and the questions that woman has about how she is expected to afford an increase in fees. Students need to be able to plan and budget in advance for the upcoming academic year and they need certainty around this. I want to know because this is the second time in recent weeks that students have been thrown under the bus by the Government. We had the rent reforms recently, which are going to have a disproportionate impact on students. What does the Government have against students? Students cannot just magic up €1,000. My constituents are telling me that. I know people from across the State have been writing to the Minister in recent days telling him that. I urge the Minister to listen to students and their families, and outline how people like this woman in my constituency are supposed to afford an extra €2,000 for the next academic year.

See this speech in context