Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)

We can all do what we will with figures but the reality is that families and students now are paying €500 more than they were for the last two years. That is the reality because of the removal of the once-off measures and when we take into account the increase in costs, in rents in particular. The average cost of going to college in Dublin, for example, increased this year to €20,777 a year, a 3% increase on last year. The main reason is the huge amount of money people have to pay in rent. On average, in Dublin, the rent that students pay is €1,200. It is roughly the same as the minimum wage in a full-time job. Some 83% of student accommodation is in private hands and that is the reason. There is profiteering and profit gouging going on and students are paying the price. A huge number of students have had to take on part-time jobs. Although the grants have increased, the reality is that students who are on SUSI grants are much more likely to drop out of college and not finish their degrees.

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