Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I support the request made by Senator Cummins yesterday that the Minister for Education and Science be called to the House to discuss the issue of third level fees. We have asked for this many times and it is now quite late in the academic year. There have been threats and hints about what will happen next year. It is not fair that prospective students and their parents do not know whether they will have to pay fees. It is our duty to call the Minister to account and to get him to reveal an up-front policy and tell us what the situation will be. Middle income PAYE earners have a particular concern. The Minister's ideology in regard to fees seems to be to hammer the middle income group.