Joe O'Toole (Independent)

Every teacher, garda, nurse or other middle class parent I knew had education policies to pay for the education of their children. They scrimped, scraped and sacrificed to put them through college. They did more. Some sold their end of career gratuities to pay for their children in college. I know one man who took a career break from his job. He had three children at college and could not afford to pay for them, despite having made provision. By taking a three year career break he lost his salary so he could qualify for grant aid during that period. Two of those children are now senior members of the diplomatic corps. They would never have got there without that type of scrimping and scraping. People went without. It is unfair to say that those people should be put back into that situation.