Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

—particularly for courses with progression possibilities. Who put those in place? Successive Fianna Fáil Governments.

If Members want to see the funding impact of the decision, it is very stark. The funds for this policy of so-called free fees were taken from schools. At the same time as funding for fees remission was being put into the third level Vote, the Labour Party, in control of both Education and Finance, decided to freeze school funding and tried to cut teacher numbers. One need only check the Education Estimates for the first years of fees remission and one will note the direct cause and effect.