Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. The student services charge is levied by third level institutions to defray the costs of examinations, registration and students services, which include the planning, co-ordination and implementation of a variety of programmes and services designed to provide students with the opportunity to reach their full academic and personal potential. The charge is €825 for the current academic year. All students eligible for means-tested student support have the student charge paid on their behalf by local authorities or the vocational education committees in addition to any maintenance and tuition grants to which they are entitled.

The HEA issued a framework of good practice for the provision of student services to the publicly funded higher education institutions in 1998. Reference was made to the principles of transparency and accountability. The framework consists of guidelines to establish an appropriate system of consultation with students in the allocation of funding from the charge and in the determination of student services to be funded from this source. The framework also provides that institutions should ensure information is available relating to expenditure from the fund arising from the charge and that this information should be made available to students.

The HEA has written periodically to all institutions to remind them of their function in the student services charge to ensure correct procedures are in place in accordance with the framework. The HEA recently wrote once again to all institutions about the charge reminding them of this framework. I am satisfied the authority considers, generally, that the framework has operated quite well in the sector. Third level institutions are autonomous bodies and they determine the internal disbursal of funding, including funding received under the student services charge.

I am aware of the annual demands for additional resources for the higher education sector and I have afforded significant priority to investments in this area. Spending on higher education has increased dramatically over the past decade. When all higher education funding is taken into account, the overall provision by the Department for the sector amounts to €2 billion for 2008, an increase of 25% since 2005, when the provision amounted to €1.6 billion, and an increase of 135% on the €850 million provided in 1997. Unprecedented investment is being made in our higher education infrastructure in promoting excellence through system-wide collaboration and change, widening access and creating a vibrant fourth level sector. These are key long-term investments in Ireland's future.