Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, who is unavoidably absent and is not in a position to attend tonight. I thank Senator Mullen for raising this matter.

As the Senator will be aware the student services charge is levied by third level institutions to defray the cost of examinations, registration and students services. Those services may include on-campus medical and counselling facilities for students, access and disability services, careers advisory service, student facilities and student clubs and societies such as sports and recreation.

The Government accepted increases in the level of that charge for the current academic year to bring it to a limit of €1,500, from €900, in individual higher education institutions. Prior to this academic year the level of the charge did not represent the total allocation made by institutions towards student services from institutions' budgets and therefore such services were subsidised from the funding grant allocated by the Higher Education Authority. The increase in the charge for this academic year would have the effect of bringing the amount contributed by students more into line with the cost of providing student services in the institutions with funding then being freed up within the funding grant. The increase of up to €600 was agreed on the understanding that the revenue generated by the level of increase to be adopted by each institution is required to defray the cost of items that fall to be funded by this charge.

All students who are eligible for means-tested student grants have the student services charge paid on their behalf by the relevant local authority or VEC, in addition to any maintenance or tuition fee grant to which they are entitled. The Higher Education Authority issued a framework of good practice for the provision of student services to the publicly funded higher education institutions in 1998. Particular reference was made to the principles of transparency and accountability. The framework consists of guidelines to establish an appropriate system of consultation with students on the allocation of funding from the charge and in the determination of student services to be funded from this source. The HEA has periodically written to all institutions to ensure that correct procedures are in place, and to remind them of their function in regard to the student services charge, in accordance with the framework of good practice. I thank the Senator for affording me the opportunity to respond to the House on this matter.