Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I welcome the comments of Senator Healy Eames about the misuse, effectively, of what is called the student services charge. I raised this matter on the Adjournment last night. Despite the fact that the Minister for Education and Science said recently that the student services charge is for the purposes of registration, examinations and facilities and services for students, the reality is that the block grant to colleges in respect of tuition fees for students has been cut back. It has been the policy going back to 2003, as instructed by the Higher Education Authority, that the cut in the block grant be compensated for by increasing the student services charge. It is completely bogus of the Government to claim that there is still a free fees system when the reality is that tuition fees have returned through the back door, and in the most dishonest fashion by being labelled a student services charge. It is no longer that, and there should be honesty about it.