Lorraine Clifford Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for attending the House today to respond to the issue I have raised on third level fees, specifically those charged to students undertaking a year's internship as part of their course of study. The issue was highlighted to me by a student in north County Dublin who is in her third year in Maynooth. She is on work placement for the full year. She also has a friend who is in DCU who is on a full-year's work placement. They both have to pay their full fees to their particular universities amounting to more than €3,000 each. They do not have any access to the library and they are not undertaking tutorials, lectures or examinations. Their only interaction is submitting a report at the end of their internship in June.

The Citizens' Information service says that student contribution fees cover student services and examinations in college. That is disproportionate to the level of service these girls and many thousands like them are getting when they undertake their internship year. Perhaps the Minister of State will consider directing that the colleges reduce their fees significantly for students who undertake a full academic year out of the college setting, who do not access the services and have limited interaction with college staff.