Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael)

On 5 May, Fine Gael Members of this House brought forward a motion to ensure students' concerns regarding the costs of accessing further education were heard. In that motion, we stated it was urgent and it reflected the daily reality of thousands of students and families grappling with financial pressures. We commended on 5 May the €1,000 reduction in each of the previous three years. These cuts were not just symbolic. For many families they were a lifeline that made the difference between sending their son or daughter to college and facing financial hardship. We said this work must continue. The House was fully supportive of that motion and we want to see these fees reduce even further over the life of this Government, as per the commitment in the programme for Government. I, like my fellow Fine Gael Senators, cannot stand by and see increased costs going onto constituents. Over the past two days since the announcement by the Minister, Deputy Lawless, on RTÉ Radio 1 on Sunday morning, I have received numerous calls from constituents such as working families and tradespeople, all of whom had put provisions in place to send their kids to third level education this September but will now have to come up with additional funds. Like Senator Harmon, I ask that this be rolled back and the money found. We are talking about €99 million out of a budget of €4.54 billion. Constituents and students - the next generation - deserve that. Investing this money in third level education and access to third level education will pay tenfold back into our economy.