Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

As the Minister has said, there are competing demands. I know the Senator and other colleagues were looking for the student contribution to be reduced again this year as well. The Minister has a certain amount of money and he is trying to balance all of the competing demands. They are all worthy. Nobody could be against any of them, but the simple fact is that it is a financial calculation. It would work for students, but it would come at significant cost. If the Senator has ideas about where the cost could come from or what else could be done if she does not want to go ahead with the €1,000 cut in the fees, I am sure the Minister will consider them. Choices have to be made by the Department. This is just like increasing the income thresholds to avail of the grant. The Minister has done that this year. That will help this situation and it will also help on a broader basis.

The funding allocation for the student grant scheme is determined in the context of the overall Estimates and the budgetary process undertaken by all Departments. The Minister is very positive about this. I do not think he is against doing this in any principled way. In fact, he has not stated his position. What I think he has said is that this is all under discussion in the context of the budget and the various competing demands. The Minister wishes to emphasise his commitment to examining all the options carefully. He has published these as options from his Department. They have not come out of thin air. The Minister is open to progressing changes that can make a meaningful difference for students and their families. We want to make sure that we explore the most effective ways to support students in managing these costs and ensuring they receive all the necessary help to get ahead.

The reason for the limit is to prevent students working so much during their higher and further education that it negatively impacts on their ability to fully participate in their course. If we were to raise the disregard to €12,000, it is basically the same thing as increasing the income thresholds. The Minister has, in fact, already done that this year. Standard rate thresholds have increased by at least 15%. It is food for thought from the Senator and from the options paper. I have no doubt that in the context of the discussions the Ministers are having, probably as we speak, and in the coming weeks, that the best possible solution will be achieved.